Jesus died on Good Friday. He arose from the dead on Easter Sunday. After the resurrection, he remained on earth for 40 days, appearing to the Apostles, teaching them and giving them final instructions. They were told to remain in Jerusalem, and wait for the holy Spirit, who would give them power to witness "... in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1: 8).
After Jesus ascended to his Father, his followers returned to Jerusalem, retreated to the upstairs room - probably the same one where the Last Supper was held - and locked the door. They were afraid that if they attracted the notice of Jesus' enemies, they would suffer a fate similar to his.
They cast lots to elect a successor to Judas, and Matthias, who had been with Jesus since the beginning of his ministry, was chosen. They spent time praying and waiting as Jesus had instructed.
On Pentecost Sunday, as they were seated in prayer as usual, they suddenly heard a strange sound. The roar of a mighty wind filled the house. Fiery tongues appeared, and one settled on the head of each person present. They all began to speak in different languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to do so.
Immediately, every trace of fear left them. They rushed to the door, threw it open, and stomped down the stairs and into the street. They began preaching boldly on street corners, speaking of Jesus and proclaiming to everyone who would listen that he was the long-awaited Messiah.
The Bible records the fact that there were devout Jews from around the known world in Jerusalem that day. Every listener heard the Apostles' message in his own language. This was especially amazing when you consider that these were simple, uneducated men who probably didn't have a good grasp of their native tongue, much less any foreign language.
Peter gave an especially effective speech. He reminded the people of the signs and wonders Jesus had worked when he was among them. He explained how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophesies about the Messiah, and he challenged them to repent and be baptized. The Bible records that about 3,000 people joined the first Christian community that day and the remarkable growth of the Church continued.
"Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home, and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved" (Acts 2 : 46- 47).
And, it all began on Pentecost. Is it any wonder today's Christians continue to celebrate the occasion?
No comments:
Post a Comment