The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit

The Day of Pentecost 

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams” (Acts 2:14-17).

Pentecost is the day that Christians celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles in Jerusalem, manifested by the descent of tongues of fire from heaven, and the speaking of the Apostles in the many languages of the peoples assembled there. By this event, and Peter’s subsequent preaching, we are taught how to understand God’s word. Pentecost also reveals to us the nature and work of God, the Holy Spirit. Most importantly, however, Pentecost shows that God’s saving grace is not confined to one ethnic group of people, but that the Gospel of Christ crucified as the sacrifice for sin and risen from the dead for man’s redemption belongs to the whole world. Moreover, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is something that continues to happen from that day to this, and until Our Lord Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead, through His word preached, and given through water, bread and wine.

First, the opening of Peter’s Pentecost sermon teaches us how to read the Bible. Peter connects the Old Testament scriptures, specifically the words of the prophet Joel that he quotes, to the events unfolding around them. Peter then goes on to use the power and authority given him by the Holy Spirit by preaching to the people repentance and forgiveness of sins in the crucified and risen Jesus. The New Testament is basically a commentary on, or more precisely, an exposition of the Old Testament. When we read the Bible, or listen to preaching, we are to recognize that the Old Testament always points to Christ and is to be explained in the light of the New Testament, and not the other way around.[1]

Consequently, the New Testament scriptures expose in greater detail what the Old Testament scriptures reveal about the divine nature and work of God, and His Holy Spirit, by the events of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the triune, or “three-person” God, and not just an impersonal force, power, or energy. Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit has His own work, that of convicting the world of sin, and leading the disciples into all truth;[2] He tells us that the Spirit proceeds from both Him and God the Father; Also, as recorded by Luke in the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit is called God, and speaks to and directs the Apostles Himself.[3] The Holy Spirit operates in perfect harmony with God the Father, and God the Son, to work the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation in man through the word of God. An inanimate object, or an impersonal being, cannot speak and do things as Jesus tells us the Holy Spirit speaks and does; The outpouring of the Spirit on the Apostles at Pentecost, and their preaching to the people shows us that the Holy Spirit is God, and demonstrates His unity with the other divine members of the God-head.

Finally, this outpouring of the divine Holy Spirit is not confined to just the Apostles at Pentecost, but it is continual. The supernatural speaking in tongues by the Apostles is the sign that accompanies the power they received by the Holy Spirit, not the main gift, and not something Christians should expect will always accompany the Spirit’s working. The purpose of this miracle was to show that foreigners, i.e. non-Jews, could hear God’s word, and the Holy Spirit could use that word as His tool to create faith in them.[4] The coming of the Spirit is not a one-time occurrence but something that happens continually when God’s word is preached and His Sacraments, namely Holy Baptism, through which God gives the gift of the Holy Spirit,[5] as Peter preaches, are properly administered. The miracle of Pentecost shows all people that God does not want anyone to perish, but instead wants everyone to come to repentance.[6]

Pentecost is not just some crazy miracle story invented to spice up the narrative of Christianity, or to give legitimacy to the Apostles by endowing them with supernatural tongue-speaking powers. Even though videos of people rolling around on the floor “in the spirit” babbling nonsensical gibberish may provide endless entertainment for viewers of YouTube, Pentecost is about something far more important than the miracle of speaking in tongues God performed that day. The events of Pentecost give us an important instruction as to how we must understand God’s word. It shows us the nature and work of the Holy Spirit. Most of all, Pentecost show us that God’s forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus, won by his atoning sacrifice on the cross, is for all people, and is given as a gift by the working of the Holy Spirit. ###

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[1] John 5:39

[2] John 16:7-11

[3] Acts 5:1-4; 13:1-3;

[4] Romans 10:17; 1 Corinthians 2:14; 6:11; 12:3;

[5] Acts 2:38-29

[6] 2 Peter 3:9

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

Thursday after Pentecost

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him” (John 14:1-7).

Earlier, Thomas declared that he would die with Jesus.[1] Now, even after all the time Jesus and the disciples have spent together, he cannot see who Jesus is, and what His work on earth was. His problem seemed to be the same as the rest of the disciples; they could not rationally understand how Jesus could be the savior they thought He was, and also die a humiliating death: How could Jesus be the Messiah if He was murdered before He could set up His kingdom?

The dark spot in the mind of Thomas was his inability to follow the mission and work of Jesus beyond the boundary of death. For him the mission of Jesus was an earthly kingdom (Acts 1:6) – how, then, could Jesus retire to heaven; and how could there be a way to this kingdom that would lead via heaven? So Thomas grows downhearted like one who is lost in the dark.[2]

The disciples, like the rest of the Jews of Jesus’ day, were expecting a political Messiah.[3]^,[4] They expected the Messiah instantly to sweep away the old order of things; He would remove the boot of Roman rule from the neck of the Israelites; He would restore the house of David to a physical throne, and the kingdom of Israel would be a mighty nation once more. The disciples did not yet realize that Jesus’ kingdom was not of this world.[5]

Phillip asks Jesus to show them the Father. Jesus must have been quite frustrated by His disciples’ lack of understanding. He spent all this time with them, showing them works from the Father.[6] He explained to them that He was the incarnate Word,[7] the exact representation of the Father,[8] and they still didn’t get it. They still didn’t know Jesus. It wouldn’t be until after His resurrection that they would see Jesus through the eyes of faith.

We have the same problem. Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” How can we know Jesus? How could His words here apply to us today? The disciples could meet, see, touch, and talk to Jesus. They heard His teaching and saw His mighty works. How is this possible, though, for us living today? Are we not merely relegated to knowing only about Jesus? If Jesus of Nazareth was merely a man, His death on the cross would be the end of the story. Not only would it be pointless to try to “know” Jesus, it would be impossible. To us He would be nothing more than an historical figure, about which we could only memorize factual information. While Jesus did die on the cross on Good Friday, He did not stay in the grave; Jesus, God in human flesh, rose from the dead on the third day and, because He lives, we who believe in Him will also live.

Because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden, sin entered God’s perfect creation; creation was cursed and our human nature was changed. Jesus voluntarily humbled Himself by becoming a man, to save mankind. He was born of the Virgin Mary and was without the stain of sin. He identified Himself with sinful man as He was baptized by John in the Jordan River; He assumed responsibility for our sin; He endured temptation, just as all men must, but He lived a perfect life; He kept all of God’s law, and died as the ransom for our sin.[9] God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.[10] The author of Hebrews writes this:

Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death…For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people.[11]

Christ, our living Savior restored the relationship between God and man. Jesus gives His gifts of life and salvation to us today through His Word proclaimed, read, and coupled with water, bread and wine, all by the working of the Holy Spirit. He calls out to us through the Holy Scriptures that we might know Him, and have eternal life: Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.[12] He gives us His Spirit,[13] connects us to Himself, His death, and resurrection,[14] and washes away our sins through Baptism,[15] by washing us with water through His Word.[16] He comes to us, to strengthen and preserve us in this faith, through the Lord’s Supper. In this sacrament, He gives us His very body and blood to eat and drink for the forgiveness of our sins, and as a sign of unity as members of His Body, the Church. We can know Jesus because He is alive, and through Jesus, we know God the Father.

Bibliography

Englebrecht, Edward A, ed. The Lutheran Study Bible - English Standard Version. Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2005.

Lenski, R. C. H. The Interpretation of St. John's Gospel. Columbus: The Wartburg Press, 1959.

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[1] John 11:16

[2] Lenski, R. C. H. The Interpretation of St. John's Gospel. Columbus: The Wartburg Press, 1959.

[3] Mark 10: 35-45; Acts 1:6

[4] Engelbrecht, Edward A, ed. The Lutheran Study Bible. Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2005.

[5] John 18:33-38

[6] John 14:10-11

[7] John 8:48-59; 10: 22-39

[8] Hebrews 1:3

[9] Mark 10:45

[10] 2 Corinthians 5:21

[11] Hebrews 2:14-15; 17

[12] Matthew 11:28

[13] John 3:5; Titus 3:5;

[14] Romans 6:3-5; Galatians 3:27

[15] Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:18-22

[16] Ephesians 5:25-27