Pentecost: By One Spirit Baptized

When Luke wrote the Book of Acts (80-90 AD) more than two generations had passed since the days of Jesus. By then the Jesus movement had exploded exponentially, and communities of Christians could now be found throughout the Mediterranean and even eastward into Persia. Many of these communities were composed of Gentile believers, particularly those established through the missionary efforts of Paul.

Luke’s explanation for this worldwide expansion is found in his description of the initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples on the Day of Pentecost, fifty days after the resurrection (Acts 2:1-21). Like the ascension, we depend solely on the Book of Acts for a record of this event. John’s gospel tells a different story about when and how the Spirit was bestowed on the disciples (cf. John 20:19-23). This means that different early communities had different traditions on the matter. 

The lack of scriptural corroboration makes any critical assessment of Luke’s account of Pentecost difficult. Some dismiss it altogether. Yet something remarkable must have happened very early on in the history of the Jesus movement, something at the moment of its inception – something so dramatic that it propelled the Christian message onto the contemporary stage in a big way. So, indeed, why not Pentecost? It makes perfect sense.

The original group of disciples was tiny, consisting of the 12 apostles (now including Matthias) and their company. By Luke's reckoning they amounted to no more than 120 persons in all. Fear of arrest would certainly have subsided with each passing day since the crucifixion. But a martyred messiah would garner little admiration from rank-and-file Jews of the time. Indeed, the dangers they now faced were not arrest and imprisonment, but rather pity and derision. After all, they could easily be mistaken for a gaggle of followers dedicated to preserving the memory of their fallen master, someone known to have challenged the Romans and lost.

For this reason, Pentecost seems the most natural occasion for the Christian message to have burst suddenly onto the scene. Passover and the Feast of Weeks (Shabuoth), or  “Pentecost” in Greek, were only fifty days apart. Because of this relative proximity, Jerusalem would have hosted pilgrims from foreign lands during this entire period.This accords with Luke's statement that “devout Jews from every nation under heaven” were visiting Jerusalem (2:5). Inevitable travel delays meant that latecomers often postponed their Passover observances until they arrived in Jerusalem, and then stayed for Pentecost. But Pentecost would have attracted large numbers of pilgrims on its own. Though originally established as a harvest festival, Pentecost had come to be known as an annual covenant renewal. Hence, it would have held special meaning for Jews living outside of Israel. 

Seeing Pentecost as the occasion for the first major influx of converts – the “birthday” of the Church (if you will) – makes a lot of sense, both practically and theologically. The practical sense is seen in the opportunity that the apostolic company had to present their message to an enormous "captive audience" – pilgrims already spiritually attuned to the sacredness of the moment, with a fervor that attends any group of devotees making a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to the most sacred place on earth. The apostles would have immediately felt the enormity of this "make or break" moment. If the smoldering ember of the gospel were to catch fire it would have to be here and now.

For this reason Luke’s description of the disciples as gathered “all together in one place” seems tragically understated. Yet the preceding passage (Acts 1:12-26) seems to indicate that they may actually have been preparing for this moment. After Jesus' ascent into heaven, the first item on the agenda was to fill the apostolic slot left open by Judas' departure and death. The company chose Matthias, and this was confirmed by the Lord himself through the casting of lots (24-26). The flock of visitors from distant lands seems the perfect occasion to begin their witness "in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (1:8).

Pentecost makes perfect theological sense as well. Second century rabbinic literature suggests that Pentecost was regarded as the day when the law was given to Moses on Mount Sinai. A related legend describes how the law was given in the languages of the 70 nations of the world. The same theme is carried over into Luke’s description of the outpouring of the Spirit and the multitude of languages or “tongues” in which these visitors heard the good news of the resurrection for the first time:

And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs – in our own languages we hear them speaking of God’s deeds of power. (Acts 2:8-11)

Like any good storyteller, Luke would have had a free hand to fill in some blanks. After all, neither he nor anyone else he knew had actually witnessed the Day of Pentecost firsthand. Naturally, he would have resorted to the theological language and themes he knew best to explain to his audience what Pentecost was all about and how it fit into God's overall plan. 

This would also give Luke an opportunity to achieve another one of his aims: to “bridge the gap” between different factions in the early church (as noted in last Sunday’s sermon). Luke  was a Pauline Christian. He perhaps even accompanied Paul on some of his journeys. Yet Luke also admired the Gospel of Mark, long associated with those communities that looked to the leadership of Peter. He had even used Mark as a primary source for his own gospel. That Peter and Paul share starring roles in the Book of Acts is no accident. Luke was keen to portray the two apostles as working together.

This is what makes Luke's explanation for the outpouring of the Spirit so fascinating. In words reminiscent of Mark's portrayal of John the Baptist, Luke has Jesus telling his disciples that they would be "baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now" (Acts 1:5). Luke will later connect this "Spirit baptism" with the Christian sacrament of baptism, as Paul does in his First Letter to the Corinthians:

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)

Paul describes Christian baptism as a corporate encounter with the Holy Spirit, rather than an individual one. Whether Jews, Greeks, slaves or free, the one Spirit unites all into one body through baptism. Later on in Acts 2 Luke will have Peter rise to explain to the crowd that what they “see and hear” is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as foretold by the prophet Joel (2:32-33; cf. 16-21). When they ask, “what should we do?” Peter responds, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (38-39). 

Yet, Luke is not finished. The Pentecost event will be repeated no less than three other times in the Book of Acts: in chapter 8 (Samaritans); in chapter 10 (the household of Cornelius); and in chapter 19 (when Paul baptizes a group of disciples who knew only the baptism of John). Each instance represents the incorporation of a cultural, ethnic or social group that was either excluded in the Old Covenant (Samaritans and Gentiles) or disaffected by sectarian differences. The order of events may vary in each case, but Spirit and sacrament are always connected.

For Paul the giving of the Spirit in baptism included a variety of spiritual gifts, given to each individual for the common good: 

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)

Of particular interest here is the mention of “various kinds of tongues,” probably a reference to the phenomenon known as glossolalia. Modern linguists define glossolalia or “speaking in tongues” as the fluid vocalization of speech-like syllables that lack any comprehended meaning to the hearer. It is easy to understand why people who are unfamiliar with the practice may think tongue speakers are simply “making it up.” But neuro-imaging studies show that glossolalia is a reflexive pre-linguistic phenomenon that can be induced in some people during periods of heightened awareness or trance-like states, the kind of experiences one might expect to see in a religious setting. 

Glossolalia may have re-emerged in the early 20^th century as a feature of the Pentecostal movement, but the practice itself goes back to antiquity. It is occasionally seen in other religions as well. Luke was likely familiar with “speaking in tongues” through his own experiences in those Pauline communities that practiced it. Yet it is intriguing to speculate how strange it must have seemed to communities outside of the Pauline sphere that did not. Prompted by such concerns Luke may have seen Pentecost as the perfect opportunity to “domesticate” the practice, giving it a veneer of apostolic credence and evangelistic practicality: 

Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. (Acts 2:3-4)

Yet what Luke describes here is not technically glossolalia, but rather something called xenoglossy: the spontaneous ability to speak a natural language previously unknown to the speaker. This would be akin to a fluent English speaker suddenly speaking fluent German. Documented cases appear throughout history. However, they are hotly contested with most scientists dismissing them. 

Be that as it may, glossolalia and xenoglossy are modern terms. Ancient writers would never have made this distinction. The closest thing to a distinction is Paul’s offhand remark about speaking “in the tongues of mortals and of angels” (1 Corinthians 13:1). In the end, Paul would feel the need to curb the practice. He recognized that speaking in tongues often lead to pride on the part of the speaker and fostered jealousy within the community. Luke followed suit, not by downplaying the practice, but by characterizing it as happening only in extraordinary cases, like the Day of Pentecost.

Nonetheless, for Luke speaking in tongues confirmed the Spirit's outpouring on the disciples, not only on the Day of Pentecost, but also on the three other occasions where he records a Pentecost-like event. Whether or not all of these involved actual languages, or just the first, does not matter. Tongues signaled that the Spirit was active in the Church, and that each disciple – whether Jew, Samaritan or Gentile – received a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good at their baptism.

Luke's message continues to be relevant for us today. Pentecost reminds us that the Spirit was poured out on all flesh. By one Spirit we were all baptized into one body -- regardless of culture, language, race, gender or even age! And we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Amen.

Postscript: For Christians, Pentecost concludes the 50 days of Easter. It is appropriate then to reflect on the impact that the author known as “Luke” has had on our Christian faith. Not only do his writings  (Gospel & Acts) form a “bridge” that ties together the various literary works of the New Testament. But his stories constitute the very backbone the Church’s liturgical and devotional cycles as well. Consider what Christmas would be like without Luke’s accounts of the Annunciation, Virgin Birth, and Nativity of Jesus! Consider how the Road to Emmaus encounter with the risen Jesus enriches the story of Easter! And, of course, what would the Christian calendar look like without the Ascension, or, for that matter, the Day of Pentecost?