The People of Pentecost
5. At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem.
6. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
7. They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee,”
8. “And yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages!”
9. “Here we are – Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia,”
10. “Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome.”
11. (“Both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done.”
12. They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other.
13. But others in the crowd ridiculed them saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all.”
Acts 2:1-13
Grace for the Crowd
Many would settle with knowing that God sent His Power to bring the Church to life at Pentecost. That is certainly what happened but it could not have happened without God’s redeeming Grace that was poured out upon the crowd. The events of Pentecost was not to simply give the Disciples an experience of God’s Power but to also equip them for the mission of reaching others with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In other words, God was not merely looking at those in the Upper Room, He had His Divine Eye on those who were on the street. The Lord would not just pour out His Spirit on the one hundred and twenty but would also extend this abundant Grace to the thousands on the street. If we think in today’s world that God wants to only bless those in the Church, then we have misunderstood the extent of God’s Kindness. O no. God will send His Grace not only for the congregation but also for the crowd. Sometimes, those in the Church assume that they have exclusive access to God’s Grace as if the world is not on God’s agenda. The truth of the matter is that the world has been on God’s agenda from the very beginning even before the foundation of the world.
This is why the outpouring of the Holy Spirit has as much to do with people as it has to do with power. God chose the festive event of the Pentecost holiday to introduce the crowds to His bountiful gift. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers … They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee,” … “And yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages!” It was God’s Grace that caused the noise of the one hundred and twenty to exceed the sounds on the streets of Jerusalem. It was as if God gave the Disciples a microphone from Heaven that drew the attention of everyone. The first question that was asked is “How can this be?”
The crowd heard the message of God’s Grace as never before. They heard the praises of God from people who were all Galileans. That was strange in itself because anyone living in Galilee was considered to be illiterate. Secondly, those living in Galilee were not considered to be religious in any way. The comment made by one of Jesus own Disciples (Nathaniel), “can anything good come out of Nazareth (which was in the center of the region of Galilee)?” The crowds were amazed that God’s praises and wonderful works were being spoken by Galileans. But there is a third reason for amazement from the crowd, they heard them speaking fluently in other languages. That’s impossible and yet it was happening. The Parthians heard their language. Medes heard their language. The Mesopotamians heard their language. The people of Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, folks from Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, and as far away as Egypt, Libya, and even Rome heard the Galileans speaking the wonderful things God had done. Their question was, “how could this be?” The simple answer is that only God could do such a thing. This had to be God working among them and for them. God is the Ruler of all languages and controls every tongue. This was a demonstration of what Grace sounded like in other languages. By the end of the day, there would be people from all those regions and places giving God praise for the Grace that would come into their heart. That is what Grace sounds like when it brings Salvation into the heart of those who confess Jesus as Lord.
Believe it or not, this was a prelude of the praise that will come when Christ appears from Heaven. The praise will not be uttered by just Galileans. The praise will not just proceed from the lips of converts that have come from various regions. The Bible declares that when Jesus returns, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord to the Glory of God the Father. Phil. 2:11. Every voice in Heaven will utter God’s praise. Every creature will magnify God’s Name. Everything that has a sound it will utter that sound to the Glory of God’s Majestic Name. The Saint will praise God’s Name as well as the sinner. The low class and the no class will give God praise as well as the upper class and the socialite. Every tongue will confess. Every knee will bow and declare that Jesus Christ is Lord. Whether they like it or not, whether they know Him or not, whether they have served Him or not.
That’s why I thank God that when I heard the sound from Heaven on my heart, I surrendered. I didn’t wait for Him to conquer me. When I heard that Jesus had signed the Peace Treaty from God, I bowed before Him and confessed my sin. I would say I made it right with God, but that’s not how it happened. Jesus Christ made it right with me to be saved and now saved am I. So, to answer the Crowd’s question, “How could this be” the only answer is that God sent His Grace and the response was sounded first in the Upper Room but then onto the streets of Jerusalem. That’s God’s Mighty Grace!
The Curse was Reversed.
The crowds were totally amazed that the Galileans were speaking their language fluently, but they were also perplexed as to the outcome of this phenomenon. They all realized that something miraculous was happening. This led them to raise the second question as to “what this could mean.” We all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done” … They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other. This is the important question that every person is forced to answer sooner or later. Unfortunately, some people answer it with the wrong conclusion.
At this point, I would like to introduce another crowd of people who are not mentioned in this passage expressly, but they were present, nonetheless. While some in the crowd wanted more information, there were those who brushed it off with the comment that the Disciples had simply drank too much wine and were drunk. If you don’t mind, I would like to mention the other classes of people who were present at Pentecost but did not get God’s Message. But others in the crowd ridiculed them saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all.”
The other category of people include the skeptics, the atheists, the agnostics, the critics, and the anti-Christs. These are the people who for one reason or another have said that God’s Power is not for me. You can show them miracles and they still won’t believe. They can hear the Message of the Gospel in their own language and they still won’t listen to it. These are the folk that are Hell bent. These are the folk who mock Grace and promote their own narrow minds above the Goodness of God. You could even go as far as to say that these are the people who are determined to have life “their way.” Let’s lump them all under one nationality and call them “the others.”
They are the “Others” first because they don’t believe in speaking the language of Grace but have chosen to refuse God control of their tongue and life. They are the descendants of the other crowd described in Genesis 11. Following the flood, God commanded Noah and his family to be fruitful and to fill all the earth. But the Other Folk, under the leadership of Nimrod, were determined to not go along with God’s plan. These other folk decided to build a monument on the plain of Shinar. Archaeologists say that this structure, called the tower of Babel, was not only built high as possible, but the intention was to build a city around it so that they would not be scattered over the face of the earth. They wanted to be united but not by God. They wanted power but not from Heaven. They wanted control but not from the Holy Spirit. The Archaeologists state that the “ziggurat” was not only a massive structure but was also a place where they could worship other gods because this “other crowd” didn’t want to serve the Living God. They were bound to have their independence. You know the rest of the story. God visited them and confused their language so that they were forced to stop building because they could not understand one another. It could have been a worst ending than that. God could have destroyed them altogether, but Grace and Mercy said “O No.” Then, when God gave the people a “reversal of the curse” some were still opting to remain under the curse of God rather than enjoying God’s blessing. Rather than joining in on the praises of Pentecost, there were some stuck in their old ways and refused to receive God’s Power. Well as the saying goes, “a few monkeys can’t stop the show” so God’s Grace moves on.
The skeptic has not stopped God’s program. As the Pentecost Power of God continues to fill the earth, the other folk have not hindered God’s Grace. The people who have asked the question “what does this mean” have found the real answer for their life as God has given them this same Power.
So, what are the conclusions that we can give for the People of Pentecost. First, God’s Grace brings people together and gives them the ability to recognize God’s Praises all over the world. That is the intention “to teach all nations.” Second, the work of the Church will not be stopped by the other folks who “just don’t get it.” Jesus said, “Upon this Rock, I will build My Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18. Third, the Church should pay more attention to the Sound from Heaven versus the sounds on the street. Listening to people will mess you up and always have you confused and filled with doubt. Just listen to God and everything will be crystal clear. Four and lastly, remember that God will get His praise, one way or the other. As for the other people who think they are not going to praise God, they will be sadly disappointed when their lips will speak God’s praise but it will be too late. So, for now, we as God’s people should always find an occasion to speak to everyone we can, at every chance we can to honor God and live for His Glory.
God bless you for you are His people and the sheep of His pasture.