The Most Special Pentecost

 

Pentecost (Greek for 50^th day) is a celebration too many Christians overlook. For many, they are uncomfortable with the “speaking in tongues” aspect of it. For others, it is hard to appreciate what other day could be as important as Good Friday and Easter/Resurrection Day. Yet Pentecost, or better said, the celebration of “The Most Special Pentecost”, should be almost as high on our list as the Crucifixion and Resurrection.

Before we begin, there are two things to keep in mind. First, redemption without revelation leads to regression back to condemnation and bondage. Secondly, what happened in the Old Testament is so often a foreshadowing of greater fulfillment depicted in the New Testament.

Why do we keep going back to the Old Testament? Because Jesus is the fulfillment of scripture – ALL scripture. The only scripture at the time of His death and resurrection is what we now call the Old Testament. If you don’t understand or appreciate the connections, you lose out on the great depth and wonder of what God has done since the beginning with His plan of salvation.

Pentecost has long been celebrated by Hebrews/Jews. In Hebrew it is called Shavuot. Unfortunately, Christians are often surprised at this fact. They are also very ignorant of the reason for why Pentecost started in the first place.

50 days after the first Passover (the last of the 10 plagues) when Pharaoh finally let the Israelites go, God gave the 10 Commandments to the Children of Israel at Mount Sinai. Interestingly, the Bible does not simply state it was 50 days. You have to use the clues contained in Exodus. See this website to understand how we know it was 50 days.

Moses leads the Children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt on Passover and 50 days later God gives them the 10 Commandments. Passover is redemption. The slavery the Children of Israel were under was redeemed and they were set free from physical bondage. They were then given the revelation of the 10 Commandments as a way to live freely. Without the 10 Commandments, also known as the “Law”, then it would have been very easy for the newly freed slaves to regress back to servitude quickly. They needed a standard they could live up towards.

Jesus, the “Greater than Moses” (see Hebrews 3:1-6), dies on the cross as a sacrifice for all sin and 50 days later the Holy Spirit is given. Jesus died on Passover. The spiritual condemnation everyone is under was redeemed and we are set free from spiritual bondage. He is the perfect Passover Lamb who was slain once for all as it says in Hebrews 7:27 - "Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself."

Then, on “The Most Special Pentecost” 50 days later, Jesus pours out the Holy Spirit whom He had promised many times, but particularly at the Last Supper (see John 14:15-31). The Holy Spirit is the revealer of spiritual things in the same way the 10 Commandments revealed physical things.

Jesus redeemed all with His death and resurrection. However, without the revelation of the Holy Spirit, we are not “born again” as Jesus says we must be.

³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ⁴ Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:3-8 ESV)

Interestingly, the Greek words we translate as “born again” can also mean “born from above”. Given that the depiction in Acts 2:2 of the Holy Spirit coming from Heaven you can see how being born from above fits so well.

Without being “born again” or “born from above” we do not have the Holy Spirit within us. Without the Holy Spirit within us our name is not written in the Book of Life and we live in the condemnation of this fallen world to be thrown into the Lake of Fire at some point in the future.

However, when we believe as Jesus says in John 3:16, we receive the Holy Spirit. Then our name is in the Book of Life. The Judgement is no longer an issue as long as we listen to our always faithful Helper who will guide us from falling back into spiritual darkness.