These Are Not Drunk

Acts Chapter 2

When the day of Pentecost came they were all together in one place. As I said last week, I think they might have been grasping for some routines and familiarity in the midst of so much strangeness. They clung to one another and to this upper room, which had become for them a safe space.

But, of course, it was anything but safe on the day of Pentecost. Pentecost, also known as the Shavuot or the feast of weeks, is one of three major festivals in Judaism, in which Jews would travel from their homes to Jerusalem to make a sacrifice at the temple. The Jews who lived outside Israel were called the diaspora. This goes back several hundred years in Israel’s history.

Recall from the Old Testament that during the period of the united Kingdom of Israel (1047 – 930 BCE[1]), and the divided kingdoms of Judah (930 – 586 BCE) and Israel (930 – 722 BCE), the people were besieged by neighboring kingdoms - most notably, Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon. Assyria destroyed the norther kingdom and the tribes were scattered. Later, Babylon attacked the southern kingdom and took the people into exile. After Babylon was conquered by Persia, the Israelites were permitted to go back home. Some did. But the reality was that now the people of Israel were scattered all over a vast area – with different customs and different languages.

The pilgrimage festivals brought them back to Jerusalem. The population of Jerusalem would swell enormously during the festivals, overflowing with out-of-towners. Imagine the crowds, the noise, the cacophony of a dozen different languages being spoken.

That they should all hear the words of the disciples as if they were speaking directly to them, in their native language, is the central focus of our Christian celebration of Pentecost. The message – the gospel – went out to all the nations in this moment.

The details are unimportant, really. It is not worth trying to figure out how each one managed to hear the message specifically directed to them. This was not like the UN General Assembly room, where you have your own interpreter translating for you through an earpiece. It is not worth getting distracted by the question of what presumed drunkenness had to do with glossolalia. It is not worth getting bogged down by the question of whether the miracle was in the speaking or the hearing. It was both. The important message here is that the whole Jewish world received the good news that day.

You can read Peter’s speech and see that it probably wasn’t just his words that affected the people so profoundly. It was the Spirit that pierced their hearts with the truth. As people of the Reformed Church, we believe that the Holy Spirit is essential in the hearing of the Word. We believe that, without the Spirit, the Word of God will likely fall on deaf ears. But with the Spirit, we are able to hear what God wants to say to us.

May the Holy Spirit illuminate your hearing of the word this day and every day.

Questions for Reflection:

·        When the crowd accuses the apostles of drunkenness, perhaps they are attempting to put a barrier between themselves and the power of the Spirit. Have you ever tried to “explain away” the presence of the Holy Spirit?

·        Can you remember a time when you heard words that “cut to the heart” (v. 37)? It could be a sermon or just an offhand remark. It could be a poem or lyrics to a song. Or it could be a message that is for you alone, given to you in a dream or a vision.

·        The chapter describes a quick mass conversion, followed by the “long obedience in the same direction,” to quote Friedrich Nietzsche. They devoted themselves daily to teaching and fellowship. They committed themselves entirely to this newfound faith. Do you think, in your own life, that the ongoing commitment to learning and living in faith bears fruit?

 


[1] BCE – Before the Common Era, also known as BC 

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