The Day Of Pentecost
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
But Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!"
-- Numbers 11:29
It is interesting how quickly we become possessive of the very Spirit that is graciously given to us. In this particular story, God decided to spread some of the Spirit that rested on Moses so that it empowered some seventy elders to assist Moses in the work. But as the gospel of John would later confirm (John 3:8), the Spirit, like the wind, blew where it chose. Some of the Spirit fell on two men who had remained in the camp, and they also began to prophesy. Several factors are important to remember. First, the Spirit was a gift from God. Second, the men's use of the Spirit neither harmed anyone nor was used for selfish purposes. Third, the Spirit was not a respecter of status and position in a community. With that in mind, we also can notice the stubborn presence of envy that has plagued the community of faith from its beginning.
On Pentecost Sunday, when we celebrate the infusion of the Christians' community with the Holy Spirit, it is an important reminder that we do not possess the Spirit. When it is present, it empowers us to act on God's behalf in ways that transcend our limitations, but it is always a gift and not a possession. Moses' response to this expression of envy was, "Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!" Consider the effect of all of our churches rejoicing in the spiritual manifestation of power in any of our churches. Would that not be a more powerful witness than the petty jealousies that are so often manifest in our response to another church's successes?
-- Numbers 11:29
It is interesting how quickly we become possessive of the very Spirit that is graciously given to us. In this particular story, God decided to spread some of the Spirit that rested on Moses so that it empowered some seventy elders to assist Moses in the work. But as the gospel of John would later confirm (John 3:8), the Spirit, like the wind, blew where it chose. Some of the Spirit fell on two men who had remained in the camp, and they also began to prophesy. Several factors are important to remember. First, the Spirit was a gift from God. Second, the men's use of the Spirit neither harmed anyone nor was used for selfish purposes. Third, the Spirit was not a respecter of status and position in a community. With that in mind, we also can notice the stubborn presence of envy that has plagued the community of faith from its beginning.
On Pentecost Sunday, when we celebrate the infusion of the Christians' community with the Holy Spirit, it is an important reminder that we do not possess the Spirit. When it is present, it empowers us to act on God's behalf in ways that transcend our limitations, but it is always a gift and not a possession. Moses' response to this expression of envy was, "Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!" Consider the effect of all of our churches rejoicing in the spiritual manifestation of power in any of our churches. Would that not be a more powerful witness than the petty jealousies that are so often manifest in our response to another church's successes?
