Acts 2

I started wondering about Pentecost when I was reading this passage. In verse one it says that “the day of Pentecost had come” as if everyone should know what the significance of that day. I always thought that Pentecost was a name we (Christians) came up with to mark the descent of the Holy Spirit, though. Based on my observation this morning, it seems that the day was already named.

A little research showed me that the Pentecost was actually a Jewish feast that was celebrated following Passover. It commemorated the day that Moses met God on the top of Mount Sinai and received the Law (the first covenant with Israel). Essentially, it celebrated the birthday of the nation of Israel.

Now imagine that you are a Jew living at the time of Acts 2. You’ve celebrated Pentecost all of your life. You’ve heard the story of Moses, Mt. Sinai, God, thunder on the mountain, the glowing face of Moses, and the Ten Commandments. You’re still hanging around Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost with your family this year, too. Since it follows so quickly after Passover, why travel all the way back home?

All of a sudden in the middle of the day of Pentecost, you start hearing thunder, but there are no clouds in the sky. No wait, it’s not thunder, it sounds more like wind, but you don’t even feel a breeze. You’re already hyped up on Old Testament stories, and now you’re starting to think that it’s happening again. Everyone around you hears the noise, too. You all start making your way across town to the source of this noise, and you find a small house packed with people. About 120 in all, and they are all talking about the wonders of God.

Hang on a second, you think. How can I understand these guys? I’m not even from around here. I don’t even speak their language, and they surely don’t speak mine. Then you notice one of them in particular. He appears to be their leader. He steps forward and starts a sermon. He’s talking about King David, the Messiah, and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Just like what happened to Moses on Mt. Sinai, this guy is saying the same thing happened to them. And he’s saying that it could happen to me, too.

Guess what. It can happen to you, too. The beauty of this passage is that it shows us how God’s timing is perfect and how He perfectly orchestrates events. He didn’t accidentally choose to send the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. It was a day that was significant to the people of that time, a day that would maximize the number of people who heard the gospel, and a day that would allow 120 people to take the gospel to the ends of the earth without having to leave Jerusalem. Did you notice that Jesus had commanded them to do that before He left? And did you think about how long it would take 120 people to travel to the ends of the earth? God brought the ends of the earth to them, and 3,000 people became believers. They all went home, to the ends of the earth, with their own Pentecost story and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Has He ever asked you to do something that seemed impossible and then orchestrated events so that it became as simple as breathing? I’m sure He has. The real question is, did you notice?