Day 26: Pentecost

Now that Christmas is over (boo!), I guess we have to get back to discussing other aspects of Christianity. We’ve already covered most of the major holidays, but there’s still one big one we haven’t talked about yet: Pentecost.

Pentecost takes place on the seventh Sunday after Easter. In England, it’s usually referred to as “Whitsunday.”

Although Pentecost is a Christian holiday, it has its origins in the Jewish festival of Shavout, which celebrates the spring harvest. Pentecost marks the occasion when the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles after Jesus had died, been resurrected, and ascended to heaven. The Bible describes the event:

[T]hey were all together in one place.

And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.

And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. (Acts 2:1–4)

So, basically, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven and gave the Apostles power and unusual abilities—like the ability to speak in other languages.

Apparently, the Apostles were enjoying the experience a little too much, though. The Bible says that some people who witnessed their behavior “were mocking and saying, ‘They are full of sweet wine.’” (Acts 2:13)

I like the fact that the Bible mentions that people were making fun of the Apostles because, frankly, that’s probably exactly what I would have been doing if I had been there. I mean, wouldn’t you think a bunch of dudes sitting around babbling nonsense were a little bit drunk?

One of the Apostles, Peter, tries to defend their behavior, saying, “. . . these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day [9:00 a.m.]. . . .” (Acts 2:15)

Personally, I think that statement would only have made me laugh at the early-morning drunks even harder, but Peter goes on to explain that everything that had happened—from Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection to the Holy Spirit’s visit to the Apostles that day—was the fulfillment of prophecy.

After this episode—the Pentecost—the Apostles went out into the world to spread the word about Jesus and to win more followers to the new faith. Essentially, the event marked the official beginning of the Christian church.

And that’s what Christians celebrate at Pentecost today—the idea of bringing the “good news” to all people. It’s a nice enough idea, although it’s a bit unfortunate that in so many cases throughout history, spreading the good news translated into destroying anyone who didn’t believe it.

Even growing up as a Catholic, I never thought of Pentecost as a very important or interesting holiday. I don’t even recall going to Mass to celebrate it, although I imagine my dad dragged me there at least occasionally.

Pentecost isn’t the kind of holiday I like, in general. As we’ve already established, I prefer my holidays well-defined and, of course, with plenty of stuff—like decorations, food, and presents.

I’ve got to say, though, that I’m kind of glad I read the whole Bible this month. The biblical story of Pentecost—especially the part about the Apostles acting like drunken loons—was pretty entertaining. I may even have an all-new appreciation for Pentecost.