identify the various responses to what was happening.
5 Now there were Jews staying in Jerusalem, devout people from every nation under heaven.
6 When this sound occurred, a crowd came together and was confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
7 They were astounded and amazed, saying,
“Look, aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?
8 How is it that each of us can hear them in our own native language?
9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites;
those who live in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia,
10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt
and the parts of Libya near Cyrene;
visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts),
11 Cretans and Arabs ?-
?we hear them declaring the magnificent acts of God in our own tongues.”
12 They were all astounded and perplexed,
saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
13 But some sneered and said,
“They’re drunk on new wine.”
celebrate God working in and through them to share the gospel.
Briefly review the events in Acts 2:1-4.
At the beginning of Acts 2, the apostles were still in Jerusalem.
The Eleven had gathered to appoint Matthias as a replacement for Judas, and they remained in obedience to Jesus’s instructions to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came on them with power.The language for “arrived” in verse 1 means something like “fulfilled,”
In addition to the apostles, the crowd included others.
Luke mentioned one hundred and twenty Christ followers were praying together (1:14-15).As Jesus’s followers waited and prayed together, a miracle happened.
The Holy Spirit came on them in power-just as Jesus had promised.Meanwhile, other Jews from around the known world were also gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost.
Accounting for the time that the resurrected Jesus spent with his followers before His ascension, the events recorded in Acts 2 occurred just a few days after the ascension of Jesus and after Matthias had been appointed to replace Judas.
Note that the Holy Spirit arrived in wind and flames.
define Pentecost and why so many Jews were in Jerusalem to celebrate.
Key Background
Pentecost
The Jews had been celebrating Pentecost long before the birth of the church in Acts 2.
After leading His people out of Egyptian bondage, God established three pilgrim feasts/festivals.
Pentecost was the second of the three (preceded by Passover and followed by Tabernacles).
The name “Pentecost” comes from the Greek word for “fifty” because it was celebrated fifty days after Passover.
However, the Jews called it the Festival of Weeks (Ex. 34:22; Deut. 16:9-10)
since it took place seven weeks after Passover.
It was also known as “the day of firstfruits” (Num. 28:26-31)
because the people brought the initial produce from the barley/wheat harvests as an offering.
The celebration explains why so many Jews from so many parts of the world were in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit arrived (Acts 2:5).
the sound was caused by the Holy Spirit. It was described initially as a powerful wind (v. 2).
Luke’s focus was on the communication taking place.
Whether through tongues or ears, the miracle enabled people to hear the gospel in a way that they could understand.
This would allow them to respond appropriately.
If this is a manifestation of tongues, it seems clear that God used this gift to institute a new order and a new creation.
Some view this as a reversal of the curse of Babel in Genesis 11.
At Babel, people used their shared language for their own glory.
At Pentecost, people experienced a diversity of languages as God revealed His own glory.
These terms describe how the Jews at Pentecost responded to the Spirit’s movement.
They also reveal how people often respond to God’s work today.
Anyone sharing the gospel today will face both positive and negative responses, but God calls us to be faithful witnesses.
Each person is responsible for his or her own choice.