Whoooosh!
Commentary
Object:
Whoooosh! Like a mighty wind the Spirit arrives, and every Pentecost we praise God for that wonderful day, receiving the Spirit. Then we seem to do our best to ignore that Spirit and pray that nothing knocks us out of our comfort zone the rest of the year. Yet today’s scripture passages tell us we are now part of the family of God, with Christ we are a child of God, called to witness not with fear but with hope and power. We ought to be ready to change course at any time.
The Romans passage makes it clear that despite the distinctions society makes, we as Christians are part of God’s family forever. We are not stepchildren. We are one. This is the power of the Holy Spirit.
John reminds us that we have an advocate in the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Spirit.
And returning to the Acts of the Apostles, let us not forget that the Holy Spirit spoke through the disciples to people of all languages -- everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!
We are acting with the Spirit, not with a spirit of cowardice or slavery. We are made free. That Spirit may make us unpopular, but will also support and encourage us!
Acts 2:1-21
The Acts of the Apostles is the second part of Luke’s two-volume work that begins with his gospel. This scene takes place at Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks, at which the first fruits were offered -- a very important event because each year’s harvest could be a matter of life or death. In Deuteronomy part of offering these first fruits of the harvest is the way we remind ourselves that we need to give God credit for our situation. Each worshiper is to say “My father was a wandering Aramean,” and tell the history of the people. Since this was a spring festival and not a winter festival, more people could travel to Jerusalem. By all accounts roughly 180,000 tourists came to the holy city, 120,000 of those from foreign lands. This is why there were so many people speaking so many different languages there in the holy city.
The Greek word for the festival was Pentecost, for the fifty days from Passover to the First Fruits. Jesus was executed at Passover, raised from the dead three days later, stayed with the believers (according to Acts) for 40 days, and now around a week later the Spirit comes to God’s people.
The Spirit rushes into the Upper Room like a mighty wind. There is an assault of sight and sound. The result is not speaking in tongues, as some suggest, but the undoing of the sin of the Tower of Babel! In Genesis 11 the pride of the people leads to the sundering of their languages. In Acts 2 the action of God through the Spirit allows the apostles, at least for the moment, to speak in such a fashion that everyone understands in their own language.
This miracle of hearing is made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit that fills the disciples with courage. So great is their enthusiasm that they are accused of popping the cork rather early in the day. What we see is the apostle Peter, who denied Jesus because he was afraid, transformed so that now nothing can stop him from proclaiming the word of God, through the prophet Joel. This universal message is clear. With the removal of all class distinctions, all people can be saved by calling upon the Lord. Repent. Believe. Be Saved.
Romans 8:14-17
The Roman world was a very class-conscious society. The typical Roman citizen had three names: a praenomen, or personal name; a nomen, or clan name; and a cognomen, which might express an award or honor. Someone like a slave might only have one name, and that slave name might be a characteristic like Lazy or Lucky. Paul, writing to the center of Roman power -- where people are very conscious of their status (or lack of it) -- says that regardless of our legal status, even if we are slaves, we are not reduced to the fearfulness of slavery. Perhaps he is suggesting that our nomen or clan name is Christos, or Christ, and that our cognomen is Children of God.
Adoption was a common fact in the ancient world. Women died in childbirth, many children died in infancy or childhood, diseases struck down people right and left. Becoming an heir permanently by adoption was very common. Why should someone who had built up a large estate not leave it to someone? This passage is a reminder that once we are adopted into the family of God it is permanent. As Christians, we are not stepchildren of God. We are children of God. We have earned the right to call the creator of the world Abba! This is part of the power of the Spirit revealed at Pentecost. Throw away the DNA tests and genealogies. We’re family here.
John 14:8-17 (25-27)
When Jesus tells the disciples that the Father will send them another advocate, he is implying that he is the First Advocate, the one who stands up for us. The Holy Spirit, who is always with us, is the other. In Jesus’ time orphans were extremely vulnerable members of society who could easily fall into the cracks. They required an advocate. Jesus promises us as spiritual orphans that he will not leave us orphaned.
The promise of the advocate is not tied to any reciprocal action on the part of the disciples, or on our part either. But Jesus does remind us that when we keep his commandments (and the greatest commandment he reveals in this long monologue is the new one he gave us -- that we love one another), we are demonstrating our love for him.
We together are the body of Christ, and are called to advocate for each other as Jesus and the Holy Spirit advocate for us. And Jesus says in response to a question from Judas (not Iscariot, John says emphatically) that those who love him keep his word, and that these words come from the Father who sent him. Indeed, if you want to know more about the Creator of the Universe, the Father, Jesus tells Philip, look at him.
Nowadays there are many, many words -- and many of those are hurtful -- delivered at the speed of light through social media, by pundits on 24-hour news stations, or by church gossips in the parking lot. For some reason people feel disconnected from any responsibility for these words as they speed away. These digital words can last forever. We, by contrast, are called to advocate, stand up, exhort, encourage, all those paraclete things. Jesus told the disciples: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (John 14:27). This is a gift given to us as well, calling for the same response of untroubled courage.
When the other Judas asked Jesus about a possible sign, Jesus said he is the sign. We are the sign too! And that sign points to Jesus the Son, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit.
The Romans passage makes it clear that despite the distinctions society makes, we as Christians are part of God’s family forever. We are not stepchildren. We are one. This is the power of the Holy Spirit.
John reminds us that we have an advocate in the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Spirit.
And returning to the Acts of the Apostles, let us not forget that the Holy Spirit spoke through the disciples to people of all languages -- everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!
We are acting with the Spirit, not with a spirit of cowardice or slavery. We are made free. That Spirit may make us unpopular, but will also support and encourage us!
Acts 2:1-21
The Acts of the Apostles is the second part of Luke’s two-volume work that begins with his gospel. This scene takes place at Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks, at which the first fruits were offered -- a very important event because each year’s harvest could be a matter of life or death. In Deuteronomy part of offering these first fruits of the harvest is the way we remind ourselves that we need to give God credit for our situation. Each worshiper is to say “My father was a wandering Aramean,” and tell the history of the people. Since this was a spring festival and not a winter festival, more people could travel to Jerusalem. By all accounts roughly 180,000 tourists came to the holy city, 120,000 of those from foreign lands. This is why there were so many people speaking so many different languages there in the holy city.
The Greek word for the festival was Pentecost, for the fifty days from Passover to the First Fruits. Jesus was executed at Passover, raised from the dead three days later, stayed with the believers (according to Acts) for 40 days, and now around a week later the Spirit comes to God’s people.
The Spirit rushes into the Upper Room like a mighty wind. There is an assault of sight and sound. The result is not speaking in tongues, as some suggest, but the undoing of the sin of the Tower of Babel! In Genesis 11 the pride of the people leads to the sundering of their languages. In Acts 2 the action of God through the Spirit allows the apostles, at least for the moment, to speak in such a fashion that everyone understands in their own language.
This miracle of hearing is made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit that fills the disciples with courage. So great is their enthusiasm that they are accused of popping the cork rather early in the day. What we see is the apostle Peter, who denied Jesus because he was afraid, transformed so that now nothing can stop him from proclaiming the word of God, through the prophet Joel. This universal message is clear. With the removal of all class distinctions, all people can be saved by calling upon the Lord. Repent. Believe. Be Saved.
Romans 8:14-17
The Roman world was a very class-conscious society. The typical Roman citizen had three names: a praenomen, or personal name; a nomen, or clan name; and a cognomen, which might express an award or honor. Someone like a slave might only have one name, and that slave name might be a characteristic like Lazy or Lucky. Paul, writing to the center of Roman power -- where people are very conscious of their status (or lack of it) -- says that regardless of our legal status, even if we are slaves, we are not reduced to the fearfulness of slavery. Perhaps he is suggesting that our nomen or clan name is Christos, or Christ, and that our cognomen is Children of God.
Adoption was a common fact in the ancient world. Women died in childbirth, many children died in infancy or childhood, diseases struck down people right and left. Becoming an heir permanently by adoption was very common. Why should someone who had built up a large estate not leave it to someone? This passage is a reminder that once we are adopted into the family of God it is permanent. As Christians, we are not stepchildren of God. We are children of God. We have earned the right to call the creator of the world Abba! This is part of the power of the Spirit revealed at Pentecost. Throw away the DNA tests and genealogies. We’re family here.
John 14:8-17 (25-27)
When Jesus tells the disciples that the Father will send them another advocate, he is implying that he is the First Advocate, the one who stands up for us. The Holy Spirit, who is always with us, is the other. In Jesus’ time orphans were extremely vulnerable members of society who could easily fall into the cracks. They required an advocate. Jesus promises us as spiritual orphans that he will not leave us orphaned.
The promise of the advocate is not tied to any reciprocal action on the part of the disciples, or on our part either. But Jesus does remind us that when we keep his commandments (and the greatest commandment he reveals in this long monologue is the new one he gave us -- that we love one another), we are demonstrating our love for him.
We together are the body of Christ, and are called to advocate for each other as Jesus and the Holy Spirit advocate for us. And Jesus says in response to a question from Judas (not Iscariot, John says emphatically) that those who love him keep his word, and that these words come from the Father who sent him. Indeed, if you want to know more about the Creator of the Universe, the Father, Jesus tells Philip, look at him.
Nowadays there are many, many words -- and many of those are hurtful -- delivered at the speed of light through social media, by pundits on 24-hour news stations, or by church gossips in the parking lot. For some reason people feel disconnected from any responsibility for these words as they speed away. These digital words can last forever. We, by contrast, are called to advocate, stand up, exhort, encourage, all those paraclete things. Jesus told the disciples: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (John 14:27). This is a gift given to us as well, calling for the same response of untroubled courage.
When the other Judas asked Jesus about a possible sign, Jesus said he is the sign. We are the sign too! And that sign points to Jesus the Son, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit.
