Some Interesting Bits About Pentecost!

To You Who Are Beloved of our Lord Jesus Christ,                              May 19, 2026

This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, and our passage is Acts 2: 1-21, that part of our Story where Jesus prays for us.

 2 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ² And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³ Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

⁵ Now there were devout Jews from every people under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶ And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷ Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹ Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” ¹² All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³ But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

¹⁴ But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Fellow Jews and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. ¹⁵ Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶ No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷ ‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
    and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
    and your old men shall dream dreams.
¹⁸ Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit,
        and they shall prophesy.
¹⁹ And I will show portents in the heaven above
    and signs on the earth below,
        blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
²⁰ The sun shall be turned to darkness
    and the moon to blood,
        before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
²¹ Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

 

‘Tis a long passage, but one of great significance.  There are a few items of interest to note here.

The first is that while the disciples all spoke different languages, it is apparent they all did so with Galilean accents-because that is how the crowd identified them.  And they were shocked Galileans could speak all their mother tongues. 

The second is the implication that the disciples were not tee-tootlers, that they might like a night over at the Blue Monkey (or whatever their local watering hole might be).  Note how they are accused by the crowd of being drunk.  The Apostle Peter does not issue a denial, but insists they are not drunk because it is only 9am, too early to get snockered.  Hmmm, should we even say ‘snockered’ in reference to the disciples of Jesus?  (yes) 

The third is the nasty end-times stuff Peter pulls out of Joel, ‘blood, fire, and smokey mist’ and the like.  The way Peter talks here in Chapter 2, you think this would come to pass by Chapter 20 at the very least.  Hasn’t shown up yet, even though it is expounded on in the Book of Revelations.  We live in ‘the between times’.  So, in between now and the End, the Holy Spirit, the presence of Jesus, is within us to build the church, our Neighborhoods in the Kingdom of God.  Jesus will take care of the End, right now, let us take care of our neighbors.       

 

Pastor Pete