Acts 2:1-13
The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"
13Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine.
St. Luke writes to us about the Holy Spirit coming to the disciples on the Day of Pentecost...Pentecost is seven weeks after Easter...Thus, Pentecost is seven weeks after Jesus was resurrected...
Jesus after His resurrection appeared to His disciples (and others) for forty days...Jesus told His disciples that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days (Acts 1:3-5)...The arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is approximately nine to ten days after Jesus is ascended to heaven...
Pentecost is also called Whitsun, or Whitsunday, or Whit Sunday...Pentecost Sunday is seven weeks after Jesus' resurrection...Pentecost has been described as the birthday of the church...It is the day God sent down the Holy Spirit to the twelve disciples...That day for the disciples was an eventful one...It is a key day in the early followers of Jesus, spreading the gospel...
A violent blowing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house that the disciples were sitting...Tongues of fire came to rest on the Twelve...Some sort of unexplainable miracle from God, came and rested on the Twelve...All of the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and were able to speak other languages that day...The disciples that day were able to speak to a large crowd whose native language was either Parthians, Medes and Elamites, Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene...Other visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs heard the Twelve speak...The Twelve spoke is each individual language, so everyone could hear and understand in their native tongue...These people were from other regions and countries...They would be able to tell their friends and families, when they returned to their homes in these countries, about the disciples discussion they heard on this Pentecost about Jesus...The word would spread to other countries...
This speaking a new language was a miracle...It was an act of God...Such a large outpouring of the Holy Spirit, written here in the Acts or in the entire Bible...God filled the Twelve with the Holy Spirit, so the early followers of Jesus would spread and spread quickly...This Pentecost was a miraculous, awe inspiring day...
Surprised and amazed the perplexed crowd (from throughout the world), wondered what this meant...Simple men from Galilee being able to speak several different languages...Some of the crowd who did not understand a specific foreign language, wondered if the disciples had been drinking too much wine, and started making fun of them...
The Holy Spirit was all around and some people made fun and did not recognize it...God wanted the people to see that this was a special day, this day of Pentecost...God speaks to us in different ways and wants us to recognize Him as He speaks to us...This Pentecost was a strange, miraculous, and great day for the early followers of Jesus...