The Meaning Of Pentecost

The meaning of Pentecost

Acts 2:1-13

Pentecost was a divinely planned event; it was no mere afterthought with God. The coming of the Holy Spirit was as much a part of the redemptive plan as was the incarnation, death, resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit did not make His first appearance at Pentecost. He is mentioned as early as the creation account (Genesis 1:2). He is also shown to be doing the Father's work throughout the Old Testament and Gospels. However, the Spirit arrived in the upper room with a fresh mission from the Father.

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit empowered individuals for specific tasks.

(1) Bezalel's God-given wisdom and craftsmanship enabled him to become the Tabernacle's chief architect (Exodus 31:1-5).

(2) During the time of Moses the Spirit settled upon leaders chosen to help in administration (Numbers 11:16-17).

(3) The Spirit came on warriors facing formidable tasks (Judges 6:34; 1 Samuel 16:13).

(4) The Spirit was on men called to proclaim God's word (Isaiah 61:1; Ezekiel 2:1-4).

When the Lord wanted a job done, He chose someone to do it. Then the Holy Spirit equipped him or her for the task. He gave power only to those people and didn't necessarily remain with them for long.

"The Holy Spirit “pouring out on all people” was first prophesied in Joel 2:28-32, which Peter quoted in Acts 2:16-21 when he proclaimed the prophecy had been fulfilled by the events witnessed by the Jerusalem crowd that dramatic Sunday.

Understanding the connections between when this event was prophesied in Joel and when it happened in Acts adds deeper meaning to the feast still celebrated by Christians today.

The context around this prophecy in the book of Joel was a locust plague that devastated Israel. Every type of crop had been ravaged (Joel 1:7-12). The cattle were left without pasture (Joel 1:18), and the catastrophe was compounded by a drought (Joel 1:19-20). Still, Joel had hope based on what the Lord said: “’Even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning’” (Joel 2:12).

After promising agricultural healing, Joel then proclaims that the Spirit will be poured out on all people regardless of gender, age, or social status (Joel 2:28-32). Joel links the concept of agricultural and economic abundance to spiritual restoration. The verb "pour out" (Joel 2:28 [Hebrews 3:1]) alludes to the healing rains God would send upon the land (Joel 2:23). The prophets saw a theological link between the material blessing of God (in a rich harvest) and the spiritual benefits (obtained when God gives his Word and Spirit).

The "sacred assembly" to which Joel called the people in Joel 2:15 to mourn and repent is also important to the day of Pentecost in the New Testament. Instead of a thanksgiving harvest festival, in that year the Israelites held a special day of mourning and repentance because their crops were devastated. Just as Leviticus 23:21 commanded that all Israel should gather together and there should be no regular business conducted on Pentecost, Joel demanded that all the people gather before God in a sacred assembly. It is fitting, then, that the gift of the Spirit in fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy should have come on the harvest celebration day of Pentecost.

The connection between Passover to Pentecost is also worth noticing. The slaughter of the Passover lamb recalled the great deliverance of Israel’s exodus from Egypt, and it marked the beginning of the harvest with the offering of firstfruits.

The Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) was the thanksgiving celebration for the grain harvest. Jesus' crucifixion at Passover, similarly, was the sacrifice for the deliverance of his people, and the subsequent pouring out of the Spirit on Pentecost was the fulfillment of what his sacrifice had promised (John 14:16-20; 16:7). " - Feasts and Festivals of Israel - Baker’s Dictionary of Biblical Theology.

When the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles and the other believers on the Day of Pentecost, those who heard them speaking in tongues were perplexed and asked, “What does this mean?” (2:12). This question persists in our day too. Many claim that the meaning of Pentecost is that we should have the same experience as the disciples, namely, that we are to speak in tongues. You have probably had other Christians ask you, as I have, “Have you received the baptism of the Holy Spirit?” If you have not spoken in tongues, they are eager to help you have this experience for yourself. As such we all need to answer biblically, in light of the context - " What is the meaning of Pentecost?"

Acts 2 must be interpreted in light of Acts 1:4-8, where the risen Lord Jesus instructed the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father - the Holy Spirit. Jesus explained that they would “be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (1:5) and they would receive power to be Christ’s “witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (1:8). Just as the ministry of Jesus depended on the Holy Spirit descending on Him at His baptism, so the ministry of the disciples depended on them receiving the Holy Spirit and relying on His power. While they had experienced a measure of the Spirit’s power before (John 20:22), now He would come to dwell in them permanently (John 7:37-39; 14:17).