Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The text this morning is from the Acts of the Apostles, the second chapter:
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance… And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language… And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
Thus far the text.
Dear friends in Christ,
When I was younger, I always thought that Pentecost was actually Pennycost. I didn’t understand it. What’s a penny cost? A penny, right? A single red cent. I mean, it didn’t make sense. It was another one of those big words the Church used to confuse me, because, it was all about me, you know.
When I got older, I kind of thought that Pentecost was all about the Holy Spirit. I mean, after all, the Holy Spirit seems to be the main actor in the text ABOUT Pentecost today, right? Acts 2, who comes down and makes the disciples speak in different languages? The Holy Spirit. That’s some pretty sweet action. I’d pay to see that show.
But now that I am here, now that I can truly be prepared to reflect upon the Scriptures, I know that Pentecost isn’t about the Holy Spirit, it’s about Jesus.
After all, what in our Scriptures ISN’T about Jesus? It’s all about Him, it’s all what He has planned to do in order to save us from our sin. It’s all about how He has worked salvation in the world, redeeming us from our chaos of sin and turning us toward the beauty of His order.
Order is an interesting word, for nothing on Pentecost looked orderly, at least not in our minds. I imagine it like this: on Pentecost, 50 days after the Passover Festival, the Jews from all around gathered in the Temple. We’re talking thousands of people all in one place. Imagine something like the crowds at the old Metrodome, except instead of beer and Viking helmets, they’re carrying grain and sheep and goats, their children and servants close at hand. It’s a massive spectacle, and everyone is hearing things in different languages. You’ve got Greek, Aramaic, Latin, Egyptian, Arabic, Parthian, a whole host of languages all being shouted across the Temple square in order to do the Temple business and keep track of one’s family.
Everyone has gathered there for the Feast of Weeks, a feast set 50 days after Passover, which in the year of our text, also is 50 days after the Resurrection of Christ from the dead. All the Jews and Jewish converts have gathered together from so many nations in order to thank God for the harvest of wheat that has just been reaped. God told the Israelites to do this in His Holy Law, and so they were obeying it, even hundreds of years later. So, there they all are gathered, everyone speaking, yelling, making noise, and all of the sudden, the sound of a mighty rushing wind shut them all up.
Have you heard that before? A huge wind? It seems to deafen you, you can’t hear anything. I remember this one day when we were living in Hawaii. A hurricane was bearing down on us. The rain and wind were awful. The island was in a panic. Everything was so loud. It totally surrounded us. And all of the sudden, it got weird. We had been so used to the sound, that the absence of the wind was almost deafening in its silence. The wind had stopped and everyone knew something was up. The eye of the hurricane had moved on top of us, and nothing was moving except the swirl of the clouds above us.
I imagine it was like that on Pentecost. The mighty wind drowning out the noise… and then it stops. The quiet is almost overwhelming. And the people look around and see 12 men, standing nearby with flames of fire floating above their heads. The people look, and they listen, for these men begin to speak the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their own language. The Egyptians hear Egyptian, the Jews hear Aramaic, the Greeks hear Greek, the Romans hear Latin. They don’t know it yet, but the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus in today’s Gospel text has just been poured out on these 12 men and He was moving them to preach about Jesus.
That’s why Pentecost is all about Jesus. The Holy Spirit didn’t inspire the Apostles to preach about the Holy Spirit. He inspired them to preach about Jesus. And so they did. Here’s what was said after our text cut off for today. It’s good and I don’t want you to miss it. Peter says:
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him, “ ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
You see, this whole day is about Jesus. It’s all about the Jesus who was killed by us and for us, so that we might be saved from our sins. It’s all about the Jesus who gives to the thirsty everlasting water. It’s all about the Jesus who sends His Holy Spirit into the world and into the hearts of every believer so that He flows forth even more. It’s all about the Jesus who sends the Holy Spirit to do that which He promised, to preserve us into everlasting life by repenting us from our sins and baptizing us in the precious waters Christ instituted and blessed.
This is the day we celebrate the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, yes, but it is a day in which we see that work is all about Jesus. After all, what does the Holy Spirit do? He brings faith to you in baptism. Faith in whom? Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit brings the cleansing of sins in your baptism. Where was this won? By Jesus on the cross. The Holy Spirit brings to you the Word of God. About whom is the Word written? Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit preserves you unto everlasting life. From whom do you receive everlasting life? Jesus, by His resurrection from the dead. The Holy Spirit binds all the saints together in the Communion of Saints. With whom do we commune? All saints, across space and time, as we eat and drink our Lord Jesus’ body and blood. The Holy Spirit brings us to the family of God. Where is this family? It is found in the Church, where Christ’s Word is rightly proclaimed and Christ’s Sacraments are rightly administered.
The Holy Spirit does the work of Jesus. He proceeds from the Father and the Son to do the work they have set out. But this day is all about Jesus, because that is about whom the Holy Spirit wishes to tell us. It’s all about Jesus for you, with you, in you, all for the forgiveness of your sins so that you might be preserved eternally. For indeed, there is no greater work that the Holy Spirit does than to point people to the Jesus who died upon the cross. This is greater than speaking in tongues. This is greater than appearing as fire. This is greater than appearing as a dove. But all these signs, they are to point to Jesus as the one true Son of God, the one who came for sinners like me and like you. The sign isn’t as important as the one to whom the sign points. And when the Holy Spirit makes a sign, it always points to Jesus.
So, this Pentecost, as we look to the great works of the Holy Spirit, remember the third article of the creed and how everything there is meant to point you to Jesus for it is all the Holy Spirit’s work. For there we hear what He does, in that He makes me to believe what we have confessed this day: I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. All these things, each and every one, points me to Jesus. It is Pentecost Day, and it’s all about Jesus, for you, for all, forever. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.
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