The outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost caused a great commotion and much consternation in Jerusalem.
Jesus commanded the disciples to wait in Jerusalem
until they received the Spirit, the “promise of the Father” that would equip them to
become his witnesses to the nations, even to “the uttermost parts of the
earth” - (Acts 1:4-8).
The disciples tarried in prayer until the Day of Pentecost had “fully come.” At that time, the Spirit
arrived “like a rushing mighty wind,” an impressive event accompanied by
visual and audible effects. And many Jewish pilgrims who were in the city “saw
and heard” those things. The commotion caused the crowd of “about three
thousand” Jewish pilgrims to become confounded since “every man heard them
speaking in his own language” - (Acts
2:4-13).
THE CROWD
The second chapter lists fifteen nations from
the Near East and the Mediterranean areas that were represented by the pilgrims.
The arrival of the Spirit was observed by Jews and proselytes from many
nations, not just by those from Judea. And this list anticipated the implementation
of the command by Jesus to preach the gospel “to the uttermost parts of
the earth.”
The Jewish pilgrims were consternated because
“each man heard them speaking in his own language.” What impressed them
was the sound of Galileans “speaking in our own languages.” Later, Peter
described the event as the “promise of the Holy Spirit, which you see
and hear,” which suggests they also saw and heard the other effects
of the Spirit.
“We hear them speaking in our tongues the mighty works of
God.” Clearly, the pilgrims present that day understood what
the disciples were saying. There is no mention of “interpreters” or the “gift
of interpretation.” That would defeat the whole purpose of the manifestations
as evidence of the arrival of the promised Spirit.
The Jewish pilgrims were struck by the fact
that Peter and his compatriots were “Galileans.” In popular thought, Galilee
was a backwater territory, not only of the Roman Empire but also of Judea. To
label anyone a “Galilean” was tantamount to implying he was poorly educated and
little more than a “country bumpkin.”
LANGUAGES
This is the only instance in the New
Testament where the exercise of the “gift of tongues” is described as a
known language. Elsewhere, believers were inspired by the Spirit to speak in
“unknown tongues.” Likewise, though tongues do occur again in Acts,
they are never again portrayed as a known language - (Acts 10:44-48, 19:1-6,
1 Corinthians 13:1, 14:1-9).
- (Acts 2:12-13) - “And they were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one to another - What does this mean!? - But others, mocking, said: They are filled with new wine.”
The crowd’s reaction set the stage for Peter’s sermon,
which he began by citing the prophecy from Joel about the arrival of the
Spirit “in the last days” (“these men are not drunk… But this is
that which was spoken by the prophet Joel” – Joel 2:28).
The experiential aspect of the event must not be downplayed, both from the perspective of the disciples and of the crowd. What they “saw and heard” made deep and lasting impressions.
For example, when Peter first preached to Gentiles, they
received the same experience of the Spirit as the disciples on Pentecost, which
left no doubt in the minds of those present in Caesarea that God had accepted uncircumscribed
Gentiles as equal members of His people - (Acts 10:45-46,
11:15-17).
The reality of
what the disciples AND the crowd of pilgrims experienced on Pentecost
undergirds the theological propositions of the book of Acts. And the
description of the pilgrims’ reaction to what they “saw and heard” loses
its point if the events were not very profound and life-changing experiences.
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