The Coming of the Spirit, Acts 2:1-13

Introduction

It appears that a clear geographical transition has been made between chapter one and two. We were in the midst of lot casting in order to replace an apostle and now we are near the Temple. But is the transition really all that clear? In Acts 1:14 and 2:1, we are told that the disciples were together presumably in the upper room. 

But in vv. 2-4, the Spirit descended upon them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues. However, there appears to be no transition from verse 4 to verse 5. In an instant we are moved from the upper room to the Temple! One  Luke doesn't tell us precisely when or even that they moved from the upper room to the Temple. One might wonder if the ambiguity in the text is intentional.  In other words, is Luke suggesting that the gathering of believers upon whom the Spirit came to rest is now to be associated with the temple? It's worth keeping an eye out for this transition.

The Tongues Like Fire

For now, let’s return to the upper room.  The disciples heard something. A sound came from heaven, like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.  Notice that Luke is careful in his description. He doesn't say that the wind was the Holy Spirit. Rather, the sound was like a mighty rushing wind. The wind filled the house, and then the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Take a few minutes and draw down on the Old Testament. Can you recall the instances where wind is associated with the presence of God?  My mind immediately travels to the Garden of Eden, Elijah at Sinai, and, of course, the temple. The temple images are particularly significant, especially given the question of where the disciples were gathered.

But remember, these people were already believers. In John 20:22, Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." So, what is happening here at Pentecost?

The New Testament uses different words to describe being filled with the Spirit. One is plēroō, which is often used of the Spirit's filling of believers. Here, however, Luke uses the more intense pimplēmi. This word often designates a particular empowerment for a purpose rather than simply a sustained condition of spiritual fullness.[1]

And that makes sense when we look at verse 4. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues "as the Spirit gave them utterance." The Spirit equipped them for a particular task. There is no promise here that this particular experience would continue indefinitely. Rather, for this moment, the Spirit gave them the ability to speak as he directed.

But there is something else here: the tongues like fire. What are we to make of that? Consider the difference between Luke 3:16 and Acts 1:5. In Luke 3:16, John the Baptist says that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. Yet when Jesus refers to this promise in Acts 1:5, the reference to fire is absent. Why?

Some scholars have suggested that fire signifies judgment. And there is something to that. The Son of God took the fire of judgment upon himself. He bore the judgment that his people deserved. So, now, there is no fire of condemnation left for those who are in Christ.

But then why do we see tongues of fire resting upon the disciples? The fire does not consume them because they are filled with the Spirit of Christ. They are not undergoing the judgment of God; rather, they are being equipped and consecrated for the ministry that lies ahead. The imagery points us to the presence of God among his people, the Temple.

The Trouble with Foreign Languages

Immediately after describing the coming of the Spirit, Luke tells us about the population gathered in Jerusalem for the festival. Pentecost was one of the great pilgrimage festivals of Israel. The Old Testament commanded the people to gather three times per year. And Luke tells us that there were devout men from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. He then provides a remarkable list of the nations represented.

Now, think about what this means. First, these are the nations that belong under the dominion of Christ (Matt. 28:16-20). Psalm 2 tells us that the Father says to the Son, "Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession." The Son has asked, and the Father has given him the nations.

Here, on Pentecost, people from the nations are gathered in Jerusalem, and they hear the mighty works of God proclaimed in their own languages. This is a reversal of Babel. At Babel, the languages of the nations were confused, and humanity was scattered. Now, at Pentecost, people from those nations hear the gospel in their own languages. The gospel is going out to the nations under the authority of the risen Christ.

But there is also a negative aspect to this event. In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul refers to Isaiah 28:11, where foreign tongues are associated with God's judgment upon covenant-unfaithful Israel. Foreign languages in the midst of Israel were a sign of judgment.

Now, think about the significance of that here. At Pentecost, Jerusalem is filled with people speaking foreign languages. As the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, Israel experiences a hardening. As Christ receives the nations, Israel is confronted with the judgment associated with its rejection of the Messiah.

This is powerful imagery. On the one hand, the nations are being gathered into the kingdom of Christ. On the other hand, the presence of foreign tongues recalls the covenant judgment upon Israel. Pentecost is both a moment of great blessing and a solemn warning.

The Tangible Fulfillment

Finally, think about when all of this takes place. It is Pentecost. What was Pentecost? Essentially, it was a harvest festival. But it was more than that. In Jewish tradition, Pentecost also became associated with the giving of the law at Sinai.

Remember what happened at Sinai. God gave Moses the law, written on tablets of stone. Moses then brought those tablets down to the people. The law was given to Israel as the revelation of God's righteous will.

But Pentecost in Acts is different. The Spirit comes down and indwells God's people. And who is this Spirit? He is the Spirit of God, the one who embodies and communicates God's righteous will. The very author of the law now comes to dwell within his people.

This is not simply the law written on stone, nor is it merely the law written upon the heart. The Spirit himself indwells us, the Temple of God. Yes, he writes God's law upon our lives, but he also gives us strength to keep it. The presence of the Spirit is not simply a reminder of what God requires; it is the divine provision for living in obedience to him.

Now, someone might ask, "If the Spirit indwells me, why do I still sin?" Because the Spirit and the flesh are at war with one another. The presence of the Spirit does not mean that the struggle against sin has ended. Rather, it means that we have been given the power and resources to fight.

We must be in that fight. We must not grieve the Spirit of God. We must lay hold of every advantage and every grace that he provides. The Christian life is not passive. The Spirit works in us, and we are called to walk by the Spirit, putting sin to death and pursuing holiness.

But here is the central point of this Pentecost story. The Spirit has come to dwell in his people. What was once associated with the temple, with the presence of God in a particular place, is now realized in the people of Christ. We are his living temple, indwelt by his Spirit.

And that is why Pentecost matters so much. The Spirit has come, the nations are being gathered, and the people of God are being equipped for their calling. The same God who once manifested his glory in the temple now dwells in his people through the Holy Spirit. We are the body of Christ, his living temple, called to bear witness to him in the world.

[1] But what is even more striking is that this word only occurs in a couple of places in the gospels and throughout Acts, but nowhere else in the New Testament. This filling is for Pentecost. We will say more about this as the series goes on.