Pentecost: An Empowered Proclamation

“On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. They were completely amazed. ‘How can this be?’ they exclaimed. ‘These people are all from Galilee and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Here we are, Parthians, Medes, Elamites and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans and Arabs.

And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!’ They stood there amazed and perplexed. ‘What can this mean?’ they asked each other. But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, ‘They’re just drunk, that’s all!’ Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, ‘Listen carefully all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants; men and women alike; and they will prophesy. 

And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below; blood and fire and clouds of smoke. The sun will become dark and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives. But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” (Acts 2:1-21) (Also read Psalm 104:24-34, 35b; Romans 8:14-17; John 14:8-17, 25-27) Pentecost has a storied history. In the Old Testament, it was the annual Feast of Weeks. It celebrated the first fruits of the season. In the New Testament, it was remembered fifty days after Passover and fifty days after the Resurrection. On this occasion people gathered in Jerusalem from long distances. Numerous language groups were there. Some are named: the Parthians, the Medes, the Elamites and the dwellers of Mesopotamia (verse 9 – 11). They gathered for a common purpose, for the feast of Pentecost, but they would soon find a far greater cause for rejoicing than the first fruits of that year’s produce.

I.) A miracle took place here. Two scenes are brought into focus. First, there is the Upper Room scene. The characters are the earliest disciples of Yeshua, the Twelve and others. They are carrying out the preparations Yeshua had given before He ascended: go back to Jerusalem and wait. But don’t wait empty handed. Wait and pray. And as you wait and pray (which they did for ten days), the Spirit of YAHVEH will come to empower your ministry in Yeshua’ Name. Then after the ten days, a moving of YAHVEH’s Spirit came and was so massive that it could only be described in comparative language. A sound from heaven that was “like” that of a mighty wind. It was “like” a mighty wind. And then there “appeared” to them what looked like tongues of fire (the Old Testament symbol of Ruach HaKodesh ((the Holy Spirit)), resting on each of them. And they began to speak in other tongues; and the Spirit spoke through them. That’s the first scene. The second scene moves to the streets. Word of this phenomenon in the Upper Room apparently spread across Jerusalem. Soon the crowds gathered to see what was happening. Then the miracle for which Pentecost is most noted happened. Those who gathered from various language groups from across the empire began to hear YAHVEH’s Word in their own language. It was more a miracle of hearing than one of speaking. The words were spoken in the local dialect, but the mass of people heard in their own language. It is the reversal of the Tower of Babel, where YAHVEH confused their tongues because of human arrogance. Now YAHVEH opened their hearing so all people could know of the grace of YAHVEH; of the word about Yeshua.

II.) The end of Pentecost was empowerment. With the memory of Pentecost fresh on their minds, the early Christians launched out with courage, with seemingly little fear, bolstered by faith in the living HaMashiach, made bold by their victories of faith and set out to change the world. Pentecost gave them power. Pentecost still does. Pentecost was not a human intention. Pentecost was a supernatural occurrence. YAHVEH did this, in YAHVEH’s own way, not apart from the believing faithful, and not because of them, but surely through them. YAHVEH worked His eternal will through very ordinary, mistake-prone, sinful people; just like us. We know a great deal about power. At least we talk a lot about it: power politics, power economics, black power, white power, power offenses, power defences and power to the proletariat. And who’s to say that these uses of power don’t have their place? Perhaps they do, especially when the common good is the goal. Yet let’s never overlook the greatest power of all. What is it? Here it is: the power of YAHVEH set loose in the Church. Oh, how I pray daily for the power of YAHVEH to be set loose among us! Oh, that we could hear the clear, authentic witness from YAHVEH as they did on that day. How our hearts do yearn to hear deeply of YAHVEH’s abiding affection, steadfast mercy, for us. Not just to hear again the word of grace with our ears, but that we would hear it in our hearts: YAHVEH is love. And to such an extent that He came to be one of us. And not just to live among us, but to die among us; and for us. So that all who believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life.

III.) Later on that same day, Peter stood to preach. His Pentecostal sermon was brief: This man Yeshua was YAHVEH’s Son. His mighty works were attested through you; for you saw them. But sinful, prideful, arrogant men took Him and killed Him. His body was broken, His blood was spilled. But while evil thought it had won the day, YAHVEH came out the victor. For three days later, YAHVEH raised Him from the dead. Of this we are witnesses. Now let it be known to the entire world that YAHVEH has raised Him up to be both Adonai and HaMashiach, both Master and Saviour. And all those who receive Him as such, Adonai and Saviour, will find the fullness of YAHVEH’s Spirit; for all those who call on the Name of our Adonai shall be saved. The people were cut to their hearts, conscience stricken. “What shall we do?” Only this: “Repent and be baptized in the Name of Yeshua HaMashiach for the forgiveness of sin and you will receive the gift of Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit).” When the sermon ended, three thousand people received the word of grace. Pentecost had fully come. You see, Pentecost is about an empowered proclamation. At its heart is the gospel story. Yeshua lived, died, rose again and is today the place of ultimate authority for heaven and earth. Before Him we eternally bow. Our highest and most holy calling is the “living of” and the “telling of” the story. Amen.