June 6, 2022

Acts 2:5 There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then, devout pilgrims from all over the world. (The Message Bible)

What is a pilgrim? No, we are not talking about Thanksgiving in New England. The internet defines it as “a person who journeys to a sacred place for religious reasons.” So, what were these people mentioned above doing in the “sacred place” of Jerusalem in Acts 2? They were celebrating a feast that fell 50 days after Passover called Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks. Again, from the internet: “The Feast of Weeks, which was also known as the Feast of Harvest of First-fruits (Ex.23:16), Day of Weeks (Lk.4:16, Acts 13:14; 16:13), and the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1) is the second annual festival of the year and occurs at the end of the wheat harvest.” And one more “Jews around the world count the days from Passover to Shavuot (called counting the ‘Omer,’ a measure of grain). They anticipate with joy and expectation the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai” (https://www.jewishjewels.org/news-letters/shavuot-and-the-giving-of-the-law/). Why is this important? Because with the coming of the Spirit Christians believe that God was fulfilling the promise to Jeremiah- “This is the brand-new covenant that I will make with Israel when the time comes. I will put my law within them—write it on their hearts!—and be their God” (31:33). What are you celebrating on Pentecost this year?