Pentecost

150 Bible Basics, #132

This is entry #132 of 150 from my book, Sunday School Catch-Up, available on Amazon!

Also known as Feast of Weeks, a holiday described in Deuteronomy 16:9-12. It was a celebration of thanksgiving for the first fruits of the wheat harvest (Exodus 34:22). The name Pentecost derives from the number 50, because this feast occurred 50 days after Passover.

It was on this holiday the Holy Spirit was sent upon the apostles with the sound of a rushing wind and the appearance of tongues of fire above their heads. Because so many Jews had traveled from foreign lands for the holiday, the apostles were given the miracle of tongues to preach the Gospel so that each person could hear it in their own language (Acts 2).

This serves as a reversal of sorts of Babel (Genesis 11). Rather than God confusing the languages and dispersing the people, He brought scattered people of different nations together as one in the name of Jesus.

The Pentecost account concludes with 3,000 being baptized in response to Peter’s message and the early church uniting in service, fellowship, and worship (Acts 2:37-47).