Pentecost

Pentecost, a day two thousand years ago on which something amazing happened.

Ten days ago, on Ascension Day, we commemorated Jesus' ascent into heaven; today we remember the Holy Spirit's descent from heaven onto the disciples. Pentecost is a major holiday in the Christian calendar. It marks the end of the Eastertide season, the fifty-day period of time that begins on Easter. Pentecost is when the disciples were given the "the gift of tongues"-the miraculous ability to speak to men and women in a host of languages.

The story of Pentecost can be found in Acts 2:1-13:

And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in the same place. And suddenly a sound like a violent rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. And divided tongues like fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability to speak out.

Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd gathered and was in confusion, because each one was hearing them speaking in his own language. And they were astounded and astonished, saying, "Behold, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how do we hear, each one of us, in our own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and those residing in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya toward Cyrene, and the Romans who were in town, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs-we hear them speaking in our own languages the great deeds of God!" And all were amazed and greatly perplexed, saying to one another, "What can this mean?" But others jeered and said, "They are full of sweet new wine!" – Acts 2:1-13 (LEB)

In my mind, this is one of the more exciting stories in Scripture. After the disciples dismiss accusations that they are drunk, Peter delivers a powerful sermon making the case that Jesus is the Messiah. It was a persuasive argument; Acts 2:41 notes that after Peter's sermon "about three thousand people were added to the number of believers that day." Acts 2:22-41 (New Living Translation)

Acts 2:22-41

New Living Translation (NLT)

22 "People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene[a] by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know.23 But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him.24 But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.25 King David said this about him:

'I see that the Lord is always with me.… I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.…26 No wonder my heart is glad,… and my tongue shouts his praises!… My body rests in hope.…27 For you will not leave my soul among the dead[]… or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.…28 You have shown me the way of life,… and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.'[c]

29 "Dear brothers, think about this! You can be sure that the patriarch David wasn't referring to himself, for he died and was buried, and his tomb is still here among us.30 But he was a prophet, and he knew God had promised with an oath that one of David's own descendants would sit on his throne.31 David was looking into the future and speaking of the Messiah's resurrection. He was saying that God would not leave him among the dead or allow his body to rot in the grave.

32 "God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this.33 Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God's right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today.34 For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said,

'The Lord said to my Lord,… "Sit in the place of honor at my right hand…35 until I humble your enemies,… making them a footstool under your feet."'[d]

36 "So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!"

37 Peter's words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?"

38 Peter replied, "Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.39 This promise is to you, and to your children, and even to the Gentiles[e]-all who have been called by the Lord our God."40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation!"

41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day-about 3,000 in all.

Pentecost marks the fulfillment of Jesus' promise to send the Holy Spirit to empower the disciples; Peter's evangelistic sermon is just the first of many that will be delivered by the disciples as they travel far and wide to spread the Gospel message. And with the conversion of Pentecost's three thousands begins a period of incredible-miraculous-expansion for the fledgling Christian church. After Pentecost, the book of Acts recounts story after story of amazing works of God done through the apostles as they go into the world preaching the Gospel of Jesus.

Christians believe that the Holy Spirit continues to work in hearts today as Jesus' followers share the Good News with others. Give thanks today that Jesus' promise was kept, and that the Holy Spirit is present in His church today to offer comfort and counsel.

Shavuot: God's Law is Given

Pentecost: in the old Testament Jewish celebration of Shavuot.

Shavuot: the giving of God's Law to the Israelites at Mount Sinai. The Ten Commandments.

The giving of the Law is described in Exodus 19-20:

In the third month after the people of Isra'el had left the land of Egypt, the same day they came to the SinaiDesert. After setting out from Refidim and arriving at the SinaiDesert, they set up camp in the desert; there in front of the mountain, Isra'el set up camp.

Moshe went up to God, and Adonai called to him from the mountain: "Here is what you are to say to the household of Ya'akov, to tell the people of Isra'el: 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you will pay careful attention to what I say and keep my covenant, then you will be my own treasure from among all the peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you will be a kingdom of cohanim for me, a nation set apart.' These are the words you are to speak to the people of Isra'el." – Exodus 19-20 (CJB)

The Ten Commandments themselves are listed in Exodus 20. Jesus famously summarized them like this:

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. – Matthew 22:34-40 (NIV)

Christians believe that Jesus has redeemed and forgiven our offenses against God's Law, making us citizens in good standing of God's Kingdom. But the Law remains important-not as just a list of rules to follow, but as a standard against which we can measure our lives. It is through this Law that we understand the importance of holy living. And it is the Law that illuminates our need for a Savior in the first place. For more about how Christians today understand God's Law, see these two devotional articles:

Between Pentecost and Memorial Day this weekend, you might not have the mental bandwidth to process a third holiday. But take a few minutes to think about the Law-what it meant to the Israelites who first received it, and what it means in your everyday life. It is through God's Law that we begin to understand the character of God-and how we, as sin-haunted men and women in need of redemption, relate to Him.