“Out of Many, One”
J. J.
May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts, be acceptable in Thy sight,
O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
“Out of Many, One”
Today is Pentecost. And most of us are familiar with the account of the events of that day. The disciples were gathered together in the Upper Room. Although the text does not specify, it is reasonably to understand that this was the same Upper Room where they meet with the Lord for Passover on Maundy Thursday, where He washed their feet, and gave them the supper of His body and blood. The same supper that we will partake of here today, in a few moments.
They had seen Jesus numerous time since His resurrection. They saw Him in this Upper Room on Easter, and there a week later with Thomas. And at the shore of the sea of Gallilee, and many other places. A week and a half ago they saw Jesus ascend into heaven. So now what do we do? They keep gathering together in this Upper Room.
Now this room was a large room. One Hundred Twenty where there. While we don’t know where it is exactly, there are two tradition locations in Israel, one in Jerusalem, one on the Mt of Olives, thought to be the place. The room in Jerusalem is quite large. It certainly could hold 120 people, especially considering that they were not as space conscious as we American are. Even throughout the world today, Americans want a lot of space, to spread out, or we feel crowded, even though we aren’t crowded at all.
So what happened there? There came a sound like a rushing mighty wind. And what looked like tongues of fire appeared on the heads of the Apostles. Jerusalem was full of people for the festival, and hearing the great wind, they came to see what was happening.
It was nine o’clock in the morning, and the Apostles began talking. And although there were people from everywhere, each of them heard in his own language. And they were amazed.
Wait? What did you say? Jerusalem was full of people for the festival? What festival? Pentecost. Our text begins, “When the day of Pentecost had fully come.” Now what is that talking about? Does the day of Pentecost mean the day of this wind, and fire, and languages? Not in the first place. Luke is telling us about miracles events that happened on Pentecost – the wind, the fire, and the languages, and more. And we call that Pentecost now. But before all of this occurred, Luke writes the day of Pentecost had come. So what was Pentecost? Pentecost was a Jewish festival, which God had commanded. God established the festival of Passover, the festival of Pentecost, and the Festival of Booths. You may have heard of the Festival of Booths, it’s just that in America we call it Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. That is in September. And it’s about gathering in the harvest in the fall.
And you know about Passover, and the sacrifice of the Lamb. So what is this Pentecost. Pentecost was 50 days after the Sunday after Passover. It was the festival of first fruits – that is the spring wheat harvest. We don’t plant wheat here early enough for it come in May, but the weather is warm there, so the first harvest of wheat would happen about now. And at this feast all Jews were to come to Jerusalem – that is why the city was full of so many people from so many places.
In addition to the wheat harvest, at this festival they would remember of the giving of the Torah, the 10 commandments to Moses on Mt. Sinai. What happened then? God told Moses to tell the Israelites, “you shall be my treasured people from all peoples, you will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” And the Lord sent Moses to tell the people to sanctify themselves. On the third day these was thunder and lightning on the Mt, and then fire, for the Lord came down to the Mountain, and Moses went up to meet with the Lord. He warned Moses not to let the people, or even the priests, to come near the Mountain. Only Aaron, the high priest, and Moses, could go up the Mountain. And there the Lord established Israel has His people, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt out of the house of bondage.”
That is what happened in the wilderness, at Mt. Sinai, many years ago. That was the event that the Jews were remembering on Pentecost. How God choose them out of all people, and made a covenant with them. What then happens on this day, on Pentecost?
There is a rushing mighty wind, just like there had been lightning and thunder. Mt. Sinai glowed with fire as the Lord came down. Now, there were tongues of fire on the Apostle’s heads. The Jews were remembering the day that the Lord made the old covenant with them. Now, in a similar way, He is declaring His covenant, and making a new people for Himself.
At Sinai, He declared how he had chosen them out of all the people of the world. Israel would be His chosen and special people. A kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Now, the Lord was making something new. Instead of choosing only one people out of many to be His Israel; He is choosing many people from many places and many languages, to be His one people, His new Israel.
Peter, being filled with the Holy Spirit preached the good news of Christ to all who were there. And this same Peter would later write in His epistle these words which you know so well:
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
God called Israel out of Egypt, out of slavery, into the promised land. He made them His chosen and special people. Now God has called many, He has called you, Church, to be His cherished and chosen people.
So we are living in Pentecost. At Passover the Jews remembered delivered from Egypt. At Easter we remember Christ victory over sin, death, and the grave. At Pentecost the Jews celebrated the first fruits of wheat. At Pentecost we see the first fruit of faith in Christ, how with the out pouring of the Spirit the Gospel is spreading to all people, even to us. And the Festival of Booths saw the ingathering of all the harvest. We are living in Pentecost. We are part of the ongoing harvest of wheat in Christ, living in His kingdom, and waiting for the ingathering of all the harvest at His return on the Last Day.
God called Israel out of Egypt and He has called us out of the dark and into the light. But life can still seem dark. And we become discouraged. Discouraged with work, discouraged with our country, discouraged with our spouse and family, discouraged by illness, by loneliness. Discouraged by life. It’s daylight outside. But when we pause from our busy and hectic living. When we stop thinking about everything around us, when we have a quiet moment, instead of joy and peace and happiness, it can feel dark and dreary in our hearts.
Don’t believe the dark. God made Israel to be special. They still had many challenges. They had to wander around the wilderness. They got to the promised land and saw enemies and giants. God has chosen you. You are important to Him.
You Church are living in the kingdom of God. He poured out His Holy Spirit at Pentecost. At Mt. Sinai, Moses had to go up to the Lord. Now, the Lord by His Spirit has come down to you. Only Moses could see and speak to the Lord and hear from Him. But you, Church, have the Holy Spirit. By the working of the Holy Spirit, you see the Lord in Christ. You hear from the Lord, directly from Him, by and in His Word. And you speak to Him in prayer.
Yes, the day of Pentecost had fully come, and is fully come. It is not just a day on the calendar, a day for a remembering the past.; but a day of making a new people of God. A day of God choosing you. Will there be sorrows and trials? Yes, just as the Israelites had difficulties and trials. But You are God’s chosen one. He has made for Himself a new people, and He has chosen You. None of those trials could undo the fact that each Israel had been born an Israelite. Nor could they undo the fact that they were chosen by God as a holy nation. And none of life’s trials can undo the fact that you have born again in baptism, and that you are not under the control of this world, but living in His kingdom.
For the day of Pentecost is fully come. You are one chosen by God Himself, through the working of His Spirit. And by His Spirit, we are living as His royal priesthood. The harvest is ongoing, as we await the return of our King Jesus. For Christ has died. Christ is risen. And Christ shall come again.
Amen.
S. D. G.
