In the city of Ephesus, disciples of John spoke
in tongues and prophesied after receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.
In
the city of Caesarea, Peter and the Jews with him had witnessed the Holy Spirit
fill Cornelius and his family while the Apostle was still speaking. This was
confirmed when the Gentiles “spoke and tongues and magnified God,” confirming
to those present that the Gentiles had received the same gift as the 120 Jewish
disciples did on the Day of Pentecost.
In
Ephesus, upon meeting several disciples of John the Baptist, Paul
queried them, “Did you receive
the Holy Spirit when you believed?” Apparently, he detected something
deficient in their faith that led him to this question. Precisely what that was
the passage in Acts does not tell us – (Acts 19:1-7).
THE COMING ONE
John’s
disciples responded - they knew nothing about the Holy Spirit. This caused Paul
to inquire concerning their baptism in water, and to this, they stated they had
been “baptized unto John.” Presumably, they had repented and been
baptized by John or one of his followers but had not heard the full message
preached by Jesus or his disciples.
Paul
explained that Jesus is the “Coming One” referred to by John who would
come after him and “baptize in spirit and fire” – (Matthew 3:11-12, Acts
13:23-25).
Paul
then baptized them “in the name of the Lord Jesus.” This is consistent
with earlier accounts in Acts when new converts were immersed in water
in the name of Jesus – (Acts 2:38, 8:16, 10:44-48).
In
this case, the men received the gift of the Spirit AFTER water baptism.
By itself, this information could suggest that the gift is only given after a
convert is baptized. However, in Caesarea, the Gentiles received it BEFORE
their baptism, so that is not a safe assumption.
LAYING ON OF HANDS
Next,
Paul laid hands on the twelve men, the “Holy Spirit came upon them,” and
they “spoke in tongues and prophesied.” That is the end of the story as it
is told in Acts.
This
might indicate the Spirit is received through the laying on of hands by an
apostle. However, the original 120 disciples, including the twelve apostles,
received the gift on the Day of Pentecost without the laying on of anyone’s hands,
or at least, there is no mention of it in the second chapter of Acts.
Paul himself received the Spirit and healing through the prayer and “laying on of hands” by Ananias, a man nowhere identified as an apostle – (Acts 9:1-18).
Moreover,
the Gentiles in Caesarea received the gift WHILE Peter was still
preaching and BEFORE anyone had an opportunity to lay hands on them. Thus,
while the “laying on of hands” whether by an apostle or anyone else may
be important in some instances, it is not a requirement in Acts for receiving
the Spirit.
TONGUES AND PROPHECY
Obviously, the twelve disciples of John did speak in tongues after they received the Spirit. Since Paul
conversed with them BEFORE they received the gift, “tongues” were
not used for translation purposes. Whether they spoke in “known” or “unknown”
tongues the passage does not say.
This is the only instance in Acts where we read of individuals “prophesying” after receiving the gift of the Spirit. The passage does not say whether “tongues” or the ability to prophesy was the “sign” of the gift, it only tells us what phenomena did occur when the disciples of John received it.
In one respect, the incident is unique. The twelve men were not Gentile
converts or another case of Jews, in general, accepting Christ. They were followers
of John the Baptist who must have heard of the “Coming One,” but, nevertheless,
they remained ignorant of his arrival and identity (Paul stressed who the “Coming
One” is - “Jesus”).
Thus, the manifestation of both “tongues” and prophecy possibly
was intended to confirm for followers of John that Jesus is the promised
Christ, the one who now dispenses the gift of the Spirit. But that is
supposition. What Paul’s reaction was to these manifestations we do not know.
This is the only case recorded in Acts when the gift of the
Spirit was accompanied by prophecy. However, in his sermon on the Day of
Pentecost, Peter quoted the prophet, Joel. In the “last days,” God would
pour out His Spirit “on all
flesh,” and one result would be that “your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy.” In anything, this incident confirmed further that the Spirit
was being poured out “on all flesh” as promised in the book of Joel
– (Joel 2:28-32, Acts 2:17-21).
Prophecy exercised by members of the covenant community is one of
the predicted “wonders in the heaven above, and signs on the
earth beneath”
that characterizes the activity of the Spirit among God’s people and the “last
days.”
As in Caesarea, and on the Day of Pentecost, the passage leaves no
doubt that the arrival of the Spirit on these men resulted in their “speaking
in tongues.” What they said in tongues or revealed in their “prophesying”
we do not know.
For the narrative in Acts, apparently, such questions are
not relevant. What the manifestations do confirm is that the followers of John
received the Spirit. What we can conclude from this is straightforward - when
they received the Holy Spirit, they “spoke in tongues and prophesied.”
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