“Pentecost” is Christian shorthand for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church on the day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts Chapter 2. This article explores Acts 2:1–21, the designated passage for Pentecost Sunday in the Revised Common Lectionary (verses 22–47 are read earlier in the Easter season because of their focus on the resurrection). Special focus is given to the three main signs of Pentecost, three features of Joel’s prophecy about Pentecost, and how Old Testament images and allusions run through the entire passage.
“Pentecost”
Acts 2:1 begins, “When the day of Pentecost arrived.” “Pentecost” is another name for the Jewish feast Feast of Weeks. God commanded Israel to count seven full weeks after the Passover, and on the next day to celebrate the wheat harvest by bringing him the first fruits. Seven weeks plus one day is 50 days, and so the feast also became known as “Pentecost,” which means “fiftieth.” As Christians, we celebrate Easter as the new Passover festival (in the Eastern Church, Easter is simply called “Pascha”). The Easter season lasts 50 days, climaxing on Pentecost Sunday, which has been called the fulfillment of the Paschal mystery (the day when Christ’s resurrection power is unleashed in the world).
“All Together in One Place”
Acts 2 goes on to say, “they were all together in one place.” They “with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer” (Acts 1:14), waiting for the promised Spirit as Jesus had instructed them (Acts 1:4). It’s crucial to notice the corporate emphasis of Pentecost. They were together. The result of Pentecost is an even greater corporate solidarity, as the diverse crowd is united as one body in Christ and the baptized choose to have all things in common and devote themselves to corporate worship (Acts 2:42–47).
Pentecost marks the beginning of the Church in its new covenant form as the multiethnic body of the risen and ascended Christ.
What happened at Pentecost was not fundamentally about individuals. It has implications for each member of the body, but Pentecost is fundamentally a corporate event. It is about God’s gathered people, the Church. Pentecost is sometimes called the “birthday of the Church.” While I don’t find this language especially helpful, since the Church already existed prior to Pentecost in some form, it is true that Pentecost marks the beginning of the Church in its new covenant form as the multiethnic body of the risen and ascended Christ.
“Suddenly”
The disciples were gathered for corporate prayer when verse 2 says that when the Spirit came “suddenly.” This emphasizes that the Holy Spirit came on God’s time, at the hour he appointed, as a free and sovereign gift. Jesus emphasized that he could not go to the cross until his “hour” came (Jn. 2:4). The outpouring of the Holy Spirit could not be rushed or orchestrated by human beings any more than the crucifixion of Christ. This emphasis runs through Acts 2, as we will see.
“A Sound Like a Mighty Rushing Wind”
When the Holy Spirit was poured out, God gave three main signs of his coming. First, there was “a sound like a mighty rushing wind.” The sound was not wind. It was like wind. Like Ezekiel struggling to describe his vision (Ezek. 1), Luke reports that the disciples heard a unique, strange, and supernatural sound, and that the best thing that they could liken it to was wind. This is of course significant, since the Greek word for “Spirit” (pneuma) can also be translated as wind. In John 3:8, Jesus said, “The wind [pneuma] blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit [pneuma].” The sound was like a “mighty” and “rushing” wind because the Spirit is sovereign, all-powerful, and unable to controlled.
The sound was like a “mighty” and “rushing” wind because the Spirit is sovereign, all-powerful, and unable to controlled.
The word pneuma can also be translated as “breath.” In John 20, Jesus appeared to his disciples after the resurrection, told them that he was sending them out into the world, and then “breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” This passage is often called “John’s Pentecost” because it anticipates the day of Pentecost, when the ascended Christ breathed the Spirit from the Father on the apostles.
This is why it’s especially significant that the sound like wind is said to have come “from heaven.” We can often discern which direction a sound is coming from. The disciples first heard the mighty sound above them. This was a sign that the Spirit was being sent from Jesus Christ, now exalted to God’s right hand in heaven, as Peter later explains: “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” (Acts 2:33). The sound then grew louder until it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
At the most powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit in human history, the disciples were sitting—not doing anything to work up a feeling or an emotion.
It’s also noteworthy that the disciples were sitting when the sound rushed in. Sitting may imply numerous things depending on the context, but in this case it is likely meant to be interpreted as a passive posture. They were just prayerfully waiting. They weren’t standing up or dancing around—which is not to say that standing or dancing or emotion are wrong. David passionately danced before the ark, and the Lord was pleased. But it’s a good reminder to us that at the most powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit in human history, the disciples were sitting—not doing anything to work up a feeling or an emotion. It was the free gift of God and Christ to them. They were the receivers.
“Divided Tongues As of Fire”
The second sign at Pentecost is recorded in verse 3: “divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.” Again, it was not fire that they saw. It was something unique. But it was like fire (“as of fire”). Fire is used throughout the Bible as a sign of God’s powerful, purifying presence, from the burning bush to the pillar of fire in the wilderness to the burning coal on Isaiah’s tongue. Hebrews 12:29 says, “Our God is a consuming fire.”
The clearest background for the fire-like appearance at Pentecost is God’s fiery descent on Mt. Sinai. The feast of Pentecost took place at the same time of year when God had given Moses the law, and in Jewish practice Pentecost became not only a celebration of the harvest but also of the giving of the law. The fiery descent of the Spirit meant that God was now writing his law, not on stone tablets, but on the hearts of his people, as Jeremiah and Ezekiel had prophesied: “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts” (Jer. 31:33); “I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes” (Ezek. 36:26–27).
The clearest background for the fire-like appearance at Pentecost is God’s fiery descent on Mt. Sinai.
It is significant that the fire-like appearance is described as “divided tongues.” Flames often appear in a teardrop shape and fork out in various directions, which is very similar to the shape of a human tongue if it was split in one or two places. The “tongues” of fire “rested on each one of them,” emphasizing that each and every disciple was empowered: “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Cor. 12:7); “the same Spirit … apportions to each one individually as he wills” (1 Cor. 12:11). The tongue-like shape of the fire draws attention to the Spirit’s empowerment of the disciples’ speech, which brings us to the third and final sign.
“Speak in Other Tongues” (Languages)
The third sign of the Spirit’s descent at Pentecost was that the disciples “began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4). “Other tongues” simply means “languages other than their native language.” Today, we sometimes refer to someone’s “mother tongue” or “native tongue.” Most English translations use “tongues” instead of “languages,” which preserves the play on words between verses 3 and 4: they saw divided human tongues and were enabled to speak in other tongues.
Speaking in other languages was especially significant because Pentecost was a pilgrimage feast. Verse 5 reminds us that faithful Jews from every nation had traveled from across the world to come to Jerusalem for the feast. And when the Holy Spirit descended, he enabled the disciples to speak in the native languages of all the pilgrims: Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamians, Judeans, Cappadocians, Pontians, Asians, Phrygians, Pamphylians, Egyptians, Libyans, Romans, Cretans, and Arabians.
Verse 11 tells us what the disciples were proclaiming in these foreign languages that they had never learned: “the mighty works of God.” Based on Peter’s sermon later in the chapter (Acts 2:22, “mighty works”), and the rest of the Book of Acts, this refers to the great works that God accomplished through his Son Jesus Christ, climaxing in the greatest work of all: the cross and resurrection. The Spirit empowered the disciples to preach the gospel to all nations, in their native language.
Verse 6–13 emphasize the response of the crowds: they were bewildered, amazed, astonished, and perplexed. Imagine simple fishermen suddenly speaking in French, German, Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, and Urdu. Some asked, “What does this mean?” They knew that something special was going on. Others mocked them and claimed that they must be drunk. It’s not clear why they thought this if the disciples were speaking their language. Perhaps they were too far away to clearly hear the disciples, or perhaps because of their hardness of heart, God prevented the mockers from understanding (while Acts 2:4 clearly says that the disciples spoke in other languages, Acts 2:6, 8, and 11 emphasize the “hearing”).
It’s important to remember what Jesus had told his disciples in Acts 1:8: “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The miracle of tongues at Pentecost, where people from every nation were gathered, was a sign that the disciples had received this power to be witnesses to the end of the earth. Some would resist and mock, but others would believe and be saved. It was the disciples’ job to simply preach the gospel with boldness and confidence, and Pentecost assured them that in the Holy Spirit, they had everything they needed to carry out the Great Commission.
At Pentecost, the firstfruits of the international harvest of souls were brought in and sanctified to God by the power of the Holy Spirit.
It’s significant that only some from every nation were gathered. Recall that Pentecost was a harvest festival when Israel presented their firstfruits to God—a portion of the much larger harvest that was about to be brought in. Jesus had said in Matthew 9:37, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” At Pentecost, the firstfruits of the international harvest of souls were brought in and sanctified to God by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Pentecost marks the reversal of the Tower of Babel.
The emphasis on “nations” is key too (Acts 2:5). Remember that according to the Bible, nations were initially formed as a result of the Tower of Babel. God confused the languages of rebellious humanity and forced them to spread out. Pentecost marks the reversal of the Tower of Babel: confused humanity is enabled to understand and united into the Church, the one holy nation (1 Pet. 2:9), the new humanity which has Christ the new Adam as its head.
“Peter, Standing With the Eleven”
Following the three signs and the crowd’s response, verse 14 says that “Peter, standing with the eleven,” spoke up to address the people. The phrase “with the eleven” is key: Peter spoke as a representative of the twelve apostles, not independently of them. Many Protestants—not just Roman Catholics—have interpreted Matthew 16:18 as indicating a special role for Peter, but all Protestants firmly reject the idea that Peter was given authority to speak independently of the other apostles (infallibly when speaking “from the chair” or ex cathedra).
Peter spoke as a representative of the twelve apostles, not independently of them.
The main point here is that the apostles themselves often get overlooked in Pentecost passages. For example, in John 16:13, Jesus said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” This may have implications for us today (see my article “Does the Holy Spirit Teach Us What the Bible Means?”), but we must not skip directly to personal application. This verse was primarily directed to the apostles themselves, who were given a very unique role in salvation history: laying a foundation for the Church (Eph. 2:20). In John 14:16, the Holy Spirit teaching the apostles all things is directly connected to bringing to their remembrance all that Jesus said to them during his earthly ministry. Pentecost empowered the apostles in at least one way that he does not empower us: to remember what they heard Jesus speak in-person and infallibly record it in the Scriptures for all generations.
“The Last Days” (Joel’s Prophecy)
In his sermon, Peter begins by explaining that the disciples were not drunk (after all, it was only the third hour of the day—around 9 AM!). Instead, God was fulfilling the prophecy of Joel 2:28–32. A few things are important to notice in this prophecy.
First, it was a prophecy about what would happen in “the last days” (Acts 2:17). Peter quotes Joel as prophesying that “in the last days” God would “pour out his Spirit on all flesh.” This is what the crowd was witnessing. In other words, Pentecost marked the beginning of “the last days”?
When many Christians think of “the last days,” they think of a period of time that is yet to come—a series of dramatic events in the years right before Jesus returns. However, the New Testament uses the phrase “last days” five times and it primarily if not always refers to the period of time from the coming of Christ and outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost until the second coming. We have been living in the last days for around 2,000 years! This may seem like a long period of time to refer to as “the last days,” but we must remember that “one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Pet. 3:8).
Pentecost means that we are already living in “the last days”—the last period of human history.
Towards the end of the last days, there may be an escalation of events (some think that the apocalyptic signs in Acts 2:19–20 refer to this), but the main point is this: Pentecost means that we are already living in “the last days”—the last period of human history. Christ has come. Because of his death and resurrection, all flesh will be raised. Everyone will be judged. Creation will be renewed. It’s inevitable. It’s just a matter of time. We are living in a grace period when the Holy Spirit is working through the Church to offer Christ to all people before it’s too late. Celebrating Pentecost should renew the urgency of our mission and cause us to realign all of life towards the eschatological kingdom of Christ.
“All Flesh”—Old, Young, Male, Female
Second, Joel’s prophecy identifies the last days as a time of the Spirit’s anointing upon all of God’s people for ministry. God promised to pour out his Spirit on “all flesh”: sons and daughters, young and old, male and female. All would be gifted and empowered in various ways. That’s why Numbers 11 is often read on Pentecost Sunday. When Eldad and Medad were prophesying in the camp, Joshua said, “My lord Moses, stop them!” Joshua was afraid that these newly-appointed elders would upstage Moses. But Moses simply said, “I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” (Num. 11:29). Moses spoke more than he knew, and voiced a prophecy which was fulfilled at Pentecost. Now, all God’s people are tasked with speaking forth his word and are empowered by the Spirit to do so.
Moses spoke more than he knew, and voiced a prophecy which was fulfilled at Pentecost.
Pentecost not only extends the anointing from a few key leaders to all the men, it extends the anointing to all the “daughters” and “female” servants of God. Recall that the divided tongues of fire “rested on each one of them” who were gathered, and this included “the women and Mary the mother of Jesus” (Acts 1:14). Perhaps Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, Salome, Mary of Bethany, and Martha were there. Whatever the case, every believer is now gifted by the Spirit for the upbuilding of the kingdom. The daughters of Philip had the gift of prophecy (Acts 21:9). Priscilla had the gift of teaching (Acts 18:26). Phoebe had the gift of service (Rom. 16:1). And so on. Pentecost means that every member is a minister, male or female, and has a vital role to play in the healthy functioning of the body.
“Everyone Who Calls”
Finally, notice that Joel’s prophecy identifies “the last days” a period of time in human history that focuses on all people being saved by simply turning to Jesus as Lord: “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). This is connected to the Spirit’s work because as 1 Corinthians 12:3 says, “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit.” It is the Spirit who empowers the Church to preach Jesus as Lord, convicts people that the message is true, grants them faith, and meets them in the waters of baptism, uniting them to Jesus.
We can easily take this for granted, but for the early disciples, it was perhaps the most radical thing about Pentecost. The apostles themselves didn’t even fully understand it until partway through Acts, when they began to realize the full implications for Gentile converts. Previously, Gentiles who wanted to be saved by Yahweh were expected to embrace the Mosaic law—for example, to stop eating pork and get circumcised. But by the time of the Jerusalem Council, the apostles came to understand that all who called on the Lord in faith were to be embraced as full members of God’s people, even without these rites of the law.
In Acts 2:41, we are told that on the day of Pentecost, around 3,000 people called on the name of the Lord—received Peter’s word, repented, and were baptized. Recall that in Jewish practice, Pentecost marked the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai. Exodus tells us that while Moses was receiving the law, Israel was worshipping a golden calf. Moses instructed the Levites to punish them by the sword, “and that day about three thousand men of the people fell” (Ex. 32:28). This is not a coincidence. The same number of people were saved at Pentecost as died at Mt. Sinai because “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6). “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2).
The same number of people were saved at Pentecost as died at Mt. Sinai because “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
The Book of Acts records how thousands more believed from across the Mediterranean world, and today over 2 billion people claim to be Christians. Not all of these people are truly born again, of course, but many are! The Church is busy all over the world proclaiming Christ in the power of the Spirit to make heaven crowded with a numberless multitude of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation!
Conclusion
In conclusion, Pentecost was a crucial moment in salvation history. It marked the beginning of a new age of the Spirit. We can’t repeat Pentecost anymore than we can repeat Bethlehem or Calvary. We do not need a “new Pentecost” or a “personal Pentecost.” However, we desperately need the Holy Spirit who was poured out at Pentecost to empower us and a new generation for effective ministry. Pentecost reminds us of the power that is available to us by the indwelling Spirit. The flesh cannot save us, but God is able and wants to do “far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us” (Eph. 3:20).
Francis Schaeffer once discussed the many threats that come against the church, but concluded that none of these are the greatest problem facing God’s people. The greatest problem, he says, is “the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, individually or corporately, tending to do the Lord’s work in the power of the flesh rather than of the Spirit. The central problem is always in the midst of the people of God, not in the circumstances surrounding them.” Pentecost reminds us of where our true power and purity lie: Not in human might or power, but in the Spirit of the Lord, freely and sovereignly given (Zech. 4:6).
