Acts 2:1-4 1When the day of Pentecost had been fulfilled, they were all together in the same place.
The disciples had been gathering and praying for at least a week after Jesus ascended to heaven forty days after his resurrection. It was now another major feast for the Jews. Pentecost comes fifty days or seven weeks after Passover, which is how it gets its name in Greek. For Jews, it was the Feast of Firstfruits (Hebrew Shavuoth) described in Exodus 34:22 and Deuteronomy 16:10. It signified the first of the harvest season, when farmers would bring the first of their crop to Jerusalem for dedication. In the first century, it was a popular feast for pilgrims to go to Jerusalem. Jews came to celebrate it also in reflection of the giving of the Law.
Jesus had told them to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit promised by the Father. The Spirit would empower them to be witnesses about Jesus and the kingdom he brought. Luke mentions the Holy Spirit many times in his Gospel and Acts. Chapter 2 marks a significant turning point for the earliest disciples and the development of the church. Many people have pointed to this chapter as the birth of the church. That is true in one sense, but in a broader sense, the church was born in Jesus’ ministry as he called people to follow him.
Verses 1-4 describe how the Holy Spirit came upon the gathered believers. Luke begins by noting how the day of Pentecost had been fulfilled (symplērousthai; an articular infinitive of time). The use of this word is significant because the promise of harvest had come. The time of God’s promises made long ago through prophets like Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Ezekiel 36:22-32 had been fulfilled, and the mission of gathering people into his kingdom had begun. Jesus’ ministry had pointed to this great harvest and the good news of salvation. The disciples would now be empowered to carry out this mission.
The believers were together again for prayer. The setting was likely the same house and upper room where they had been praying, mentioned in 1:13. Luke does not specifically mention that the whole one hundred twenty were present, although that is the assumption usually made. Verse 14 mentions the twelve apostles, who now included Matthias. The extent of the witness that went out in verses 6-11 suggests that there were more than twelve apostles present, but more likely the whole group who had gathered regularly during those days for prayer. Earnest prayer, like what these disciples were involved in, prepared us to receive God’s presence, promise, and power. The day of Pentecost was unique in all of history, but also an example of what God wants to do in each person who earnestly seeks him.
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