ESL SS Pentecost2

Pentecost

·   final episode in the Jesus event (Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Pentecost). Unique, unrepeatable event.

·   Before that day, God gave His  Spirit only to special individuals, for limited periods of time, for special purposes (e.g. Exod. 31:1-5. Since the first Pentecost, God has freely offered His Spirit to all people for all time.

·   Emmanuel, “God with us.”

Pentecost was one of the ancient Jewish harvest festivals. Over time, the Jews also chose to commemorate at Pentecost God’s giving of the Law to Moses at Mount Sinai.

Jesus’ ascension was 40 days after Passover/Easter; this is 50. They waited about 10 days for Pentecost. They didn’t know it at the time, but God had a reason to keep them waiting. At Pentecost, another significant Jewish festival, thousands of Jews from around the world would be visiting their holy city.

1.Violent Wind. Heb. & Gk use single word to convey wind/breath/spirit. (Sometimes we don’t know which word to use in English.) Wind and fire are common biblical symbols for the activity of the Spirit. Ezek. & John 3 – wind/spirit illustrate wind as regeneration.  (I will put it in you and you will live). Sound Exod. 19:16ff

2.Fire. Symbol of fire. Associate Pentecost with Mt. Sinai & giving of law; there God descended in fire (Exod. 19:18)

3.Speaking in other tongues – The God of power and purity is the same God who wishes to communicate himself to people. The gift here enables the 120 believers to speak in languages readily understood by pilgrims present in Jerusalem for the festival. (not Aramaic or Greek, but the languages they used most frequently.)

They were all together. Who are “they”?Probably the full group of 120 mentioned in 1:15, included the disciples Matthias, the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and Jesus’ brothers. (1:14).

Jesus’ promise fulfilled (Acts 1:5). John Baptized with water (repentance), but Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit which would sanctify.

Luke emphasizes the importance of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church.

Pentecost was also known as the Feast of Weeks, an agricultural festival in which the community celebrated the gathering of the first harvest (wheat) and offered thanks to God for nature’s bounty. (Exod. 23:14-17; 34:18-24; Lev. 23:15-21). During the period of early Judaism the celebration began to lose its association with agriculture, as attention shifted to concern for preserving the religious heritage of the Hebrew people. By the first century, the Day of Pentecost had become primarily a celebration of God’s gift of the law of Moses to Israel.

50 days reminded Luke’s readers of 2 significant events. First, of the 50-day interval between Passover in Egypt and the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai, 2 critical events in the life of God’s people. 2. the Christian reader would be reminded of the crucifixion of Jesus which occurred at Passover and the gift of the Holy Spirit which came at Pentecost.

Just as Jewish community celebrated both God’s gift of harvest and God’s gift of Torah, so Luke and his readers could celebrate the gift of a magnificent harvest (about 3000 persons, 2:41) and a divine gift, not of the law of God, but of the Spirit of God.)

Sound from heaven (reminds us of Exod 19:16-19)

3,000 people added that day (2:41)