BibleProject | Why Is Pentecost Important?Sample

A New World Begins

Pentecost is a long-standing Jewish harvest party, a Christian celebration as old as Jesus’ Church, and a Greek word that means “fiftieth.” The Pentecost story described in the New Testament is a 1st-century event in Jerusalem where people’s heads caught fire (sort of), an indoor windstorm swirled through a party, and everyone was confused or panicking. And then the people with fiery heads became spontaneously multilingual.

By itself, the Pentecost story in Acts 2 looks kind of bizarre. But seeing what happened on the day of Pentecost within Scripture’s larger narrative makes the story more clear. Luke, the author of Acts, is a historian, not a news reporter. He’s telling us what happened by drafting a story that intentionally maps onto repeated Old Testament patterns and themes. And this is not the first time that a divine, brilliant fire shows up out of nowhere and doesn’t burn anything up.

When we see the first Pentecost (in Acts 2) in context, it’s not just about God giving people instantaneous multilingual skills or the fiery sign of the Holy Spirit’s presence. This story also marks the beginning of a new world.