Acts 2: An Explosion

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit...

Thousands of pilgrims are milling about in Jerusalem on a Jewish holiday. Meanwhile Jesus' followers, in keeping with his instructions, have gathered in a small group indoors, where they patiently await what has been promised. With a sound like a violent wind and a sight like flames of fire, it happens. The Holy Spirit, the presence of God himself, takes up residence inside ordinary bodies- their bodies. Soon everyone in Jerusalem is talking about the Jesus-followers. Pilgrims from all over the world are astonished to hear the Galileans' message in their own native languages. Clearly, something is afoot.

Peter, once a cowardly apostle who once denied Jesus three times to save his own neck, now brazenly takes on both the Jewish and Roman authorities. Quoting from King David and the prophet Joel, he proclaims that his audience has just lived through the most important event of all history. "God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact," he says. He goes on to declare Jesus as the very Messiah, the fulfillment of the Jews' long-awaited dream.

Three thousand people respond to Peter's powerful message that day. And thus the Christian church is born. The group of new believers, at first a mere annoyance to the Roman and Jewish authorities, does not stop growing. Just as Jesus predicted, the message spreads throughout the region, and in less than one generation, it penetrates Rome, the center of civilization.

In an era when new religions are a dime a dozen and disappear virtually overnight, the Christian faith instead becomes a worldwide phenomenon. It all begins with this scene on the day of Pentecost.

Reflection

I can't say that I've ever actually seen someone change "overnight" by an encounter with Christ, but the disciple Peter certainly had an abrupt change of heart. This same man not too long ago cowered in the shadows a the trial scene, trying to look inconspicuous. Out of fear of arrest, he had even cursed and denied knowing Jesus. Yet now, in these second and third chapters of Acts, we see a courageous man standing before the most distinguished religious leaders in the land, blasting them as murderers.