In our gospel reading we heard, ‘Those who believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit later. Up to that time, the Spirit had not been given. This was because Jesus had not yet received glory.’ (John 7:39). When I first read this, I was confused. What does John mean? Was there no Holy Spirit until Jesus was ascended and glorified? But what about when John wrote in chapter 1 that ‘the Spirit descended like a dove’ when Jesus was baptised? (John 1:32). What does John mean then, that ‘the Spirit had not been given’? Is Pentecost when the Spirit was given? Today we’re going to explore these questions, as we talk about where and how Pentecost fits in God’s and your story. But first, let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, send your breath to blow through each of the houses we are sitting in. Fill us with your Holy Spirit today. Speak your Word and open our ears to hear. By your Word and Spirit, save us as we are united and call on the name of Jesus in one voice. Amen.
To understand what Pentecost means for us today, we need to zoom out and look at the entirety of God’s story.
(1) The Holy Spirit is present throughout God’s story, well before Pentecost. On the very first page of Scripture, in the first creation account in Genesis, we hear that ‘the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters’ (Genesis 1:2). On the next page, we hear that ‘the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.’ (Genesis 2:7). In Hebrew and Greek, the languages in which the Bible was written, both have one word which means “Spirit/breath/wind” (ruah and pneuma). So when God ‘breathed into [the man’s] nostrils the breath of life’ — this is God giving his Spirit/wind/breath to humanity. This same Spirit/wind/breath blew over the waters to make the flood recede in Noah’s time (Genesis 8:1). It’s the Spirit/wind/breath that parted the Red Sea as Moses led the people out of slavery from Egypt (Exodus 14:21). The judges and prophets were empowered by the Spirit/wind/breath. Then in the New Testament, the Spirit/wind/breath appears to descend like a bird on Jesus as he is baptized in the Jordan River (Mark 1:10). St Paul even tells us that it was the Spirit/wind/breath that raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11).
Aside: the Bible Project has a helpful video about the Holy Spirit.
So the Spirit is very present and active throughout God’s story, since the very beginning, well before the Pentecost event, up until Jesus’ resurrection. So why is it that John writes, ‘Up to that time, the Spirit had not been given’?! (John 7:39). I think it’s because something special happens on Pentecost, even though the Spirit has always been present. One way I’ve heard it explained is that Pentecost was a bit like whipping cream: the Spirit (the cream) was always there, but at Pentecost the wind blew (adding air to the cream), changing it into something new and different, yet still the same (it’s still cream, just whipped). But what’s the “something special” that happened at Pentecost, and what does it mean for us?
(2) The Tower of Babel is the companion story to the Pentecost event. To understand story of Pentecost, we need to understand another story: the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1–9). The Tower Babel is the companion story to the Pentecost event. So let’s recap: (A) Once upon a time all the earth spoke one language; (B) the people had been given a mission by God to scatter so that they might “multiply and fill all the earth,” but they shirked this calling and settled on the Babylonian plain, and decided to build a city and a gigantic tower to “make a name for themselves”; (C) they built the city and the tower, and God came down to “take a look”; (D) God decided this tower represented humanity’s selfishness and pride, and — if not checked — humans would create for themselves whatever mess they could imagine, so God confused their one language and scattered the people.
Straight after the Tower of Babel, Scripture zooms in onto one language, one family, one nation: Abraham and his descendants, the Israelites. So the remainder of the Old Testament, even up to Jesus’ time, is primarily focused on the Jewish people. God brings salvation ‘first to the Jew’ (Romans 1:16). They are the red thread that runs through the entire Bible. So the mission of God’s people was to scatter; but instead they selfishly wanted to make a name for themselves; but God forces the issue, confusing their one language, scattering them to help fulfil their mission.
(3) The Pentecost event unites God’s people. Then we come to Pentecost (Acts 2:1–21), where God regathers his people. The story opens saying, ‘The believers were all gathered in one place’ (Acts 2:1). Then something, which sounds like chaos, unfolds. The sound of violent wind rushes in from heaven to fill the entire house. Flames of fire appear on everyone’s head. Everyone begins to speak in different languages. It spills out onto the street. As you imagine the noise and the scene, it might sound chaotic, but actually the picture is one of unity — all the believers were gifted, gathered, and united on a single mission. A miracle takes place — either a of the ear, or a miracle of the tongue — for people from over a dozen native languages all hear the good news of Jesus in their own tongue. “Parthians, Medes, Elamites. Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia. Pontus, Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia. (Aside: some of these are places that Peter addressed his first letter!). Egypt and parts of Libya near Cyrene. Visitors from Rome. … Cretans and Arabs. We hear all these people speaking about God’s wonders in our own languages!” (Acts 2:9–11).
What this means is that God’s story, which up to this point has focused on the Jews (just one language, one nation), is now expanding out. The people separated and scattered at the Tower of Babel are united again. But there’s a difference: they are not united to “make a name for themselves.” Instead they are united by the name of the Lord — the name of Jesus. Peter stands up and explains what’s going on. “We’re not drunk! This is what God said would happen. God is pouring out his Spirit. Now everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Acts 2:17–21). An important clue is the list of places, which ends with Cretans and Arabs: the island of Crete is west of Jerusalem, and Arabia is east — the event spans from west to east. As the prophet Zechariah writes, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty says: “I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back…; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.”’ (Zechariah 8:7–8).
So what is Pentecost? What does it mean? (A) It’s a reversal of Babel. It is the gathering and uniting of God’s people by one name: Jesus, our Lord. It means that the true basis of unity is Jesus; not language, not nationality, not the colour of skin, not where you’re born, not history or background, but Jesus. (B) The Spirit of God has always been present, and is for everyone. God is for people from east to west; God is for you. (C) The Spirit of God opens ears to hear the good news. The people hear the believers speaking about God’s wonders in their own language. Likewise, God opens your ears to hear his good news. (D) The good news is that God has built a bridge from heaven to earth. You can’t build a tower up to heaven, you can’t reach up to God in your own name or strength. When we try we end up in a big mess, with a half-finished tower. But the good news is that, in Jesus, God has come down to you. (E) The Spirit not only opens ears, but loosens tongues, enabling you to call out to Jesus to save you. Jesus is the one who has built the bridge between heaven and earth. The bridge is his cross. His cross is taller than our towers, allowing him to reach down to you. He has done it; His name is the one to praise. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
(4) God scatters, but will unite us once again. I was thinking of a way to illustrate all this, and I decided to tie some string together. In the picture below, you can see some knots. The first knot is the Tower of Babel. Until this first knot, the story is focused on all of the people. Then, at Babel, the people are scattered and go their separate ways (the different nations are the light coloured threads). Then God’s story zeros in on just the Jewish people (the red thread). It’s a bit of a mess, like the history of God’s people. (You might be able to see a few smaller knots as the different nations interact with the Israelites: the Egyptians at the exodus, the Babylonians in the exile). Finally, all the threads are tied together at Pentecost. It is at this special event that the story of God’s people officially embraces not just Jews, but non-Jews too; Jews first, then Gentiles; all nations, everyone; especially you!
But notice that the red thread separates out again. God scatters his people again. If we turn just a few pages to Acts chapter 8 we read, ‘A great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. … And those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.’ (Acts 8:1,4).
At this moment, we as church are scattered, each in their own home. But soon we will gather again. This grand pattern of gathering and scattering, gathering and scattering, is repeated throughout history. And so, we are gathered and scattered until the coming of the new age. The book of Revelation paints a picture of this final gathering. ‘A great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, stood before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”’ (Revelation 7:9–10).
Until this great gathering, know that the Spirit has been active in your life since the beginning. God breathed into you the Spirit/wind/breath of life. God’s Spirit unites you with all other believers under one name: Jesus, our Lord. Instead of making a name for yourself, may you make his name great. May everything you do, be ascribed to him. Everyone who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved. Everyone from east to west, all nations, tribes, people, and language — everyone, including you. May the Spirit open your ears to hear the good news of Jesus, that he has reached down from heaven to earth. May the Spirit loosen your tongue, to so that you may call out for Jesus to save you, and join with us to proclaim God’s wonders to everyone, everywhere — beginning right where you are. May the Spirit strengthen you as you wait for the great gathering before the throne and the Lamb. Amen.
