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Pentecost
May 16, 2021

Today is the Day of Pentecost, the Christian Day of Pentecost, and possibly the only Holy Day widely recognized by many Christians. It was on this day shortly after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that the disciples were gathered together in Jerusalem when the sound of a mighty rushing wind came down from the sky and cloven tongues of fire appeared above each of them. Each had been given the Holy Spirit and each began to speak in a foreign language. There were religious people from every part of the known world who saw the disciples speak in foreign languages and were able to recognize the words being spoken as in their native language, wondering what it meant.

Some laughed off the idea of anything of importance happening reducing the event to a result of drinking too much wine in the early morning hour, what today would be called nine in the morning. Peter saw their remarks and stood up and let everyone know that the people speaking in foreign languages were not drunk, they were fulfilling something that had been spoken of by the prophet Joel, the giving of the Holy Spirit, and that those who would call on the name of the Lord would be saved. Understanding this blessing and the incredible gift of eternal life that has been given to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have confidence knowing that it was Jesus Christ who was crucified and raised from the dead, and in so doing, God removed the penalty of death for us. Peter also quoted from a psalm of David.

Peter then explained that David could not have been talking about himself in another Psalm he qupted because David’s grave was still with them. He then called David a prophet knowing that God would raise up the Messiah to sit on the throne, knowing that God would not allow the body of Jesus to decay in the grave. Peter reminded all who were there that they were witnesses to what happened to Jesus, and then added how David wrote that the LORD said to my Lord to sit on His right hand until enemies are made the footstools.

Peter added to his Pentecost message that Jesus was both Lord and Messiah, the Christ. Having heard Peter’s message the people listening, including those people who originally thought they were looking at a bunch of drunk people early in the morning, asked of Peter and the other apostles who were there what they should do. Peter then told them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ to have their sins forgiven and to receive the Holy Spirit, and that this promise was to the people listening, to their children, and to people afar off including everyone alive today, whoever God the Father would call.

Acts 2:1-39
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Pentecost as we know it comes from the Greek and means to count fifty, as in fifty days. Peter and the apostles were gathered together on a Sunday, not because Sunday was the Lord’s Day, not because Sunday is a weekly memorial of the resurrection of Jesus, but because there is no other day of the week that Pentecost may be observed other than Sunday. In the Greek it was Pentecost and in the Old Testament it was the Feast of Weeks. In Leviticus we see the command for this Holy Day, and how the weeks are calculated. Going back to the Days of Unleavened Bread, which this year began on Sunday, March 28th, we would begin counting with the Sunday when the wave sheaf offering was offered. When the Days of Unleavened Bread starts on a Sunday as is what happened this year, the wave sheaf offering would also be offered on that first Holy Day, because that offering needed to be completed within the Days of Unleavened Bread. Counting from Sunday, March 28th, we find we observed seven weekly Sabbaths. Ending on Sunday, May 16th, we find that we are exactly at fifty days, from which the word Pentecost in the Greek is derived.

In the Old Testament many different types of offerings were given in conjunction with the Holy Days, and on the Day of Pentecost, it was no different. Unlike the Days of Unleavened Bread, on this Holy Day, leavened bread was to be included in the offering. As a Holy Day, it like the weekly Sabbath, is not a day for work. Interestingly, it is on this day among all of the Holy Days, that God references the gleaning laws. Today we have food banks and back then there was a gleaning requirement in the land. Gleaning was the harvest of crops along the edges and in the corners that might be missed by traditional harvest processes. We think of modern farm machinery to harvest crops, and even back during this time methods were used to speed the harvest.

Leviticus 23:15-22
And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD. Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD. And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD. Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings. And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest. And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.

There are those who criticize our observance of Pentecost as a Holy Day as well as the Holy Days and weekly Sabbaths because of the sacrifices and offerings recorded in the Old Testament. We know that these sacrifices and ceremonial offerings are no longer needed in our worship of God as Jesus died once for all taking away the need for these sacrifices and offerings.

Hebrews 10:5-10
Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Some people use the term first-century apostolic Christians to describe us because we feel our beliefs are aligned not with modern Christianity but the Christianity that we can read from the Bible, including instances that show the early church and Holy Days. Today we are keeping Pentecost and there are times in the New Testament after the giving of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem where Pentecost is mentioned.

In one such instance, Paul had a desire to return to Jerusalem for Pentecost and this desire is referenced in the Book of Acts and one of Paul’s letters. If there was no need to keep Pentecost, the Holy Days, or Sabbath, this would have been a definitive point of discussion in the New Testament and it is totally missing. Instead we see relatable references given in passing that suggest that in what we will read today, Pentecost was still observed by the early church. In making plans to sail back to Judea, Paul understood that if he rushed things a bit, he could make it back to Jerusalem for the Day of Pentecost.

Acts 20:13-16
And we went before to ship, and sailed unto Assos, there intending to take in Paul: for so had he appointed, minding himself to go afoot. And when he met with us at Assos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene. And we sailed thence, and came the next day over against Chios; and the next day we arrived at Samos, and tarried at Trogyllium; and the next day we came to Miletus. For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, it appears Paul decided to stay in Ephesus until Pentecost.

1 Corinthians 16:5-9
Now I will come unto you, when I shall pass through Macedonia: for I do pass through Macedonia. And it may be that I will abide, yea, and winter with you, that ye may bring me on my journey whithersoever I go. For I will not see you now by the way; but I trust to tarry a while with you, if the Lord permit. But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.

In Peter’s message on that Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was first given, he mentioned the resurrection of Jesus. With Jesus resurrected as the firstfruits, it is up to each of to determine in our own minds to be with Christ at His return, whether we be with him alive or in death. It is on Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was first given, that it is good for us to consider that we will be Christ’s at his coming as we move forward to the establishment of the Kingdom of God.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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