Pentecost did not originate as a Christian Holiday, nor does it find its origin here in Acts. The word means “fiftieth” in Greek. In Jewish tradition, this holiday takes place fifty days after Passover. In Christianity, it takes place 50 days after Easter, so it is no coincidence that they are often at the same general time of year. The origin of the Christian Pentecost took place at a celebration of the Jewish holiday Shavuot- Pentecost.
The original celebration of Shavuot is chronicled in today's reading from Numbers. “Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again.”. The prescriptions for Shavuot, the festival of Pentecost, are set out in the Hebrew Bible. Exodus 34:22 states that it marks the all-important wheat harvest in Israel; Leviticus 23:15-22 sets out the requirements for celebrating this festival. Its importance as an agricultural festival is thus clear. Sheaves of barley (the winter crop) were brought to the Temple each day, beginning on Passover until Shavuot, the beginning of the harvest season 50 days later. It was a joyous celebration, with the people bringing the first fruits of their harvest to the Temple with thanksgiving to God for providing.
Alongside that, as Jewish tradition developed, Pentecost became the anniversary of the giving of the Law; the day when God gave the Torah (the Law) to the whole nation of Israel, assembled at Mount Sinai. This update to the celebration probably came during second temple Judaism and remains the more modern way this day is celebrated. (Squires)
All of this matters because it was in THIS context that folks were gathered. They were gathered to celebrate Shavuot- Pentecost- 50 days after the Passover, which coincidentally was about 50 days after the resurrection. There wasn’t just a random gathering where this event occurred. . Acts 2:5 makes this clear; those present were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. But more than this, Jerusalem was also considered to be the center of the world, according to ancient Jewish traditions. Jewish maps from long ago through into the early medieval period regularly locate Jerusalem at the center and show the nations spreading out from it in all directions. (Squires) They were from everywhere and they had gathered for a specific reason- to celebrate Shavuot.
So it was at this gathering, during worship when the event took place. The prayers were being prayed in the language of each person when the holy spirit descended like tongues of fire and suddenly everyone was able to hear in their own language as well. The text tells us that there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem, so there would have been a LOT of different languages.
It is widely understood that what happened at Pentecost was that the holy spirit was gifted to those present. This is a pivotal moment in the gospel narrative because it fulfills what Jesus had said would happen- someone is coming to help. This was the next step, and the arrival of the holy spirit would represent the beginning of the external ministry beyond what the disciples were doing. This was the moment when this new idea of faith would “go viral” and that happened because the descending of the holy spirit happened in such a visually dramatic way.
Pentecost was far from being the first time that the Spirit came. Hebrew Scripture refers to the actions of the spirit at many places throughout the story of Israel. In fact, later texts indicate that the spirit inhabits human beings simply through the fact that they exist as the creations of God. And the creation story in Genesis explicitly noted that it was by the spirit of God that the creation came into being. So the holy spirit arriving isn’t a new thing- this is neither the first nor the last time the holy spirit makes an appearance in the scriptural narrative.
So why is this one so important?
Well, as I’ve said before I think this is about empowerment and accessibility. This is about gifts that have been given so that power may be shared. Each of these Pentecost stories and celebrations is essentially about the same thing- it’s about the celebration of gifts that have been given and the power to do something with those gifts once the event is over. The holy spirit mobilizes the church- it mobilizes the church into action that spreads the gospel beyond the borders of Jerusalem and Israel. And because the words were heard and understood in multiple languages they could be shared in multiple languages. This moment is representative of the globalization of Christianity that will come in the months, years, decades, and centuries to come. And this is why Pentecost is known as the birthday of the church.
I think what I love most about Pentecost is what it is not. While it is technically one of the three major holidays of the Christian faith, it is the only one that has not been corrupted by capitalism and greed. There are no presents to exchange, no big sales on tv, and no special aisles of candy and flotsam to navigate. Nothing about this holiday has been commercialized or tainted by modernity.It remains a simple celebration of the beginning of something.
Admittedly, the day itself was not simple- tongues of flame, languages being spoken and understood, and people moved to be baptized. But that the celebrations have remained INTERNAL to churches is something truly unique. In Jewish tradition, Shavuot is celebrated with a lot of cheese. Not kidding- it is a dairy-filled holiday. In Christian tradition, celebrations include everyone showing up wearing red and the singing of happy birthday. But it is a holiday that is uniquely NOT secularized and not commercialized. And I find something really powerful in that, especially as it stands in contrast to the enormity of the original day.
Among the three major holidays celebrated by Christians today- Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost, it is Pentecost that was the biggest celebrated holiday at the time. That is because it was a truly Jewish celebration and this event happened during that holiday. While Easter is closely linked to Passover, Christmas is more closely linked to pagan celebrations. But those two holidays have become much larger than their original celebrations. Pentecost however has become more modest. No feast, no parties, no obligations for gifts or family. It is an interior holiday- one we just celebrate within the church.
And yet of the three, this is the one that has the forward momentum. Both Christmas and Easter are about looking back at specific events in Jesus’ life. They are about celebrating a thing that happened. Pentecost is different. Pentecost is about celebrating what comes next. After the events of Pentecost, the disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy (Luke 24:52). They stopped mourning Jesus and looking for him at every turn, and instead focused their efforts outwardly. It is after Pentecost that the disciples begin to spread out and share the gospel to a larger audience. It is after Pentecost that we get the big conversion stories. It is after Pentecost that the church begins its growth and Christianity begins to coalesce into a belief system rather than a small group of people. Pentecost is the catalyst for all of this.
But more than that, Pentecost is the most egalitarian of these holidays. The events of Christmas were shared with very few original witnesses- Wise ones or shepherds depending one which gospel you choose. The events of Easter were shared with very few- first the women at the tomb and then the disciples. Pentecost was a large-scale event that was not limited to a chosen few. It was shared among the hundreds who had gathered for the celebration and was not limited to disciples or men. The Holy Spirit did not descend selectively, but rather on the heads of all of those present.
So Pentecost is really about two things- gifts that have been given: the Holy Spirit, the ten commandments, and the harvest. And power that has been shared. It’s the shared power of the spirit that propelled the church into existence and has continued to sustain the church throughout history. The Holy Spirit, then, continues the inclusivity of Jesus in new and exciting ways, and that is definitely something worth celebrating.