Acts 2:1-21

Pentecost

May 31, 2009

Acts 2:1-21 (New International Version)

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

¹When the day of Pentecost came; they were all together in one place. ²Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues^[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

⁵Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. ⁷Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? ⁸Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome ¹¹(both Jews and converts to Judaism Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" ¹²Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"

¹³Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine.^[b]"

Peter Addresses the Crowd

¹⁴Then Peter stood up with the Eleven raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. ¹⁵These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
¹⁷" 'In the last days, God says,
      I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
   Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
      your young men will see visions,
      your old men will dream dreams.
¹⁸Even on my servants, both men and women,
      I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
      and they will prophesy.
¹⁹I will show wonders in the heaven above
      and signs on the earth below,
      blood and fire and billows of smoke.
²⁰The sun will be turned to darkness
      and the moon to blood
      before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
²¹And everyone who calls
      on the name of the Lord will be saved.'^[c]

How many Pentecost’s have you celebrated? Unless you are very young, more than you have fingers and toes on which to count them; some of us, many times over. Such repetition can make the day seem routine. It certainly wasn’t. Pentecost was an extraordinary day and its effects continue. Perhaps we would grow in our appreciation of the event if we viewed it through the eyes of someone living at the time. That’s where I’d like to take you today, early in the first century A.D.

It’s Pentecost. I’m a faithful Jewish man and I came, as always, to keep the festival. It’s a tradition, yes, but it is also important. God commanded us to worship in Jerusalem at certain times. Pentecost is one of them. It is a harvest festival, sometimes also termed the Feast of Weeks. It happens fifty days following the Sabbath after Passover. The first part of the barley harvest is waved before the Lord.

It’s easy for me and my family to get to Jerusalem. We live in Bethphage. Maybe you remember that little village nearby the capital city. It’s just an inn and a few modest homes. We have a neighbor whose donkey Jesus used a few weeks ago to ride into Jerusalem that Sunday when all kinds of people were waving palm branches and giving Him a royal welcome. There can be a disadvantage in living this close. All of our relatives who live at a distance come to stay with us during the festivals. It’s wall to wall people in our humble abode. But it’s also fun and a religious high point. Other relatives live farther away. Uncle Hiram did, but he moved back here in retirement. Although he was born and raised elsewhere, he wanted to return to the homeland of his ancestors.

You know, I was acquainted with this man Jesus of Nazareth. I mentioned Him before. Living close by, I knew how He stirred things up. Lots of people followed Him, especially early on. The leaders of our faith hated Him.

My village isn’t far from Bethany, the town of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, who were close friends of Jesus. There were reports that Lazarus died and Jesus raised Him back to life, even though he had already been dead four days. What do you make of that? I wasn’t there. I wish I could watch it on YouTube if somebody would invent the Internet—and computers to use it, for that matter. News like that spreads fast even in our era. The Mrs. has some friends who always know the latest that’s going on, if you know what I mean. So I knew a lot about Jesus and was interested in Him—even heard Him preach a time or two. He sure knew the Scriptures! Other rabbis told us not to listen to Him. The Pharisees definitely didn’t like Him either. He called them hypocrites, and I think they are a lot of show.

I saw the crowd on Palm Sunday. Lots of them came from Galilee and they were excited. Later that week Jesus was arrested and on trial. I must admit I got carried away and even joined in calling out, “Crucify Him!” It just didn’t seem possible that someone who looked like such a loser could be the Messiah. Isn’t He supposed to be God? And God is mighty. When Jesus died on the cross it was so different than anybody else. He took it all without a bad word. Some real strange things happened, too, like darkness at midday, an earthquake and the curtain in the temple splitting open. That didn’t all just happen, did it? I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since then. Reports from Jesus’ followers claim He rose from the grave and that they saw Him. I can’t be sure because I didn’t see Him myself. I didn’t hear of Him preaching after that. The disciples kept things kinda close and it’s quieted down these last few weeks.

Then there was today. The whole bunch of Jesus’ followers were together in Jerusalem this Sunday morning. They were sitting and discussing the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. All of a sudden astounding things started happening. “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.” It sounded like a big storm but there weren’t even any clouds. And the noise was limited to the place where they were. Fire appeared and stood over the head of each one, but nobody’s hair was singed. As you can imagine, those signs attracted attention and a crowd of a few thousand gathered.

Then something really strange happened. Those guys started talking to people in different languages. No matter where a person was from, one knew his native language. Uncle Hiram grew up in Pontus and he’s a bit rusty when it comes to Aramaic, but he heard a disciple talk in the language in which he was born. I was no slouch as a student and surely studied more than these fishermen from Galilee, but I certainly couldn’t do that. It didn’t matter where the people came from. I ordered a map from Triple Aleph, but you know the mail these days. It didn’t arrive yet—maybe the donkeys were sick. People were there from all over the world: areas to the east—I think you call them names like Iraq and Iran today—and all around the Mediterranean Sea, including down in Africa. How could they do that? “Some, however, made fun of them and said, ‘They have had too much wine.’” There are some in every crowd. They were not impressed.

II.

That’s when Peter got up. I have heard him before, too. I saw him cursing and saying he didn’t even know Jesus, then running out and bawling his head off. But now that chicken-livered guy stands up and talks to the whole crowd that had gathered. His voice didn’t even quaver! Something definitely filled him, and it wasn’t new wine. We only drink wine when we eat meat, and we don’t do that until evening. They hadn’t even eaten breakfast yet. It was nine a.m., the time of Morning Prayer, which precedes the first meal of the day.

In his sermon Peter took us back to the Old Testament prophet Joel. He served nine centuries ago. Peter said what Joel foresaw was now happening. “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.” Now, I know about the Spirit. David said the Spirit came on him when he composed our hymns, the book of Psalms. The Pentateuch or books of Moses tell us the Spirit was there at creation. He’s God, with the Father and the Son. He’s also in my heart. He led me to trust in the Lord. The Spirit came on Samson when he performed his feats of strength. He came in a special way today. That’s what was different about Peter: he was filled with the Spirit. And that’s what gave the disciples those language abilities.

Thus equipped by the Spirit they spoke of the wonders of God. All He does for us is wonderful. The special effects of the day fit the Holy Spirit. The sound of wind accompanied His coming. He is called the breath of God. He set Peter and the others on fire so that they spoke plainly and boldly.

The outpouring of the Spirit would have effects, the prophecy stated. People would prophesy, that is, share God’s message. And the Spirit would keep coming. I don’t know whether I will ever be able to talk those languages like the disciples did, but I can tell God’s Word to people in my family and my village. The Spirit would do the same for all ages, young and old. You should hear my little tyke sings the psalms we teach him. And what insight my wife’s aged father shares from the Torah! The Spirit will come on male and female—your sons and daughters, Joel wrote. I know God has more to say about where and how those gifts are used, but all can speak His Word to others. The Spirit also comes to people of different social standing. He causes people to see dreams and visions as they consider the progress of the Word of the Lord.

Then Peter quoted Joel’s words about the final judgment. The Spirit will bless us until the end. There will be signs and wonders, including “blood and fire and billows of smoke.” That sounds a lot like what happens in war. The Teacher said war was a sign that time is passing and the end is coming. Anybody ever hear of North Korea? (I don’t know where that came from—it just popped into my head.) Things will get worse at the very end. The sun will stop shining. The Lord will return. Peter called that a great and glorious day—he must know something about this Lord. It’s true if you are going to heaven. But it’s not so good if you are condemned. Then it’s dreadful, which is the word used in the Old Testament.

That advance information was awesome, but you know the part I liked best? “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” I know I need help. Life is tough. Those dirty Romans always want more taxes. Bad things happen. My neighbor’s donkey fell on him and crushed him. The biggest problem I have is sin. I know I’m not perfect. Not just my wife Salome tells me that. I know it myself. I’m not honest all the time. Some Sabbaths I feel too tired to go to the temple. We argue some and say mean things to each other. I lose patience with my kids, and then look out! I’ve had lust like David when I see my neighbor’s wife. (Remember, we don’t even have the Internet to make that sin so easy.) I think you get the picture. But the prophecy that Peter quoted said if we call on the Lord we will be saved. We will be forgiven and have heaven. You know, that’s what Jesus taught also. He spoke words of forgiveness from the cross. He invited people to come to faith. That’s pretty great! Can I have that? It makes me want to keep listening to Peter and to tell others about it.

The man is right. Jesus promised to send the Spirit. We heard it at the ascension. “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Ten days later our Savior fulfilled His promise. The Spirit calls us to faith so we are saved. He equips us to share God’s message. You and I can have power like Peter showed. It is our role to spread the Gospel. The end is coming, which is the next big event the prophet saw. The approach of the end adds urgency to that call to believe and to our work of sharing the wonders of God. Our prayer is, “Fill us with your Spirit. Keep me strong in faith, prepared for judgment and equipped for service.” You know Jesus, true God and true man, who lived and died for you. Believe in Him as your Savior and tell the world.