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PENTECOST
by Mark D. Brumels

Hello there. Uh, I don't recognize you. You must be new to Jerusalem. Let me introduce myself. My name is Mnason. I live here in Jerusalem and I am a Jew although I was born and raised in Cyprus. Let me be the first to welcome you to Jerusalem!

I was just on my way to the Temple to pray. If you would like you could come and join me. There are several other friends of mine that I meet with at the Temple each day to pray. I could introduce you to them. They are such nice people. I got to know most of them for the first time at the last feast of Pentecost. Oh what a day that was. It was so exciting. That was the day I learned that our Messiah had come! There were many strange things that happened that day. But, then you probably don't know anything about that last Pentecost, being new to Jerusalem and all.

Let me back up to the beginning and tell you all about it.

Each year at the day of Pentecost, Jews come to Jerusalem from all around the world to celebrate the Feast. This year it seemed as though there were more than normal. There were people everywhere. People had come from all over - from Judea, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Rome, Asia, and many other places.

The reason there were so many people is that during this feast every male Israelite who possibly can is required to appear at the sanctuary. The Feast of Pentecost is a holy convocation in Israel during which no work of any kind is permitted. It is a day of joyful thanksgiving to God for the blessings of grain harvest.

The people this year had come to offer their sin offerings and their peace offerings to the Lord. We offer sin and peace-offerings to show our gratitude and reverence to God in remembrance of our deliverance from more than 400 years of bondage in Egypt.

On this last Pentecost I had woke up early in the morning and I was enjoying the day praising God and his many blessings to us. All of a sudden I heard a deafening noise coming from a house nearby. It sounded like a violent wind was blowing. Well I wasn't the only one who had hear the noise. Many others had heard it too and we all ran to see what was happening.

When we got to where the house was, we saw several men and women from Galilee sitting down together praising God. But what was most unusual is that they were not speaking their own language. They were speaking in the many languages of all of the people who were in Jerusalem at that time. They spoke in Arabic, Egyptian, Parthian, and many, many other languages.

We were all bewildered and amazed. I heard someone ask "Aren't all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how come each of us hears them declaring the wonders of God in our own native language?"

A few of the people started to make fun of them though. One man yelled out, "They're just drunk. They've had too much wine."

Twelve of the men stood up and one started to speak to us, his name was Peter. He said,

"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. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'

"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

David said about him: "'I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.'

"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." '

"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

As Peter spoke, God spoke to my heart. I too had made fun of this Jesus Peter was talking about. I had heard that he claimed to be the Messiah and thought that he was blaspheming God by doing so. I had yelled out with the crowds to crucify Jesus at the Passover. I had never dreamed that he actually might be the Messiah as he claimed. Hearing Peter speak it all seemed so clear now. God had proved Jesus was the Messiah by raising him from the dead and if what Peter said was true, God had also exalted him to His very right hand.

I was filled with guilt and remorse. The Messiah we had waited for so many years had come - and we Killed him! Oh what were we ever to do. Would God ever forgive us.

Many others felt the same way. I cried out to Peter and the others that were standing with him. "Brothers, what shall we do?"

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call."

Well what Peter said was true. I repented of my sins and I was baptized. In fact there were about 3000 of us that were baptized that day. The most amazing thing happened after I believed. I received, just as Peter promised, God's Holy Spirit. It is hard to describe, but He speaks to me, not audibly, so you can hear; but he talks to my heart and he lets me know that I am now truly God's child.

Since that day those of us who believed have devoted ourselves to the apostles' teaching. I later found out that is who those 12 men that stood up including Peter were called. They had spent the last three years with our Messiah. Now they taught us all that they had learned from him. As we searched the Scriptures it seemed so clear - God had foretold that his Messiah would suffer - how could we have missed it.

We have met together every day at the Temple to pray and we have shared meals together in each others homes. What a joy it has been.

Everyone in Jerusalem has been amazed as God has done many wonders and shown many miraculous signs by the Apostles. Every day it seems as though more and more have joined together with us in the worship of our Messiah and Savior.

As I think back on that day I see so much significance in the meaning of Passover and Pentecost as it relates to what Messiah Jesus has done for us. The Feast of Pentecost is one of our most important feasts. It occurs 50 days after the offering of the barley sheaf at the commencement of the Passover. The offering of the barley sheaf at Passover marks the start of the grain harvest. Then at Pentecost the first loaves made from the new grain are offered on the altar.

Since Pente means 50 it is called Pentecost for the 50 days since Passover. In the law it is also referred to as the "feast of weeks" or "the day of first fruits." The name "feast of weeks" is because the time between Passover and Pentecost is 7 weeks. It is called the "day of first fruits" because the first loaves of bread which are made from the new grain are offered on the altar at this time.

To us Jews, Passover and Pentecost are very much related. Passover starts the grain harvest and Pentecost ends it. Passover celebrates God's deliverance from Egypt and Pentecost celebrates the giving of the law were God confirmed his relationship with his People.

During Passover we offer a sacrifice lamb. We eat this lamb with our families to celebrate God's deliverance of our forefathers from Egypt. Egypt represents sin to us and Passover signifies to us God's atonement for and deliverance from sin. Well in the same way, God has now offered his Passover Sacrifice Lamb - Jesus - to deliver us from sin forever. He is God's final remedy for sin.

Pentecost is also celebrated as the anniversary of the law-giving at Sinai which occurred about 50 days after the first Passover. When God gave Moses the laws, it sealed once and for all time the deliverance of we Israelites from past bondage and signified our covenant relation with God for the future. The giving of the law closed the door to our past bondage to Egypt, and at the same time it opened the door to a new and promising future for God's people. God had provided for the moral government of His people.

So much of the meaning of Pentecost was fulfilled this last Pentecost with the giving of the Holy Spirit. Just as the law sealed the deliverance from past bondage so the giving of the Holy Spirit signifies so much more our deliverance from sin. Just as the giving of the law showed that God confirmed his relationship with his People, God now shows that we are truly his people by putting his Holy Spirit in our hearts. Just as the giving of the law closed the door to our past bondage to Egypt, the giving of the Holy Spirit closed the door to our past bondage to Sin and opens a door to a new and promising future with God. And Just as God provided for the moral government of His people with the giving of the Law, so He now provides for us by writing His law on our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

It's just as the prophet Jeremiah said:

"The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." -Jeremiah 31:31-34

On the day of Pentecost, the "day of first fruits," the gospel harvest began and the old Law of ordinances was superseded by the new Law of love with the giving of God's Holy Spirit.

Well, it has been a pleasure talking with you. I hope you enjoy your stay in Jerusalem. If you would like to join with me and learn more about Messiah Jesus I would love to talk with you. At least come with me to the Temple to pray.

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Last Updated:  02/26/01 07:15 PM About this page contact: Mark Brumels