Pentecost

Held 50 days after the Jewish Passover, Pentecost was also called the Festival of Harvest. It was one of three major annual festivals celebrated by the Jews (Deut. 16:16); it was a festival of thanksgiving for the harvested crops.

The Book of Acts speaks of the first Pentecost after the death and resurrection of Jesus (Acts 2:1-42). In this passage, the apostles and others have convened in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. It was 50 days after the resurrection and 10 days after the ascension of Jesus. There was a sudden sound “like the rush of a mighty wind” (v.2) from heaven, followed by “tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them (v.3). As a result, the apostles began to speak in tongues i.e. in many different languages. Because Jews of many nations gathered in Jerusalem for the annual harvest festival, the descent of the Holy Spirit was before an international audience and resulted in a worldwide harvest of new believers—the first converts to Christianity.

The apostle Peter interpreted the event as a fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel 2:8-32. It was also the promise of Jesus. In Acts 1:8, just prior to his ascension, the risen Jesus had said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.” The events of Pentecost are the fulfillment of this promise. On that day, the Holy Spirit did indeed come upon the apostles and empowered them to witness to Jews about Christ.

This was also the fulfillment of John the Baptist’s words about the Holy Spirit baptizing with fire (Luke 3:16). Why tongues of fire? Tongues symbolize speech and the communication of the good news. Fire symbolizes God’s purifying presence, which burns away the undesirable elements of our life and sets our heart aflame to ignite the lives of others. At Pentecost, fire came down on many believers, symbolizing that God’s presence is available to all who believe in him.

On the day of Pentecost, the spiritually exhilarated disciples were thought to be filled with new wine, in other words, drunk. Peter answered these accusations (Acts 2:15), saying it is much too early in the day (it was 9 a.m.) for that. With confidence from the Holy Spirit, Peter became a powerful and dynamic speaker and told the people the Old Testament prophecies concerning Jesus had been entirely fulfilled in him, that Jesus is the Messiah and the risen Christ could change their lives. About 3,000 people became new believers when Peter preached, and when they returned to their homelands, they spread God’s good news of salvation, preparing the way for Paul and other messengers..

For Christians today, Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit and the bestowal of the gift of tongues on the disciples. It is held on the seventh Sunday after Easter.