Since the close of apostolic times, we in the church have understood less and less about Pentecost. For many, it is just another religious date stuck on the calendar. However, the earliest Christians were blessed to have a rich Hebrew tradition to draw upon, so Pentecost was very meaningful to them. Once the Apostle Paul hurried across much of the known world in order that he might reach Jerusalem for Pentecost (Acts 20:16). He obviously regarded it as a very important celebration.
Today we might wonder if even the Jews have forgotten some of the significance of Pentecost. In modern Israel, the holiday is still celebrated and it is known by its Hebrew name, Sha-vu-ot (weeks). The holiday includes the eating of traditional dairy dishes, the reading of the Book of Ruth and a general emphasis upon the giving of the law. It is customary to study the whole night of Pentecost and to read the Ten Commandments. The idea of “weeks” does have biblical connection with Pentecost since the holiday was celebrated seven weeks from Passover. But what can we make of the emphasis upon the law? Let us look into this holiday and try to recover more of its biblical significance.
PENTECOST CONCERNS THE HARVEST
First and foremost, Pentecost has to do with the harvest. It marks the end of the period of waiting and anticipation following Passover. This period is known among the Jews as the “Counting of the Omer” (Lev. 23:15-16). The omer, of course, was an ancient Hebrew grain measure. The seven-week period was one of anticipation; a sort of count-down to the beginning of harvest. The period began on the day after the Sabbath of Passover. At this time the wave sheaf of first-ripe barley was brought before the Lord.
At Pentecost in biblical times the farmers brought offerings of first-fruits in baskets, amid much celebration. Even today in Israel, children often join processions as they carry fruit baskets and as the little girls wear floral wreaths in their hair. There is also the custom of children dousing each other with water on this early summer holiday.
What can we make of this celebration today? Certainly modern Israeli customs still reflect some ancient biblical traditions. But there is more. We know for certain as Christians, that Jesus (Yeshua) was the first-fruit offering (1 Cor. 15:20-23). After the first-fruit offering was presented to God, there was a period of waiting and anticipation. Jesus even said to the disciples, “…Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5). In a very real sense, while Jesus was himself the true first-fruit offering, Pentecost was the first-fruit offering among men (Jas. 1:18). While the wave sheaf at Passover was a sign of the beginning of the harvest, Pentecost was the actual reality.
Thus, from Passover (Pe-sach) in the spring to Tabernacles (Suk-kot) in the fall, Israel goes through the complete growing and maturing season. In Romans 8:23, Paul comments on this from the spiritual perspective saying: “… but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” Tabernacles in the fall is the fulfillment Paul longs for. It is the one major biblical festival that remains spiritually unfulfilled. The world will end with the joy of the threshing floor; with the wheat in God’s barn. It will end at the Lord’s coming and spreading his tabernacle among us (Rev. 21:3).
PENTECOST CONCERNS THE NATIONS
Pentecost is obviously not just a celebration for the Jews but for the nations as well. There is one thing very obvious from Acts 2. Jews were in Jerusalem from virtually every nation for this holiday. The words of Peter as quoted from the Old Testament made it plain that the blessing of Pentecost was for everyone: “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people” (Acts 2:17). Christianity could not just be a Jewish thing. The good news had to reach to the ends of the earth.
At this festival, those present from many national backgrounds, heard the Gospel miraculously preached in their own tongues. Thus Pentecost might well signify the beginning of true international unity. God’s purpose is finally to gather all nations. There are two distinct gatherings mentioned in scripture. The first gathering unfortunately will be part of a very foolish international war waged against Israel (Joel 3:2; Zech. 14:2). But after that awful war, mankind will be gathered once again to Israel in order to worship the true and Living God. In Psalm 22:27 we read: “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him.”
PENTECOST CONCERNS THE LAW
Well, obviously the Jews do not celebrate the Christian Pentecost mentioned in Acts 2. The Jews celebrate their Pentecost or Shavuot with the primary focus toward the law of God. They feel the holiday marks the anniversary of the law being given to Israel. At first glance this emphasis may sound a little strange to us Christians. What does the law have to do with Pentecost anyway?
We do not have to look far until we observe how carefully the work of the law and the work of the Holy Spirit coincide. Danny Litvin, in his little booklet entitled Pentecost is Jewish, says that “…every function of the Torah (law) is also a function of the Holy Spirit.” We Christians believe that the Holy Spirit is within our hearts, just as God’s law is there. We believe that the Holy Spirit guides and teaches us (Jn. 16:13), just as the Torah guides and teaches. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin just as the law convicts (Jn. 16:8; Rom. 7:7). Also, in full agreement with the Pentecost theme, the Holy Spirit brings about fruitfulness in our lives. This is also a purpose of the law as we see illustrated in Psalm 1:3.
In Galatians 5:22-23 we observe some of the spiritual fruit that God desires in our lives and we remember that the law of God also produces a like fruit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
There is a common misconception today that once we become Christians we are thereafter through with the law. It is surely interesting that Jesus does not share this opinion with us. One of the main purposes of his coming to earth was to fulfill the law (Matt. 5:17). That fulfillment not only concerned every detail of his life, but it also concerns every detail of our lives. It may surprise us to find out that God is writing the law on our hearts: “I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people” (Jer. 31:33).
When the law is written on our hearts it becomes second-nature to us. It affects the way we think and the way we live. In other words, Jesus will make us law-abiding men and women in the deepest spiritual sense if we follow his program. This is surely news for the near-lawless Christianity we are experiencing in numerous places today. Many in the church have happily substituted their own law for God’s law. Thus millions of Christians are doing what seems right in their own eyes. Many in the church today go by feeling rather than by the fact of God’s law. In one of our popular Christian songs some time ago the artist crooned, “How can it be wrong when it feels so right…”
Pentecost touches all people, including Jews and Gentiles. It points us to the final harvest of the world when men and women will present themselves and their deeds to the Lord God. Happy will those people be who have allowed Jesus to change their lives and conform them to his image and to his law. Happy will they be who hear the words of Matthew 25:34: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”
– Jim Gerrish
This updated article is presented courtesy of Bridges For Peace, Jerusalem (original publication date, 1991).
Picture credit Wikimedia Commons. Painting by El Greco