Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost

Biblical Text

This event is recorded in Acts 2:1–41. Before his ascension, Jesus told his disciples not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the Holy Spirit whom the Father had promised (Acts 1:4–5). Chapter 2 describes the fulfillment of that promise.

• On the day of Pentecost, while the disciples were gathered in one place, a sound as of a rushing mighty wind filled all the house. Cloven tongues like as of fire appeared and sat upon each of them (2:1–3).
• They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (2:4).
• Jews from many nations each heard them speaking in his own language and were amazed. Others mocked, saying that the disciples were full of new wine (2:5–13).
• Peter explained that this was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel (Joel 2:28–32) (Acts 2:16–21). He went on to bear witness to Jesus' death and resurrection and urged his hearers to repent and be baptized; about three thousand people were baptized that day (Acts 2:39–41).

Background

The word "Pentecost" comes from the Greek pentēkostē ("fiftieth"). It refers to the Jewish Feast of Weeks, observed on the fiftieth day after Passover (Leviticus 23:15–16; Deuteronomy 16:9–10). Because the firstfruits of the wheat harvest were offered at this feast, it was also called the Feast of Harvest (Exodus 23:16). It was one of the three pilgrimage feasts for which Jewish men were required to go up to Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 16:16). For this reason, Jews of the Diaspora who lived scattered across many regions, as well as converts to Judaism, had gathered in Jerusalem on that day (2:9–11). Later Jewish tradition also came to associate the Feast of Weeks with the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai, but the text of Acts does not make this connection explicitly.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

• Fulfillment of promise: The event is read as the actual coming of the Spirit foretold by Joel and of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised to send in the Gospel of John (John 14:16; 16:7).
• Beginning of the mission of witness: Acts 1:8 sets out a sequence: "both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Following that sequence, the Spirit later comes upon believers in Samaria (chapter 8), at the house of the Gentile Cornelius (Acts 10:44–46), and in Ephesus (chapter 19).
• Beginning of the church: Many church traditions regard this day as the day the church began. A long-standing line of interpretation also contrasts Pentecost with the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11): at Babel languages were scattered, whereas at Pentecost people of many languages heard one gospel.

Interpretations and Debates

• Nature of the tongues: Interpreters differ on the nature of the tongues in chapter 2. Some hold that they were actual foreign languages, while others regard the miracle as one of hearing on the part of the audience. Whether they are the same as the tongues described in 1 Corinthians 14:1–5 is also debated.
• Baptism in the Holy Spirit: Denominations understand this differently.
• Pentecostal denominations (in Korea, for example, the Korea Assemblies of God) regard the Pentecost experience as the model for a baptism in the Holy Spirit received as a distinct experience after conversion, and they often consider speaking in tongues its initial evidence.
• The Reformed tradition, including Presbyterians, views Pentecost as a once-for-all event in redemptive history and understands baptism in the Spirit as something every believer receives at conversion (1 Corinthians 12:13).
• The Holiness tradition, which draws on Wesleyan theology, has linked the grace of sanctification received after conversion with baptism in the Spirit.
• Continuation of the gifts: The question of whether such gifts continue today leads into the cessationist–continuationist debate.
• Details not found in the text: The event is widely said to have taken place in "Mark's upper room." Chapter 2, however, speaks only of "all the house" and does not state whether this was the upper room of 1:13 or the house of Mark's mother (12:12). Interpreters also differ on whether only the twelve apostles received the Spirit or all of the 120 mentioned in 1:15.

In the Korean Church

Churches that follow the liturgical calendar observe the Sunday that falls on the fiftieth day after Easter as Pentecost Sunday. In Korean revival meetings and prayer meetings, "the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost" and "Mark's upper room" are common sermon themes for seeking the fullness of the Spirit. The 1907 Pyongyang Great Revival is often called "Korea's Pentecost." The Harvest Thanksgiving observed in Korean churches (Harvest Thanksgiving) takes its name from the Old Testament Feast of Harvest, but it is usually held in July and therefore does not coincide with Pentecost.