It was during the Passover festival that Jesus was crucified. The city of Jerusalem had a gathering of the diaspora of Jewish visitors from all over the world. They all spoke diverse languages. Many believe that it was forty days following Passover that Christ ascended to heaven. It was on the fiftieth day that the Holy Spirit was given to the believers.
Pentecost (meaning fiftieth) was the harvest festival that was held fifty days after Passover. (Exodus 23:14-17; Deuteronomy 16:16) Christians today remember this day as the Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given as a special gift from God for the entire world. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was the fulfillment of a prophecy by Joel (Joel 2:28-32). From a spiritual dimension this was the day of spiritual harvest of 3000 believers who were touched by the Holy Spirit.
St. Augustine says,“ Pentecost was prefigured in the Jewish Passover, for on the fiftieth day after the slaying of the lamb, Moses on the mount received the law written with the finger of God.” So for some Jews this day became more symbolic of the day when the Law was given on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19-23). It is believed that 50 days after the Israelites left Egypt the Ten Commandments were given to Moses. Just as Israelites saw clouds of smoke rising from Mount Sinai as the Lord appeared to them in flames of fire (Exodus 19:18), the disciples saw tongues of fire descend upon them and they were touched by the Holy Spirit. On that day the believers saw a powerful wind coming upon them. It signified the presence of God in their midst. Then they saw tongues of fire rest upon them as God touched their lives with the cleansing flames of His Spirit.
Many celebrate the Church's birthday on this day. For us, Christ is the fulfillment of the Law that was given on Mount Sinai (John 1:17). The presence and power of the Holy Spirit renewed the lives of the disciples and empowered them to go and preach and teach the Word of God all over the world. Today we pray that we may be filled with the Holy Spirit that we may do ordinary and extraordinary tasks for God with fervor and dedication. Speaking in tongues has become, in some churches, a very important gift that fosters their growth and understanding of God.
The story of the the Tower of Babel is still retold as a reminder to emphasize that people should not challenge God through pride and disobedience. It is an encounter with the Spirit of God which has an effect that is the opposite of what happened on Pentecost. It was a time when the whole earth spoke only one language. The people built the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:9) a monument to glorify their own greatness. Some believe that a powerful wind blew or a blazing fire burnt the Tower of Babel down. At that time the rebellious people were scattered all over the face of the earth, as they began to speak in different languages and could no longer understand one another. Pride and disobedience only leads to confusion. However on Pentecost God in his infinite wisdom brought people from different parts of the world to become one great movement of people glorifying God. The same we will all witness when Christ returns we will all gather together from all over the world as we glorify our Savior and Lamb of God (Revelations 7:9-10).
A sailboat cannot go anywhere unless the sails are lifted up high so that the wind can blow upon them and push the boat onwards. We can see the Spirit of Christ working in our lives only when we are humble and obey the Word of God. It is when we allow the Spirit to work in our lives, and give to others the blessings we receive that we are filled more and more by the Spirit of God.
Jesus said that He would not leave us alone. He promised to send the Holy Spirit to be our companion, comforter, intercessor, counselor, strengthener, and helper (John 15:26-16:15). He assures us that even when we go through the darkest days of our lives, the light of the Holy Spirit will shine through, strengthen us and enable us to endure the hatred and evil in the world. The Holy Spirit will teach and guide us to be a witness to the life of Jesus Christ and spread the gospel of his redeeming love. What is it that the Holy Spirit can do that we cannot do? By the power of the Holy Spirit our testimony will not only work in our own hearts but also convict the hearts of those who hear our message. Thus the Holy Spirit works in our hearts and minds to reach out to those who are in real need.
As the lovely hymn goes, "It only takes a spark to get a fire going. That’s how it is with God’s love, once you have experienced it; you want to pass it on". Do you have a spiritual gift or a special gift that can be a blessing to your community? The apostles, once they were filled with the Spirit of God went through a transformation, went out to the entire world to preach the gospel message of love, peace, and grace.
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“The true aim of our Christian life consists in the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God.”
St. Seraphim of Sarov, "A Wonderful Revelation to the World"
“The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who fills the whole universe, passes through all believing, meek, humble, good, and simple human souls, dwelling in them, vivifying and strengthening them. He becomes one spirit with them and everything to them - light, strength, peace, joy, success in their undertakings, especially in a pious life, and everything good - "going through all understanding, pure and most subtle spirits" (Wisdom of Solomon vii, 23). "We have been all made to drink into one Spirit" (I Cor. xii.13). All pious people are filled with the Spirit of God similarly as a sponge is filled with water.”
St. John of Kronstadt, "My Life in Christ"
“Everything that breathes, breathes by air and cannot live without air; similarly all reasonable free creatures live by the Holy Spirit, as though by air, and cannot live without Him. "Every soul is quickened by the Holy Spirit." Recognise that the Holy Spirit stands in the same relation to your soul as air stands in relation to your body.”
St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ
The power of the Holy Spirit, which is bestowed upon him who loves God and keeps His commandments, does not appear visibly in the form of fire, nor does it come with a loud sound like a violent wind - for this happened only in the time of the Apostles for the sake of the unbelievers. Instead, it is seen spiritually in the form of spiritual light, and comes with all calm and joy." ..Constantine Cavarnos
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