Acts 2:13 records the reaction of some onlookers in Jerusalem who heard the followers of Jesus speaking in many languages and dismissed it as drunkenness. The verse tells us that not everyone who witnessed the early church’s remarkable moment responded with wonder, and that some chose to mock what they could not explain. It is spoken by unnamed bystanders in the crowd on the day of Pentecost, and the people they are speaking about are the disciples gathered together in Jerusalem.
Others, mocking, said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Acts 2:13 (WEB)
What Acts 2:13 Means
The phrase “others, mocking” tells you that the crowd was not uniform. Verse 12 describes people who were amazed and perplexed, asking what it all meant. Verse 13 introduces a second group who refused to take the event seriously and treated it with contempt. Their mockery was a way of dismissing something they did not want to understand.
The phrase “They are filled with new wine” is their explanation. Fresh wine, just pressed and not yet aged, was known to cause intoxication, so the mockers suggested the disciples were simply drunk and speaking nonsense. This verse does not promise that every hard-to-explain event will be easily understood, nor does it tell you how to respond to ridicule. It records a moment and lets you see the gap between what was happening and how some people chose to describe it.
The Context of Acts 2:13
Luke wrote the book of Acts as a sequel to his Gospel, addressed to a man named Theophilus, and it traces how the message of Jesus spread from Jerusalem outward. The setting here is Pentecost, a Jewish harvest festival that brought pilgrims from many regions to the city. That is why verse 10 lists visitors from Phrygia, Egypt, Libya, Rome, and beyond, all of whom could hear the disciples speaking in their own languages.
Verse 12 sets up the contrast: the crowd was amazed and asked what it meant. Verse 13 shows that the question did not have a single answer for everyone. Verse 14 then begins Peter’s response, where he stands up and explains that it is only the third hour of the day, so drunkenness is not the cause. Reading verse 13 alongside Peter’s reply shows that the mockery was answered directly, not ignored.
Key Phrases in Acts 2:13
1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with humility and fear…
(WEB)
This verse encourages believers to be ready to give a reasoned, gentle answer about their hope. It pairs well with Acts 2:13 because Peter, the same apostle who answers the mockers in Acts, is the one urging Christians to respond with respect rather than contempt.
Acts 2:17
‘It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams.
(WEB)
This verse begins Peter’s quotation from Joel, explaining that God’s Spirit is being poured out on all people. It answers the mockers’ claim by showing that what looked strange was the fulfillment of an ancient promise, placing the event in God’s larger plan.
A Short Prayer From Acts 2:13
Lord, when others mock what I believe or dismiss the way I try to follow you, help me stay steady and kind. Give me patience when I feel stung by ridicule, and remind me that you are at work even when people cannot see it. Teach me to speak honestly and gently, trusting that your Spirit moves in ways that no one can fully explain. Thank you for the courage of those early believers who kept going in the face of scorn. Amen.
