The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

When Jesus was crucified, it left the disciples cowering in fear. They all scampered away and hid from the public, perhaps, thinking that they might be killed too. When Jesus rose from the dead, they were fearful and  doubtful even though they met him personally. They didn't go public about Jesus coming back from the dead. They lacked the guts.

After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples for about forty days and talked to them about the kingdom of heaven. Perhaps, Jesus told them details about their mission although they lacked the courage to do it. 

Then Jesus went back to heaven and told them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit. Ten days later, they received the Holy Spirit and their individual characters have changed dramatically.

In the Book of Acts, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus' disciples on the day of Pentecost. They were altogether in one room when a strong wind blew from above and they saw what seemed like tongues of fire descending on each of them. Suddenly, they spoke in different languages. People outside were amazed at what they heard (Acts 2: 1-12).

It was something big because they had to complete the disciples back to number 12 again. Before the event, they gathered together in a room along with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and they continued praying.

In Judaism, Pentecost is a harvest festival. It is celebrated seven weeks and one day after the first day of Passover. The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples signaled the unstoppable harvest of converted souls started by Jesus' direct disciples. The harvest, driven by the Holy Spirit, continues even to this day. 

When the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples, they started preaching Jesus' message of love, repentance, and renewal. They started the groundwork of Jesus' vision of a democratized faith and worship that will veer away from a calcified, stratified, prohibitive, and restrictive forms of faith and worship. 

However, Jesus' vision and mission for the world posed a threat to the prevailing political and religious order of that period. It was disruptive and even viewed as subversive. To the disciples, it was a risky undertaking that will cost most of them their lives. It will take a heap of courage to do that and only one unseen power gave that to them. It was the Holy Spirit.

When they received the Holy Spirit, Peter took the lead, went out, and told the crowd about Jesus. They assured them that they were sober and not drunk.

John joined Peter and talked about Jesus amongst  the crowd. They even performed healing miracles, in the name of Jesus. Their actions caught the attention of the Sanhedrin. Perhaps they heard the name of Jesus being spoken again. The name that stirred their hatred and anger so many days before.

They thought that his followers have forgotten him the moment he died on the cross. They were dead wrong.

The Sanhedrin had the two disciples arrested that night and the following day questioned them. Upon facing them, Peter boldly accused them that they killed the Son of God who was sent to save the world from sin. He added that Jesus came back from that dead. 

The Sanhedrin couldn't kill the apostles at that time because the two disciples performed a miracle. They released them and threatened them if they could not keep their mouth shut about Jesus (Acts 4: 1-21).

But when they were released, they continued performing miracles and talked about Jesus. They were totally different from what they used to be. They weren't scared anymore. Even the threat of death will not stop them.

The Covid-19 pandemic which started perhaps in November 2019 or much earlier brought a huge health crisis around the world. It blanketed us with an atmosphere of fear and anxiety. It also threatened the heart of our worship. 

Today, Churches are half-filled, bible studies have halted, pocket group worships have been curtailed because of the pandemic. For safety reasons, social distancing needed to be observed to minimize the rapid spread of the virus. Our community worship suffered. We are fearful to go to church lest we catch the virus.

Amid this pandemic, we have to call on the Holy Spirit once again to give us courage; to breath Jesus-like character into us; to move us to spread the word of Jesus' timeless message of love, repentance and renewal. 

Jesus doesn't want us to cower in fear. He wants us to move on despite the dire circumstances. He wants us to find ways to spread his message and not the virus. The digital world and social media offers that opportunity which we can use. 

Amid this pandemic, we certainly need the kind of courage the disciples had, to face up to whatever comes our way. More importantly, we need to continue the first disciples' mission entrusted to them by Jesus. The Holy Spirit can surely help us. Have faith!