The Lutheran Hour
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"What Does it All Mean?"
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Text: Acts 2:1-21
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Christ is risen; He is risen indeed. Hallelujah! The Risen Christ’s blessings to you by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen!
I had a good friend who was a fellow professor with me at Concordia University, Irvine. He taught “Critical Thinking” as a capstone class to students from all different kinds of vocations and disciplines. Why? Well, in this world of mass information a person really needs to cut through the noise and to get to the truth of the matter. A common approach, a common skill that he would teach was the interrogative model of reasoning. Let me say that a bit more clearly. Simply stated, that way of thinking says, “In order to get the right answers you need to ask the right questions.”
In fact, there’s a really popular game show that kind of operates this way. Have you heard of the game show Jeopardy? On that show Alex Trebek uses a kind of “interrogative model of reasoning,” right? He gives the answer because he’s looking for the contestants to come up with the correct question. Right answer, right question. Correct question, correct answer.
Let’s see how this might work if we looked at Acts 2 this way. In the category of “The Day of Pentecost” The $200 answer is…Tongues like fire. Can you guess the question? “Pastor, my guess would be, ‘How is the Holy Spirit seen on the birthday of the Christian Church?'” Correct! Or, the $400 answer is, A mighty rushing wind. Can you guess the question? “Pastor, my guess would be ‘How is the Holy Spirit heard?'” Correct. The $600 answer is – People who will be saved. Your guess? “Pastor, how about ‘Who are those who call upon the name of the Lord?'” Right on! Let’s keep going. The $800 answer is – The true and only power source for prophecy and witnessing. The question? “Who is God, the One pouring out His Spirit?” So far 100 percent correct! Okay, the final double jeopardy, big answer…ready? The answer is – A lot of perplexed, confused, and amazed people. What would you guess? “Pastor, my guess would be people who are trying to figure out, ‘What does this all mean?'”
What does it all mean? The Holy Spirit was unleashed in the preaching and teaching of the Apostles on that first Pentecost day, a day 50 days after the most monumental weekend in human history, the weekend that Jesus died and rose from the grave. That first Pentecost day, the church that testified to the risen Jesus was born. What does this all mean for us today? That’s the big question, that’s the main question. Ask the right question, get the right answer. And this last question, “What does this all mean” can help us unlock this incredible event called Pentecost and show us the very truth and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives too.
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting…..All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
We could sure use some clarity about all this, couldn’t we? What does this all mean? Martin Luther, famous for reforming the Christian Church back in the 16th century, he was pretty good about making things clear and plain to people. He used to use this questioning method to get at the vital teachings of the Bible and the church, to make them plain to average people like you and me. When the Church confessed in the Apostles Creed… “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Christian Church, the Communion of Saints,” Luther asked, just like we’re asking today, “What does this all mean?”
He explained it with a laser-like clarity when he said, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him: But the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, the Holy Spirit has enlightened me with His gifts and sanctified and kept me in the one true faith. Just as He, the Holy Spirit, calls, gathers, and enlightens the whole Christian Church on earth. This is most certainly true.”
But, remember, Jesus told us pretty much the same thing about the Holy Spirit’s work in John 16:13-15.
He said, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”Wow, what a dynamic answer of joy to the question, “What does all this stuff about the Holy Spirit mean?” The Holy Spirit’s main job is to bring sinful people to repentance and to faith in Jesus the Messiah as their Savior. That’s what happened then, that’s what happens now. That’s crystal clear, isn’t it?
Well, maybe not just yet. But don’t worry; it was a bit confusing for people that first Pentecost day as well. The question, “What does it all mean” wasn’t immediately clear to those listening to the Apostles for the first time. In our text, we can see a lot of confusion, even amazement, but not so much clarity right off the bat. Present were observers, many onlookers, trying to make sense of this incredible event of many languages, of mighty winds, of fishermen who suddenly seemed more the scholar than the thrower of the nets. But, the good news of that day was that, when they asked the right question, “What does this mean,” the Apostle Peter was ready by the power of that same Spirit to proclaim the answer. He tells them about Jesus the Messiah who died and rose again for their forgiveness, life, and salvation!
“What does this all mean” is a legitimate question in our text. Many people were legitimately perplexed that first Pentecost day. The Holy Spirit came upon those Apostles of Jesus, believers who were gathered in Jerusalem. The Spirit’s presence was audible. It sounded like a violent blast of wind. His presence was also visible. Tongues like fire rested on their heads. The presence of the Holy Spirit had an effect on those gathered there. People who saw those disciples noticed something different about them. They were now bold to speak about Jesus, to share God’s Word of grace. Even the manner of their speech was confusing, yet amazing to the observers. The disciples spoke God’s Word in the native tongues of those gathered there, even though they had not been trained in any of those languages. Miraculous! All because of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
But, what does this mean for you and me? What does Pentecost day have in store for us? Well, we have to be a bit careful here. The first day of Pentecost was a unique day in human history, it was the promised “outpouring of the Holy Spirit,” to empower those first disciples, the ones who walked with Jesus, to boldly proclaim the Spirit-filled Word of Christ, literally giving birth to His church. In some ways, that day was absolutely unique! But, in other ways, it was just another example of how the Spirit still works today. The Holy Spirit came in words that the people could understand, calling people to faith and new life in Jesus Christ alone! He does the same today!
Like Jesus said in John chapter 16, the Holy Spirit’s job is to take the stuff of Jesus, the forgiveness He earned on the cross, the eternal, abundant life He possesses, the status as the eternal Son of God and make it yours by faith as a gift. He works visibly and audibly today too, taking the very means of grace that Jesus Himself instituted, His Words, or the waters of Holy Baptism in His Name, or the bread and wine of the Lord’s instituted Supper and He uses all of these gifts to deliver the benefits of Jesus’ cross and resurrection to you and to me! The Holy Spirit is, as the Nicene Creed says, the “Lord and Giver of Life!”
That’s why the most important thing to remember on this Pentecost day is the invitation. Peter speaks boldly to the crowd of the events that are at hand. He will proclaim their utter need for Jesus as their Savior, the fact that this world is passing away. But amidst the miraculous, the amazing, and the astounding there, most importantly, is the simple invitation to call on the Name of the Lord to be saved.
Peter quotes the Prophet Joel, saying, “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved,” even the Gentiles who seemed so far from God. And, later that day, Peter will get even more personal with the crowd. He’ll be even more clear, saying, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” You see, we call out to the Lord, because He calls out to us!
The day of Pentecost is a monumental day. The Spirit of God was at work, inviting all who were listening to trust and follow Jesus as their Savior. When God’s Spirit is at work, amazing things do happen. I like how Rick Kirchoff characterized the Holy Spirit’s work when he spoke at the Methodist Church’s Annual Conference in Memphis, TN. He said this, “When God sends forth the Spirit, amazing things happen: barriers are broken; communities are formed; opposites are reconciled; unity is established; cities are renewed; races are reconciled; hope is established; people are blessed; and church happens.”
But I really love how Kirchoff concludes his remarks. He says: “So be ready by the power of the Spirit, God is up to something. Discouraged folks, cheer up; dishonest folks, ‘fess up; sour folks, sweeten up; closed folk, open up; gossipers, shut up; conflicted folks, make up; sleeping folks, wake up; lukewarm folk, fire up; dry bones, shake up; pew potatoes, stand up! But most of all, Christ the Savior of all, be lifted up. ”
What does this all mean for you and me this very day? Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, means that you and I can have a renewed, restored, relationship with God now and forever. It means that we can live a life of faith that begins to transform literally our hearts and minds by the power of the Holy Spirit to be like Christ for others. Wow, abundant, eternal, purposeful life in and for Jesus Christ. Yes, by the power of His Spirit! Aren’t you glad that you asked the right question today?
In the 2004 science-fiction movie, “I, Robot,” the main character, Detective Del Spooner is real suspicious of robots. He doesn’t like the fact that they are becoming more and more human-like with every updated model. In fact, he’s very clear he doesn’t think treating robots as anything else but a machine is good for them or for us. In the movie, the main computer that runs all the robots has started to think for itself, and it has determined that human beings are too self-destructive and must therefore be eliminated. The character who created the robots and the software of the main computer, Dr. Alfred Lanning, suddenly realizes the danger and has one of the robots kill him to expose the plot and stop it. In one of the scenes, there is a simulated dialogue of Dr. Lanning, as an interactive hologram projection, with Det. Spooner. Spooner hopes that this discussion will give him the information to solve the case. Let’s listen in….
“Good to see you again, Det. Spooner.”
“Hello, Dr. Lanning.”
“Det., everything that follows is a result of what you see here.”
“Is there something you want tell me, Dr.?”
“I’m sorry. My responses are limited. You must ask the right questions.”
“Ok, Dr. Lanning, why did you call me?”
“Well, that’s easy, it’s because I trust your judgment.”
“Now, Dr., normally, these circumstances wouldn’t require a homicide detective.”
“Yes, but then our interactions have never been entirely normal. Wouldn’t you agree, Det.?”
“You got that right. Is there something you want say to me?”
“I’m sorry. My responses are limited. You must ask the right questions.”
“Okay, Dr. Lanning, why would you kill yourself?”
“That, Det., is the right question.”In this movie, that was the right question. Why did the robotic inventor have to die? What was so insidious that only his life would uncover it so that it could be stopped? The movie comes to a dramatic conclusion and humanity is saved from almost certain annihilation. Well, when we look at the historic day of Pentecost, the Spirit’s responses aren’t limited when He answers the question “what does this all mean.” Even His outpouring is for the purpose of focusing on the major event in all of Scriptures, “the death and resurrection of the God/Man, Jesus.” When coming to grips with “Why was the Holy Spirit poured out on God’s people,” the right question points us to the ultimate purpose, the vital issue of God’s Word. It was for the purpose of bringing Christ and His Gospel to every heart, to every life so that they too might know of Him and believe.
All the big questions in the Bible finally have to do with who is Jesus, what did Jesus come to do, and why He did He have to do what He did. When you’re confronted by the fact that Jesus died on a cross, the question that needs to be answered is “Why would He allow that to be done to Him?” When Jesus, the crucified One, rises from the grave, the question that needs to be answered is “For whom did He do this miraculous thing?”And today, on Pentecost Sunday, by the power of the Holy Spirit, God wants you to know the answers to those questions too.
What does it all mean?
Well, if you are saying in your heart and mind today, Jesus died so that I could live, that’s the Spirit of Pentecost at work in your life! If you are saying in your heart and mind today, “I trust in Jesus as my Lord and Savior,” that’s the Spirit of Pentecost moving in your heart! If you are saying, “I want to live for Jesus in all that I do, I want to love others the way He loves me so that they can know Him as their Savior and their Lord too,” That’s the Spirit of Pentecost empowering your life as well. And that, my friend, that’s what Pentecost means for you and for me today. The church of Jesus was born so that you and I, yes, even the whole world, might know that this work of Jesus Christ is meant for us, it’s meant for all. You, by the power of the Holy Spirit get to live life in Christ’s name so that others might come to know Him too!
The Holy Spirit’s presence, it is audible. In our lives today He can be heard when we share God’s Word and tell others about what Jesus has done.
The Holy Spirit’s presence is tangible, too. In our lives today, we might not see tongues of fire on our heads, but we have the Holy Spirit-empowered words of those first Apostles, tongues of fire, if you will, on the pages of the Holy Scripture, God’s Spirit-filled word in our hands. When you read the Bible, expect to meet Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit!
What does this all mean? The Holy Spirit was unleashed in the preaching and teaching of the Apostles on that first Pentecost day, a day when people’s confusion was met with the clarity of Peter’s witness, and most importantly, the Holy Spirit’s invitation to faith offered to all. The first Christian church came out of the shoot blazing with tongues like fire on their heads, ready to meet the challenge of “What does this all mean,” so that others might know and believe in Jesus too.
What does this all mean? I pray for you this day, it means that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you trust in Christ too, for your life and salvation now and forever! Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for May 19, 2013
Topic: Did Jesus Ever Say That He Was God?ANNOUNCER: Did Jesus ever say that He was God? Pastor Gregory Seltz responds to questions. I’m Mark Eischer. What do you think, Pastor? Sometimes people claim Jesus never said He was God, that’s just stuff the church read back into the story after the fact.
SELTZ: Well, Mark, this is one of those questions that comes up over and over again, that’s for sure. But, we need to be clear about the Bible’s answer to it too, since people were not as direct in Jesus’ day as many are today.
ANNOUNCER: All right. Could you explain what you mean by that and maybe tell us why that’s important?
SELTZ: Well, Jesus may in fact be clearly stating that He was God, and I think He is, according to the way that the people of His day would answer that kind of question while not speaking as directly as people of our culture in the United States would like.
ANNOUNCER: Could you give us an example of that?
SELTZ: Sure. If you remember the story about Jesus healing the paralytic in Mark 2, Jesus Himself asks the question, “What is easier…to forgive one’s sins or to say to the lame man, take up your mat and walk?” Then He heals the man just to show that He has the authority to do all of it because of who He is.
ANNOUNCER: And the Jewish leaders knew exactly what He was saying.
SELTZ: They sure did. In fact, it says even in the text they say, “Only God can forgive sins.”
ANNOUNCER: Right. So, in those days, that would be an indirect way of directly saying, “I am God.”
SELTZ: Absolutely. It may not be our style of directness, but in those days, in that part of the world it sure was. But there is even more. When Jesus goes back to His hometown, He reads Scripture from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, that’s in Luke 4. The section He reads prophesies about the coming Messiah. When He finishes reading, He tells the crowd that the Scripture is fulfilled in Him. God’s Word is fulfilled “in Him.”
ANNOUNCER: And, once again, judging by their reaction, they knew what He was saying, didn’t they?
SELTZ: Absolutely. But there is even more. Remember all the “I am” statements that John records Jesus saying.
ANNOUNCER: Right. “I am the bread of life, I am the living water, I am the way, the truth, and the life, I am the resurrection and the life.” Jesus even says of Himself, “Before Abraham was, I Am!”
SELTZ: That’s incredible and those Jewish leaders knew exactly what Jesus was saying, in fact they picked up stones to kill Him for that. They knew that only God in essence is the Truth, the Resurrection, and the Life, and when Jesus says, “Before Abraham was, I Am,” any Old Testament believer would remember how God talked to Moses that way when He said, “Tell Pharoah that “I Am”, namely God, “is sending you.” When Jesus says, “I Am,” He is clearly identifying Himself as God.
ANNOUNCER: We could also mention here the Gospel writers, people who walked and talked with Jesus, they say He is God. John 1 says that Jesus, “The Word,” was with God in the beginning.” There’s also Jesus’ trial before the Jewish council; they asked Him, “Are you the Son of God?” and He replies, “You’re right in saying I am.”
SELTZ: Exactly, and then, the Gospels, the synoptics, have a section where Jesus Himself asks His disciples “Who do you say that I am?” and Peter says, “You are the Christ, You’re the Son of the Living God.” And Jesus says, “You are right!” well, in a manner of speaking; and then when Jesus says in John 17, “I and the Father are one,” you almost what to say, “Of course, You’ve been saying that all along.”
ANNOUNCER: You wonder, then, why people would claim Jesus never said He was God, when the Gospels show Him clearly doing that.
SELTZ: If you think about it, it is easy to understand why people wouldn’t want Jesus to be God.
ANNOUNCER: Why?
SELTZ: Well, if He is God, then you have to deal with Him. You have to heed His call to repentance and faith in Him. If He is not, we’re on our own, still sinners; even though it’s destructive, we like that rebellious freedom.
ANNOUNCER: But only God Himself could overcome the eternal consequences of that rebellion.
SELTZ: Which means our situation, as sinners, is pretty bad from God’s point of view. Again, people would rather claim that Jesus isn’t all He said He was, to keep the deception alive. But for us who believe the clear Word of God, and it clearly says that Jesus claimed to be God, we can rejoice and be glad that not only is He God, but He is God for us, come to save us!
ANNOUNCER: This is not merely a discussion of semantics, grammar, or the difference between direct and indirect speech. Ultimately, this is about our salvation which was accomplished for us by Jesus who is both God and Man. Thank you, Pastor Seltz. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music Selections for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by Chris Bergmann. Used by permission.
“Creator Spirit, Heavenly Dove” arr. Carl Schalk. From Hymns for All Saints: Lent, Easter, Pentecost (© 2006 Concordia Publishing House)
“Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott” by Dietrich Buxtehude. From Richard Heschke at the Hradetzky in Red Bank by Richard Heschke (© 1993 Arkay Records)
“O Day Full of Grace” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House)