The Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-47)

"When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in the some place. Suddenly, from heaven came a sound of a strong, rushing wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. Then there appeared tongues as of fire, distributed among them so that one settled on each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit granted them utterance." (2:1-4)

The day of Pentecost fell on the 50th day after presentation of the first sheaf reaped of the barley harvest -- the 50th day from the first Sunday after Passover. The word Passover in Greek is pentekostos, which means "fiftieth." Among Jews, it was known as "the feast of weeks," and also as "the day of the first-fruits."

The place where the disciples were on this occasion is not specifically identified; it's called a "house" but may have been an upper room, but there's no way of knowing for certain. On that special morning, the place was suddenly filled with what appeared to be a great gale of wind from heaven. The wind indeed symbolized the Spirit of God, which came to give power to the disciples.

It's uncertain what precisely the words "tongues as of fire" resting on the Apostles are meant to symbolize, beyond prophetic speech called "other tongues" spoken by the disciples. John the Baptist had foretold how the Coming One would carry out a baptism with wind and fire (Luke 3:16-17). The spiritual baptism which had been foretold by John and promised by the Lord was now a reality.

"There were residing in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. When this sound was heard, the crowed came together and was confounded, because each individual heard them speaking in his own speech. They were astounded and amazed: 'Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?' they asked. 'How then does each of us hear (their words) in our own speech, in which we were born...? They were all astounded and perplexed, saying one to another, 'What does this mean?' Others said in ridicule, 'They are full of new wine." (2:5-13)

In the Old Testament, people prophesied when possessed by God's Spirit. In the book of Acts, the disciples uttered prophetic speech of a peculiar kind ("other tongues"). These words, spoken in a divine ecstasy by the disciples, were recognized by Jewish pilgrims and proselytes from an impressive list of nations, including Egypt, Asia Minor and Italy. And they were amazed and perplexed, hearing Galileans praise God in many languages of the dispersion--in effect, a reversal of the curse of Babel. But some in the crowd dismissed the strange event, saying the disciples were full of sweet wine.