When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. 2 And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. 3 Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. 5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem. 6 At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, “Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how does each of us hear them in his own native language? 9 We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, 11 both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.” 12 'They were all astounded and bewildered, and said to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others said, scoffing, “They have had too much new wine.”
Pentecost, the Jewish Feast of Weeks which celebrated the giving of the Law (Torah) to Moses on Mount Sinai, was celebrated fifty days after Passover (Deut. 16:9-11). It was one of the three pilgrimage festivals in ancient Judaism. The other two were Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). Pentecost was an important celebration because the giving of the Law formed the basis of Israel’s covenant relationship with God (Ex. 19:1-8).
Pentecost was the fulfillment of what was foretold in the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings of the OT, particularly the fulfillment of God’s promise to pour out the Holy Spirit on His people (Lk. 3:16; Joel 3:1-2). The Apostles and other disciples were gathered together as Jesus instructed (Acts 1:4-5). The sound of the Holy Spirit arriving like a strong driving wind filled the house, reminiscent of the wind that parted the Red Sea (Ex. 14:21). Tongues of fire rested on each of them indicating the personal and individual nature of the Spirit's gifts. Fire sometimes symbolizes purification in the OT (Is. 6:6-7). When the Holy Spirit rested on the disciples they began to speak in languages they had not previously known.
There were devout Jews and Gentile converts who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost. They were from the diaspora, Jews who had settled throughout the Roman Empire. So they were “Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem" (v. 5). The miracle bewildered the large crowd when they heard the disciples from Galilee because each person heard the disciples speaking in many different languages. The diverse crowd from many regions was amazed that they could hear the disciples speaking in their native languages. Some were trying to make sense of the extraordinary events that were happening while others were skeptical and tried to ridicule what was happening by suggesting that the disciples were drunk.
Pentecost was the cornerstone event that created a distinction between the Jews who believed in Jesus and the Jews who did not. It was the beginning of the Christian Church. The Feast of Pentecost was celebrated by the Jews as a thanksgiving for the first fruits of the wheat harvest. The Christian Pentecost celebrated the gift of the Holy Spirit to the disciples who were the first fruits of the New Covenant, the promise God made with mankind to forgive sins and open the gates of heaven to all who believe in His son.
Almighty God, we thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit poured out upon your disciples at Pentecost. Fill us anew with your Holy Spirit and ignite our hearts with your love and truth so that we may be united in your mission to bring hope, healing, and salvation to the ends of the earth. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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