What Now? (2)

And So It Begins.

Acts 2:5–11 ESV

Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”

City was filled to overflowing; no vacancies; tents and temporary dwellings set up everywhere; people entertaining out of town visitors; hustle and bustle of a lot of activity; Jerusalem was a happening place.

God is switching gears in His kingdom focus and now bringing this kingdom message to the world instead of working exclusively through the Jewish nation. This represents a huge transition.

Josephus, the Jewish historian who lived at this time, tells us that oftentimes the city of Jerusalem (which normally had a population of 150,000) would be swollen in numbers to well over a million. The city was packed and the suburbs were filled, and out on the hillsides were many camps of pilgrims.

When the disciples were filled with the Spirit, a crowd gathered and heard them speaking in tongues. It is important to observe who made up the audience on this occasion. As this passage indicates, it consisted of resident Jews with roots in many nations, visitors or sojourners, and both Jews and Gentile proselytes or converts.

Luke says, Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem. Some scholars omit the word Jews, but most translations include it. The Greek word katoikountes usually refers to residing in a place, but whether the word should be restricted here to permanent residents is much discussed. It may be that Luke intended the term to include temporary as well as permanent residents.

Whether or not temporary residents should be included, the Jews were devout men from every nation under heaven. They were religious, pious, and full of reverence. Moreover, a key point is that they were from every nation under heaven. According to biblical scholar Stanley Horton, ‘Every nation (people) under heaven’ was a common idiom used to speak primarily of those in the known world or even in the Roman Empire.

If the word living includes temporary residents, then people visiting from many lands may be included. On the other hand, if those living in Jerusalem are restricted to permanent residents, then Luke refers, in verse 1, to foreign-born Jews who had come to the homeland to live. Even so, the foreign-born Jews living in Jerusalem would be representative of the countries of their birth. The news of this event, through their families and friends, would reach many lands.

Also, it was the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Pentecost. No matter how we interpret the meaning of living, people came from all over the world to celebrate this Feast. Two verses support this. Acts 2:9 specifically says that residents (katoikountes) of Mesopotamia were there. Then, in Acts 2:10, Luke says that visitors from Rome were there. Here Luke uses the word, epidemountes, which means strangers sojourning for a while in a particular place. Thus, the crowd was not restricted to permanent residents of Jerusalem.

The visitors from Rome (and perhaps other countries) included Gentile converts. The Jews had two kinds of Gentile proselytes:

Proselytes of the gate.

Proselytes of righteousness.

The former were commonly called God-fearers and had not submitted to circumcision. The latter had become complete Jews.

Genesis 11:1–9 ESV

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.

This sign miracle could be viewed as a reversal of the judgment that took place at the Tower of Babel. Remember the Lord’s worldwide charge to Noah after the flood: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” Instead the people in pride determined to make a great name for themselves and resist being scattered over the face of the earth. The multiplication of languages facilitated God’s worldwide mission.

Wiersbe: Pentecost was a reversal of the judgment at the Tower of Babel when God confused man’s language (Gen. 11:1-9). God’s judgment at Babel scattered the people, but God’s blessings at Pentecost united the believers in the Spirit. At Babel, the people were unable to understand each other, but at Pentecost, men heard God’s praises and understood what was said. The Tower of Babel was a scheme designed to praise men and make a name for men, but Pentecost brought praise to God. The building of Babel was an act of rebellion, but Pentecost was a ministry of humble submission to God. What a contrast!

Let’s quickly compare what happened at the Tower of Babel with the events on the Day of Pentecost.

1. Genesis 11:3-4 tells us that language was used to promote a human agenda.

Acts 2:14-41 language was used to announce the mighty works of God.

2. Genesis 11:7 confusion of language.

Acts 2:5-11 all languages represented understood in one Gospel message.

3. Genesis 11:6-7 The result was disunity.

Acts 2:41 The result was unity.

4. Genesis 11:9 the human family was scattered across the face of the earth in judgement.

Acts 1:8, 2:37-41 Pentecost begins the process of reunification of the family of mankind.

In Acts 1:4-8 Jesus declared that He would baptize the disciples in the Holy Spirit, that the Holy Spirit would come upon them, and that they would receive power to be witnesses. Now, the baptism in the Spirit has taken place. The results match the prediction. The disciples were filled with the Spirit and began to speak in other tongues. These other tongues, whether praise or proclamation, were a powerful witness to all who were in Jerusalem.

The outpouring of the Spirit has a potential worldwide impact. The disciples have become witnesses. The relatives and friends of the foreign-born Jews living in Jerusalem will no doubt hear about this great event. The visitors from other lands will go home and tell the story. The fulfillment of Acts 1:8 has begun! May it never cease!

What are we doing to tell the story?