I grew up in the church and learned that Pentecost marks the coming of the Holy Spirit—a significant biblical event. But recently, I started to wonder whether Pentecost existed before Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I’m glad I asked. Discovering its deeper history has strengthened my faith and deepened my appreciation for this powerful celebration.
Old Testament Pentecost
Pentecost, also known as Shavuot or the Festival of Weeks, is a Harvest Festival that falls seven weeks after Passover. Pentecost is a Greek word meaning 50, which is that seven weeks. It is one of the three main biblical feasts: Passover, Pentecost (Shavuot), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). We read about it in Leviticus’s 23:15-21.
The Festival of Weeks
15 “‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. 16 Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. 17 From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruitsto the Lord. 18 Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings—a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 19 Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering[a] and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. 20 The priest is to wave the two lambs before the Lord as a wave offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the Lord for the priest. 21 On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly and do no regular work. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.”
– Leviticus 23:15-21 NIV
Reading this, I understand why this isn’t celebrated as much as the New Testament Pentecost. However, I still wonder why we don’t discuss this history more in Christian churches. The more I learn about this festival, the more intrigued I am.
It’s a fire offering, a first fruits offering, and an assembly/gathering offering. These are the roots of what makes Christian Pentecost significant.
The Christian Pentecost Story
Fast forward to the New Testament. Pentecost traditionally highlights three powerful signs: wind, fire, and language (speaking in tongues). Acts 2 clearly describes each of these.
The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
2 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. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.
Reframing Pentecost as a Harvest
When I think about Pentecost, I recall the winds, the arrival of the Holy Spirit, the color red, and the ability of people to speak in multiple languages to spread the good news. However, I don’t typically associate Pentecost with a harvest feast.
Maybe I should.
I also don’t think about giving my first fruits.
Maybe I should.
After the resurrection, Jesus told people to wait for “the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4-5)
We now know, the few days that Jesus spoke of turned out to be 50 days. When Jesus’ followers were celebrating Pentecost, the winds arrived, fire appeared over each person, and they were able to speak in different languages. (Acts 2:1-4)
This leads me back to where I was at the beginning of this devotional.
How does Old Testament Pentecost relate to New Testament Pentecost? What if the gift of the Holy Spirit is the bounty or harvest of Jesus Christ?
Think about it.
To harvest something, you must tend to it and patiently wait.
My early girl tomatoes bear fruit after 65 days. During this time, they require attention, including water, sunlight, darkness, nutrients, and time. There’s anticipation that the fruit will come, and a relationship is nurtured. Patience and trust that my efforts will be rewarded. Similarly, the early Christians waited 50 days for the gift of the Holy Spirit to arrive.
Then, you enjoy a harvest.
Fresh tomatoes from the vine are sweeter and more delicious than what you get in the store. They are enjoyable in a way that is extraordinary. The effort and patience involved in cultivating these fruits are rewarded by the joy they bring. People endure the same toil and wait year after year to savor the fruits.
Similarly, experiencing God’s love and wisdom is an extraordinary gift. The time, patience, prayer, and nurturing relationship that accompany this experience make it truly beautiful. Just as harvesting your faith requires effort and patience, enjoying the blessings and abundance of Jesus Christ requires a similar commitment.
Finally, you share your harvest abundance with others.
Consider a tomato yield. Initially, there are a few ripe tomatoes, but soon, there are too many to pick. How many times have I gone to work and a coworker has brought in extra tomatoes or summer squash? Every year! You give the harvest to family, friends, strangers, the poor, and food banks. Isn’t this what the Holy Spirit is? The ability to take God with you in the form of the spirit and share it with others?
Why This Metaphor Helped Me
One of my difficulties with Pentecost, or at least the way I’ve learned and experienced it, is that it has been theory that tries to be relatable. In my youth, I was part of a dance group that took large red swaths of cloth, ones long enough to span the length of an entire pew. We ran up and down the isles symbolizing the fire and wind. It was a nice experience, but I can’t relate to winds and fire coming upon me. I’ve been taught to stay away from fire when winds are present.
I don’t speak to my neighbors in a foreign tongue. So what good is it that the disciples were given this gift? They were dealing with multiple cultures, I would expect some to be bilingual already.
Speaking the word of god in multiple languages is important, but so is learning to speak the right words in your own language.
One of my children’s teachers emailed the class and asked parents not to help their kids with math at home. The class was learning multiple strategies for basic addition and subtraction, which differ greatly from how we parents learned arithmetic. The school teaches math this way because kids connect with numbers in different ways. They use base ten blocks, ten frames, number lines, expanded form, number bonds, and probably a few more methods I’ve forgotten. Early elementary students no longer stack nine over four to add—they learn through visual and conceptual approaches first.
I think having the Holy Spirit speak through us, is like the various ways we teach children math. I need the right words to speak to you. The right stories, the right in, the right timing. You can learn a concept over and over, and then it just clicks. How many times does the Holy Spirit speak to us directly or through others and we don’t respond, or understand.
As I stretch my understanding of Pentecost this year, I find comfort in the analogy of the harvest. It is relatable in a way that the winds, flames and the multiple languages aren’t. I understand the miracle that was the first Christian Pentecost. The gift of the Holy Spirit changed our relationship with God and Jesus. Though it is often portrayed as an out dated celebration.
The Holy Spirit is God’s temple in each of us, our communication with God. It is a gift that is God’s active presence in the world. It is something we should share. Think about the winds that travel the earth. Think about the speaking in the languages of the earth. The Holy Spirit will help us communicate God’s will. This may be literally in languages, it may also be, like me, learning more about the history of Pentecost to deepen my understanding of the Holy Spirit.
If you tend your relationship with God, the Holy Spirit will come.
Are you able to wait for the harvest? To wait for God and Jesus to work in order, to let the Holy Spirit come in abundance? To give you the words or skills to communicate the good news in a way others will relate and HEAR the good news?
It seems kind of basic, this harvest analogy, but it was the language I needed to hear to understand and relate to Pentecost and the gift of the Holy Spirit in a deeper way.
The why behind the what.
How do you relate to the traditional Pentecost story? The wind? The fire? The tongues?
What would a modern day Pentecost festival look like?
I like the analogy of the Harvest for an illustration of the Holy Spirit and Pentecost. Are there any Pentecost analogy’s that speak to you better?
Further Reading:
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