Wind & Fire Come Down to Earth: “What Does This Mean?”

Birth of the Church, Part 1

This week our text was taken from Acts 2:1-21 which contains the first part of the narrative recording what transpired that first Pentecost, 50 days after Jesus’ death and burial at Passover. Remember what Jesus had instructed his followers to do—stay in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit, then they were to become witnesses of the resurrection beginning in Jerusalem and reaching “to the ends of the earth.”

We will examine Acts 2:1-21 in four steps: (1) The Coming of the Holy Spirit; (2) The Correction; (3) The Connection; and (4) The Call to Faith.

1) The Coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4)

A) Symbolized in Wind & Fire

  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.

Pentecost

The promised Holy Spirit came upon the followers of the risen Christ in power on Pentecost (lit. the 50^th day) which was the day after the seventh Sabbath following Passover. Originally celebrated as the Feast of Weeks, spanning from the firstfruits of the barley harvest at Passover to the completion of the wheat harvest (Ex. 23:16; Lev. 23:17-22; Num. 28:26-31), but had become more of a remembrance and renewal of the Law given to Moses at Mt. Sinai. Expositors Bible Commentary aptly notes, “Whereas Pentecost was for Judaism the day of the giving of the law, for Christians it is the day of the coming of the Holy Spirit.” The Law told people how to live but didn’t enable us to keep it. The Holy Spirit empowers Christians to live faithfully in the love of Christ. 

We see that the account of this “coming” emphasizes God’s action to fulfill his promise and the apostles’ availability you receive it. However I am intrigued by the symbolism of the wind and the fire.

Wind

While many commentators speak of the house being filled with a great wind, that is not what the text says. If we read with an eye for detail we see that the house was not filled with wind, but with “a sound like a mighty rushing wind.” A physical wind might have been thought to be just that, but the sound of a violent wind with no wind…now that points to the Spirit! You see, in the Old Testament the Hebrew word for “breath” and “wind” was ruach, which was also the word for “spirit”. In Genesis God “breathed” into the man that he had made and he became a living creature. Later in Ezekiel 37 there is the famous vision of the Valley of Dry Bones which the Lord planned to bring back to life. In 37:9 the prophet was instructed, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” Ruach is both “breath” and “winds” in this verse. God can take what is dry and dead and bring it back to life. Likewise, in the New Testament, the Greek word pneuma also meant “breath,” “wind,” and “spirit.”  What better way to communicate the presence of the Spirit of God at such a moment of change than in the sound of a great wind? The sound of the wind completely filled the house.

Fire

The “tongues of fire” that appeared would probably have reminded the men and women gathered in the house that morning of the fire on Mt. Sinai at the giving of the Law (appropriate given the seasonal emphasis) and the pillar of cloud/fire that manifested the presence of God with his people in the exodus and beyond as noted at the dedication of the Tabernacle in the wilderness,

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys. (Exodus 40:34-38)

And at the dedication of Solomon’s Temple after the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the Holy of Holies,

And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. (1 Kings 8:10-11)

While in the OT the fire/cloud was a sign of the Lord’s presence in the midst of the people, here there is a difference. The tongues of fire “rested on each one of them.” God’s presence was not only externally and corporately with them but internally and personally indwelling and empowering them. The symbolic fire might also allude to the scene in Isaiah 6:1-8 when Isaiah needed to have his “unclean lips” cleansed by a fiery coal from the altar of God before he volunteered to be the one sent by the Lord to prophesy to the people. In the Gospels, John the Baptist proclaimed that the coming Messiah would baptize the people with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matt. 3:11; Luke 3:16).

Psalm 104:3-4 certainly a familiar passage to the disciples, poetically ties both symbols together in a way that relates not only to the presence of the Spirit but to the commission Jesus had placed upon them,

“He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;
 he makes the clouds his chariot;
    he rides on the wings of the wind;
 he makes his messengers winds,
    his ministers a flaming fire.”

In keeping with the tabernacle and Temple passages, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. They weren’t just sprinkled, splashed, or shampooed with the Spirit but filled to the brim and spilling over with the presence of God. What did they do as a result? They spoke (in other languages) as the Spirit gave them utterance! We should note that the use of “utterance” (apophtheggomai) signals that this wasn’t “everyday speech but one ‘belonging to dignified and elevated discourse’" (also verse 14). From this small detail perhaps we might learn that each Spirit-uttered word has weight to it. But so far the text hasn’t told us what it was that they were saying.

The result of their filling was they were free to love and free to praise in a whole new way.

When filled with the Spirit what kinds of things would they speak in those languages?

This “coming of the Holy Spirit” on that Pentecost morning was not without a ripple effect of responsive “comings” as we will see.

B) Coming of the multitude (v.5-8)

  Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews,

                            devout men from every nation under heaven. 

  And                    at this sound the multitude came together,

                                              and they were bewildered, because

             each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 

                                                  And they were amazed and astonished, saying,

                “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 

  And how is it that we hear,

             each of us                             in his own native language? 

Such an unusual occurrence began to draw a crowd. “At this sound” they came, but were they drawn by the sound of the wind or the words that were spoken, or maybe both? What we know is that “devout men” or “God-fearing men” (lit. those who “take well [carefully], i.e. circumspect religiously, pious) came to investigate. They were likely Jews from the Diaspora (when the Jews were scattered throughout the world under Assyrian and Babylonian domination, they put down roots where they were planted and many remained there even after some returned to Jerusalem after the exile (Ezra, Nehemiah, etc.). These men would have either been pilgrims in town for the holy festival or men who had grown up abroad but had returned to live in Jerusalem. The point is that there were people there representing all the known nations (pas ethnos). In Genesis 11, we read of the Tower of Babel where the one people were separated by the confusion of their languages. Here we have the many languages hearing the one message by the Holy Spirit.

These people were not prepared for what they would experience. It was outside of their cultural/theological experience. The text uses three different terms to describe their reaction: they were bewildered (sün-khe'-ō, to pour together, to confound. Used only five times, all in Acts), amazed (exístēmi,  to throw out of position, displace, astounded), and astonished (thaumazō, to wonder or marvel). Such a three-fold description magnifies their paradigm shift! It reminds me of the Portland Trailblazers’ announcer who sometimes uses three allterative terms to describe what an opposing coach might be feeling after the Blazers break the game open (e.g., “He’s confused, confounded, and consternated!”). The thing that freaked them out was that no matter what their background was, or what language they spoke, they heard the witnesses of the resurrection speaking to them in what today we might call their “heart language.” While they might have understood the message if spoken in Greek, it meant so much more in the language of their heart.

C) Coming of the world (2:9-11a)

                          Parthians and Medes and Elamites

                                 and residents of Mesopotamia,

                Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 

                          Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt

                              and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene,

                 and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,

                                                               Cretans and Arabians—

As we have noted, in a proleptic way, the commission to preach the gospel to all the world was fulfilled on Pentecost. It was like a down payment on their calling to be witnesses. God initially brought the world to them, and through these initial conversions opened the door for the Gospel to be proclaimed in many lands and to many peoples. Today, we are experiencing something similar in many cities and suburbs around the country as we have a tremendous influx of immigrants, which if we recognize it will be an unparalleled mission opportunity!

So what were the disciples saying as the Spirit gave them utterance?

D) Coming of the message (v. 11b-12)

                             we hear them telling in our own tongues

                                                           the mighty works of God.” 

                                            And all were amazed

                                           and perplexed,

                        saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 

They heard them speaking “the mighty works of God” certainly in terms of the birth, life, teaching, miracles, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ! This was really messing with their comfortable religious understandings. In addition to the previously used word, “amazed", Luke adds perplexed (diaporeō, to be entirely at loss; also used only five times and all in Luke/ Acts). Has God ever spoken the truth into your life—so much so that you were entirely at a loss as to how to process it? At the church where I served for many years, we would often have people enter the building and as the congregation sang praise to God they sensed the Holy Spirit meeting them in a powerful way and would often burst out in tears of repentance and joy.

But there are always “others” who instead of marveling, try to cover up their own inability to process by resorting to mocking.

2) The Correction: “No, it’s not That!” (v.13-15)

But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

But Peter, standing with the eleven,

                           lifted up his voice and addressed them:

“Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem,

               let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 

For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, 

                                     since it is only the third hour of the day. 

The “third hour” would have been 9:00AM, before the Jews would have breakfasted or consumed wine. This answer by Peter, “Nine O Clock in the Morning “ would one day become the title of the late Rev. Canon Dennis Bennett's autobiographical account of how a high church, Anglo-Catholic Episcopalian was drawn to the Pentecostal experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit attended by speaking in unlearned tongues and how the Charismatic renewal spread in the 1960s.

Do you find it ironic that the first church sermon came in response to skeptical mocking?

Peter used their musing, misunderstanding, and mocking to propel him into a doozy of a message!

3) The Connection: “This is That!” (v. 16-20; Joel 2:11-14, 28-32)

Peter began that first evangelistic sermon by connecting the dots between what the multitude was observing and the Old Testament prophecy of Joel 2.

The context of Joel’s prophecy was a devastating locust plague (possibly serving as an object lesson predicting an invasion by enemy armies). After the locust come, land, and eat everything…then they lay eggs. Then there is a terrible time of waiting for the larvae to hatch and eat anything that remained or was starting to grow back.

If we go back and read Joel 2:11-15 we can see the true character of the Lord revealed, even if there was uncertainty over deliverance from any specific circumstance. The Lord is relational and his call was for them to return to him.

   The Lord utters his voice before his army,
for his camp is exceedingly great;
    he who executes his word is powerful.
For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome;
    who can endure it?

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
    “return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
   and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
    for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
    and he relents over disaster.
   Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
                 and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
    for the Lord your God?

And then in v. 17 the priests’ prayer, “Spare your people, O Lord…” is recorded. Do we ask God for mercy today? Only if we know we need it! You see, a request for mercy is a confession of a need for mercy. In Joel’s day, they were making a bet based on an incomplete understanding that gave room for doubt, “Who knows?” … perhaps the Lord will spare us.

Peter, in addressing the multitude, actually quoted Joel 2:28-32 in Acts 2:16-20,

But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

   “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
             and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
             and your young men shall see visions,
             and your old men shall dream dreams;
   even on my male servants 

             and female servants
              in those days

       I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
   And I will show wonders in the heavens above
                     and signs     on the earth       below,
                                            blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
                                  the sun shall be turned to darkness
                 and the moon to blood,
    before the                                     day of the Lord comes,

               the great and magnificent day.

Peter connected the dots between the prophecy in Joel 2 and what they were seeing and hearing that day—namely that the Holy Spirit was being given to everyone who would believe and receive him. We need to take note of the inclusive language used here. “All flesh” indicates that all races/ethnicities will be included, the mention of both male and female recipients indicates the coming of the Spirit was not gender restricted, young and old indicates that it was not generationally bound, and finally the mention of servants indicates that this Pentecostal experience was not based on socio-economic strata. This inclusive manifestation of the Spirit is crucial to our understanding of the church. The Spirit breaks down the dividing walls of society in a continuation of the work of Christ according to the heart of the Father.

While the last part of the Joel quote containing the apocalyptic imagery did not happen immediately, as perhaps Peter suspected, it would happen shortly in the siege and destruction of Jerusalem AD 70. The descriptions are consistent with the dust of armies moving and the smoke of the city burning. In 2002 we were visiting family in Southern Oregon and because of smoke from a large wildfire we didn’t see the sun for a week. I finally caught a glimpse that looked like a dim red traffic light in the sky. Other places on earth (e.g., Beijing) often have a degree of air pollution severe enough to hide the sun and moon. Josephus the first-century historian vividly described the fall of Jerusalem in similar terms.

However, whether or not Peter expected such apocalyptic signs to be fulfilled in the near future or not, he quoted the whole passage from Joel most likely to get to the last line found in v. 21.

4) The Call to Faith (v. 21)

   And it shall come to pass that 

          everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord

                                         shall be saved.’

This is the verse to which Peter was headed. The call to the Lord in faith will certainly be answered. We can have absolute confidence in the salvation made available by the Lord if we ask. However, this doesn’t mean that we will be spared (in this life) from all the consequences of our actions (e.g., speeding tickets, flunked tests, or investment losses).

In conclusion, let’s ask ourselves a few questions:

What is this Pentecost experience? God pouring out the Holy Spirit on all who respond.

What kind of God is he? “He is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.” (Joel 2:13)

Where does he come to dwell? The Holy Spirit dwells not merely in our midst, but within our hearts!

When filled by the Spirit, what do we speak? The mighty works of God! 

What do we hear? God speaking to us in our heart language.

In faith do we ask honest questions, seeking understanding? Or merely spew ad hominem attacks (Latin, “against the man”) demonizing what is outside our own experience?

Jesus, in conversing with the teacher Nicodemus said, “The wind 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.” (John 3:8)

Jesus was born of the Spirit

The Church was born of the Spirit

Individuals come to faith and are “born again” in the Spirit.

Right to the very end of the Bible, we find the wind of the Holy Spirit blowing...

The Spirit (pneuma) and the Bride say, “Come.”

            And let the one who hears say, “Come.”

            And let the one who is thirsty     come;

                   let the one who desires take the water of life without price. (Rev. 22:17)

Have you called on the name of the Lord in confession and faith?