The Festival of Pentecost, or the Festival of Weeks, was one of the three Jewish festivals that every male Jew living within twenty miles of Jerusalem was legally bound to celebrate at the Temple. It was named because it fell 50 days after the Passover. The festival normally happened in June when travel conditions made it possible for more people to participate, so crowds in Jerusalem would have had an international flavor.
Pentecost also celebrated the firstfruits of the harvest, and Jews brought the firstfruit of their harvest in thanksgiving. In addition it celebrated the giving of the Law to Moses at Mount Sinai. Just as God appeared to Moses in a burning bush, God now appeared to the faithful through fire that looked like tongues descending on the Disciples.
After Jesus died the Disciples were bewildered, broken men with broken dreams and shattered lives. The resurrection and the power of the Holy Spirit changed them from cowards to heroes.
No comments:
Post a Comment