The symbolism is so thick you could cut it with an ax.
The Day of Pentecost is just another name for First Fruits. In this chapter of Acts, we are about to see the first fruits of the New Covenant in Christ. This is by no means a coincidence, but was the hand of God drawing a linkage impossible to ignore. The New Covenant finished the Old, yet much of the Old still lived in the New.
It was no longer possible to confine this large body of disciples in the Upper Room where Jesus held His last Seder with the Twelve. They had taken over the whole structure, including the courtyard, and likely scattered around to other places for sleep at night. On the Day of Pentecost itself, they were packed into the house to celebrate together.
We have no record of what folks outside this home experienced, but those inside heard a very loud roaring sound coming down from the sky. It fell upon the entire structure, accompanied by a stirring of the air like a gentle breeze, but by no means matching the howling sound of wind. One of the Hebrew words used for the Spirit of God is commonly translated as "wind" or "breath" -- this was the breath of God.
With the wind came fire. Like the wind, it was not damaging, but a manifestation powerful enough to leave no doubt it was beyond human ken. Luke chose odd words to describe this glowing presence that divided and distributed itself above the heads of everyone in the building. They were all filled with the divine Presence, something that had been quite rare up to now. Instead of a miracle for a limited purpose and time, this was a permanent change in the very nature of the people there.
Luke says the primary result is that everyone was driven out of the house and into the streets, proclaiming the glory of God in different languages they had never learned. Keep in mind that a great many Diaspora Jews from all around that part of the world traveled to Jerusalem for Passover and stayed until after Pentecost. All of these Jews were fluent in different languages, representing the wide array of locations where they lived the rest of the year. The Spirit of God enabled the disciples to speak in all of these languages. Even some Gentiles in town heard their own languages from places where there were no resident Jews.
Most of these people knew little, if anything, about the rabbi that had recently been executed, and about the large number of His followers. Most of these folks from out of town had not seen the miraculous signs, so this scene really puzzled them. Meanwhile, some locals suggested cynically the whole group was drunk.
While the rest of his group were drawing the Diaspora Jews and Gentile foreigners, Peter managed get the attention of the locals, addressing them directly. He noted that such a large group was unlikely to be drunk at 9AM, especially on a day when every observant Jew was fasting until just about that hour. Besides, drunks seldom spoke eloquently at all in any language, much less to prophesy of Jehovah's mighty miracles. Peter connected this manifestation with the words of the prophet Joel (2:28-32) about the coming of the Messiah.
When Peter got to the line about calling on the Lord for redemption, Peter pointed out how Jesus had fulfilled this prophecy. He did not shrink from blaming the locals for the mistaken execution of Jesus, yet assured them that God was not caught off guard and had been ready to resurrect His Son. To make sure they understood this, Peter referred to David's prophecy in Psalms 16:8-11. There, David talked about how the final heir in his dynasty would rise from death to reign. It wasn't David himself that rose; he was still in a grave that anyone could visit right there in the city. Rather, it was a prediction of the Messiah who would not rot in any grave.
Peter boldly claims that all those from the group preaching on the streets had seen the risen Messiah first hand. Even now, said Peter, He reigns from Heaven. Then he specifically warned that those who rejected or opposed the Messiah would be crushed under His feet.
A significant portion of the crowd was struck with conviction. Peter’s words are so easily missed by modern Gentile readers, though. First, the Covenant of Moses had always demanded repentance, to turn away from sin. In this case, it would mean disavowing the crucifixion and embracing Jesus as whom He claimed to be, the Messiah. As a sign of the new loyalty to the Messiah, they should participate in the old Mosaic ritual of cleansing in water, but now in the name of Jesus the Messiah, cleansing away the old life and living in the new life of the Kingdom of Heaven. In the eyes of the Jewish leaders, this was a form of treason, had they considered what this all meant. It meant repudiating their Jewish national identity in favor of a higher claim on their loyalty. Those who were able to do such a thing would find this same power and enlightenment was theirs. Notice how Peter says no man can choose this for himself, but it is the Lord who chooses and calls, and human national identity means nothing.
The preaching continued off and on for some hours until some 3000 had joined this group, embracing the ritual baptism and committing themselves to their Lord. Over the next few days, this commitment bore fruit. The Twelve performed miracle signs and those who learned the teachings of Jesus were changed by the unanimous miracle of the Holy Spirit living within.
Many of them felt compelled to stay in the city with this growing household of faith. They executed sales of various properties, some with significant holdings back in their Diaspora homelands. Grasping the nature of their New Covenant identity, they acted as if it was their real family household and began sharing their wealth. They were one tribe, and everyone was their brother or sister. Having found a family worthy of such commitment, they never went back to their Diaspora homes, but stayed in Jerusalem. The permanent population of the city grew massively in just a few days.
Meanwhile, a significant number of locals also joined in this new life. Instead of crushing the movement, the Jewish rulers found themselves inundated with these followers of Jesus right in their own capital, swarming into the Temple daily, and running around the city streets with irrepressible joy. And their numbers just kept growing.
The Day of Pentecost is just another name for First Fruits. In this chapter of Acts, we are about to see the first fruits of the New Covenant in Christ. This is by no means a coincidence, but was the hand of God drawing a linkage impossible to ignore. The New Covenant finished the Old, yet much of the Old still lived in the New.
It was no longer possible to confine this large body of disciples in the Upper Room where Jesus held His last Seder with the Twelve. They had taken over the whole structure, including the courtyard, and likely scattered around to other places for sleep at night. On the Day of Pentecost itself, they were packed into the house to celebrate together.
We have no record of what folks outside this home experienced, but those inside heard a very loud roaring sound coming down from the sky. It fell upon the entire structure, accompanied by a stirring of the air like a gentle breeze, but by no means matching the howling sound of wind. One of the Hebrew words used for the Spirit of God is commonly translated as "wind" or "breath" -- this was the breath of God.
With the wind came fire. Like the wind, it was not damaging, but a manifestation powerful enough to leave no doubt it was beyond human ken. Luke chose odd words to describe this glowing presence that divided and distributed itself above the heads of everyone in the building. They were all filled with the divine Presence, something that had been quite rare up to now. Instead of a miracle for a limited purpose and time, this was a permanent change in the very nature of the people there.
Luke says the primary result is that everyone was driven out of the house and into the streets, proclaiming the glory of God in different languages they had never learned. Keep in mind that a great many Diaspora Jews from all around that part of the world traveled to Jerusalem for Passover and stayed until after Pentecost. All of these Jews were fluent in different languages, representing the wide array of locations where they lived the rest of the year. The Spirit of God enabled the disciples to speak in all of these languages. Even some Gentiles in town heard their own languages from places where there were no resident Jews.
Most of these people knew little, if anything, about the rabbi that had recently been executed, and about the large number of His followers. Most of these folks from out of town had not seen the miraculous signs, so this scene really puzzled them. Meanwhile, some locals suggested cynically the whole group was drunk.
While the rest of his group were drawing the Diaspora Jews and Gentile foreigners, Peter managed get the attention of the locals, addressing them directly. He noted that such a large group was unlikely to be drunk at 9AM, especially on a day when every observant Jew was fasting until just about that hour. Besides, drunks seldom spoke eloquently at all in any language, much less to prophesy of Jehovah's mighty miracles. Peter connected this manifestation with the words of the prophet Joel (2:28-32) about the coming of the Messiah.
When Peter got to the line about calling on the Lord for redemption, Peter pointed out how Jesus had fulfilled this prophecy. He did not shrink from blaming the locals for the mistaken execution of Jesus, yet assured them that God was not caught off guard and had been ready to resurrect His Son. To make sure they understood this, Peter referred to David's prophecy in Psalms 16:8-11. There, David talked about how the final heir in his dynasty would rise from death to reign. It wasn't David himself that rose; he was still in a grave that anyone could visit right there in the city. Rather, it was a prediction of the Messiah who would not rot in any grave.
Peter boldly claims that all those from the group preaching on the streets had seen the risen Messiah first hand. Even now, said Peter, He reigns from Heaven. Then he specifically warned that those who rejected or opposed the Messiah would be crushed under His feet.
A significant portion of the crowd was struck with conviction. Peter’s words are so easily missed by modern Gentile readers, though. First, the Covenant of Moses had always demanded repentance, to turn away from sin. In this case, it would mean disavowing the crucifixion and embracing Jesus as whom He claimed to be, the Messiah. As a sign of the new loyalty to the Messiah, they should participate in the old Mosaic ritual of cleansing in water, but now in the name of Jesus the Messiah, cleansing away the old life and living in the new life of the Kingdom of Heaven. In the eyes of the Jewish leaders, this was a form of treason, had they considered what this all meant. It meant repudiating their Jewish national identity in favor of a higher claim on their loyalty. Those who were able to do such a thing would find this same power and enlightenment was theirs. Notice how Peter says no man can choose this for himself, but it is the Lord who chooses and calls, and human national identity means nothing.
The preaching continued off and on for some hours until some 3000 had joined this group, embracing the ritual baptism and committing themselves to their Lord. Over the next few days, this commitment bore fruit. The Twelve performed miracle signs and those who learned the teachings of Jesus were changed by the unanimous miracle of the Holy Spirit living within.
Many of them felt compelled to stay in the city with this growing household of faith. They executed sales of various properties, some with significant holdings back in their Diaspora homelands. Grasping the nature of their New Covenant identity, they acted as if it was their real family household and began sharing their wealth. They were one tribe, and everyone was their brother or sister. Having found a family worthy of such commitment, they never went back to their Diaspora homes, but stayed in Jerusalem. The permanent population of the city grew massively in just a few days.
Meanwhile, a significant number of locals also joined in this new life. Instead of crushing the movement, the Jewish rulers found themselves inundated with these followers of Jesus right in their own capital, swarming into the Temple daily, and running around the city streets with irrepressible joy. And their numbers just kept growing.