Unfortunately, many modern Christians don’t realize that the festival of Pentecost was put into place 1400 years before Jesus was born. Moses instructed the people to celebrate this festival fifty days after Passover (Lev. 23:15-22). It originally was to celebrate the first wheat harvest, but it also became a reminder of the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai.
The first Passover was when the Hebrew people painted the blood of a lamb on their doorpost to avoid the tenth plague, the death of the firstborn. God used the Ten Plagues to convince Pharoah to let the Hebrew people leave slavery. That same night, they left Egypt to begin their trip to the promised land (Ex. 12&13).
About fifty days later, the freed people came to Mt. Sinai. There, Moses went to the top of the mountain and brought the Ten Commandments down on tablets. These laws would consolidate the people into a nation and give the people a new way to live for God.
Pentecost After the Resurrection
Jesus had been crucified on Passover and rose from the dead three days later. For the next forty days, Jesus appeared to the disciples. Then He ascended to heaven back to heaven, leaving instructions for the disciples to stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came. About ten days after Jesus’ ascension, the Holy Spirit came.
Many devout Jews would have come from all parts of the Roman Empire to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost at the Temple in Jerusalem. What happened in the Old Testament had parallels in the New Testament. Jesus was the lamb who took away the sins of the world. The blood of Jesus saves believers from eternal death. While the Ten Commandments were written in stone, the Holy Spirit enabled the law to be written on hearts (Heb. 8:10). The gift of tongues, speaking a language that wasn’t learned, allowed the pilgrims to hear the Gospel of Jesus in their own language.
Just as the giving of the law changed how the nation lived, the coming of the Holy Spirit changed how believers lived their lives for God. It was the beginning of the Christian church.
The Celebration of Pentecost Today
While the way the Holy Spirit appeared to the disciples in Acts 2 was a one-time event, the Holy Spirit continues to act today. Many people are willing to celebrate what happened to the first disciples but don’t think the Holy Spirit acts today. No Scripture states this kind of thing was only for the first century.
Hebrews 13: 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.[1] Jesus is part of our Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If Jesus doesn’t change, the Holy Spirit doesn’t change. Thus, the Holy Spirit continues to work in our world today. Jesus promised to be with us always and sent the Holy Spirit to live within us when we believe. Jesus also gave another promise. John 14: 12 I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.[2] This is only possible because of the empowering Holy Spirit. Where does God want to use you? To find out more about the Festival of Pentecost, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/pentecost
[1,2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.