Pentecost

Acts 2:1-13 (The Message)

^1-4 When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.

Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building.

Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.

^5-11There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then, devout pilgrims from all over the world.

When they heard the sound, they came on the run.

Then when they heard, one after another, their own mother tongues being spoken, they were thunderstruck. They couldn't for the life of them figure out what was going on, and kept saying, "Aren't these all Galileans? How come we're hearing them talk in our various mother tongues?

Parthians, Medes, and Elamites;
Visitors from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene;
Immigrants from Rome, both Jews and proselytes;
Even Cretans and Arabs!

"They're speaking our languages, describing God's mighty works!"

¹²Their heads were spinning; they couldn't make head or tail of any of it.

They talked back and forth, confused: "What's going on here?"

¹³Others joked, "They're drunk on cheap wine."

Jerusalem has always been a city of many languages.

When Holly and I visited there 2 years ago, we were struck by the incredible diversity of people we met.

I suppose I always thought that Jerusalem was overwhelmingly Jewish. It's the site of the Temple Mount, it's the capitol of Israel.

In reality, I found it to be dominated by Muslim people and culture. The governmental authority and much of the wealth is Jewish. There is a Christian presence, though much smaller and more insignificant than I'd imagined.

The Christians are fragmented among Catholics, Orthodox, Ethiopian, and the infinite stripes of Protestants.

Everybody has their own parts and pieces of the city. Every group has its own sacred sites and shrines.

What could ever bring unity?

Fire from heaven, that's about all I can think of. The spectacle of these many groups and peoples speaking one another's languages, as a gift from God.

It is the Tower of Babel in reverse. It is a vision of what is possible with the immediate, powerful presence of God at work in our lives.

What could the Holy Spirit do to unify our families, our churches, our towns?

Human beings, in our brokenness and sin, will always find ways to be divided. God is unified, and that's God's vision for his people. May it truly come to pass.

Grace & Peace,

Adam