An Unusual Shavuot Pilgrimage

Annie

Scriptures: Acts 2 Leviticus 23 Joel 2:28-29

The streets and lanes were becoming more and more oppressive as the crowds swelled, with Jews from far and near who had made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to Shavuot – the feast of Weeks. The constant hum of voices speaking in a multitude of languages was exhausting and the young man longed for a quiet, shady spot, somewhere to gather his thoughts and just be still for a moment. But, there was nowhere to get away from the crowd, nowhere to take a break.

Then, with a violence that stilled the incessant voices, the sound of a mighty wind filled the air. Where had it come from, what was happening? Everyone stopped, looking around for the source of this ear splitting sound. In astonished wonder, suddenly every man there heard voices coming from an upper room, voices speaking in his own language. The crowd was amazed as the men who were speaking were Galileans, how could they know these foreign languages. Some cried out that they must be drunk, they had to be. The young man was stunned by what was happening, this was no normal Shavuot.

At this point one of the men from the upper room stood up, and the young man recognised him as being a follower of the One who had been hailed as the Redeemer, but who had then been crucified just before Passover. Then he remembered that this was the man who, he had heard, had denied that he even knew this Jesus of Nazareth. Yet, here he was, standing up with these others who were clearly overcome by some power or another, beginning to speak in such a way that all of the scoffers and the rest of the men in this vast crowd, were transfixed by his words.

As he listened, this young man felt a burning in his heart that he had never known before, such a yearning to keep listening, to know what power had filled this lowly fisherman with the ability to hold this crowd enthralled with his words. This Peter, who had reportedly denied his Master, was reminding them of the words of the prophet Joel, telling them that what they were seeing was the fulfilment of the promised outpouring of God’s Spirit. Before their eyes, they were witnessing this amazing promise.

Then, Peter began relating what had happened to the One, the Messiah from God, who had walked among them. The One who had performed miracles, signs and wonders wherever He went. The One who had been cruelly and so undeservedly tortured and put to death on a Roman cross, by them, the people who should have recognised and accepted Him as their Saviour. Peter declared, in tones that rang out through the now still silence, that this man is indeed both LORD and Christ.

All around him, the young man saw men falling to their knees, crying out to know what they needed to do, begging Peter and the other disciples to tell them. He suddenly realised he was weeping, his heart felt as if it would explode in his chest. All his life he had heard that Yahweh would send a Redeemer, the Messiah who would save the nation, yet, like all the others, he didn’t know what to do.

Again Peter’s voice rang out “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

For the rest of his life, this young man would remember that day. The heat, the noise and then the wonder and amazement that filled him, and so many more as they were privileged to see prophecy coming to pass before their eyes. He would never be the same again.

He knew that his life was sealed forever with this promise of Holy Spirit, the same Spirit who had manifested Himself that unique, incredible day of Pentecost, and he also knew that he would spend all of Eternity with His Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Father God, what happened that day so long ago, demonstrated for all to see that You are with us, in power and glory, as Holy Spirit, dwelling within us for every day we are upon this earth. Through the precious Blood of Christ we give You thanks. Amen.