Now
when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place. Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Acts 2:1-2
Acts 1 [23.] They put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. They prayed, and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two you have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell away, that he might go to his own place.” They drew lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Acts 2 [1.] Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place. Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.
Acts 2 [5.] Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under the sky. When this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because everyone heard them speaking in his own language. They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Behold, aren’t all these who speak Galileans? How do we hear, everyone in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians: we hear them speaking in our languages the mighty works of God!” They were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” Others, mocking, said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Meaning:
Jesus had told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for “the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4-5). About ten days after his ascension the waiting came to an end. On a Jewish feast day, while the believers were gathered together, God announced the coming of the Holy Spirit with a sound from heaven. These two verses set the scene for the outpouring of the Spirit described in the verses that follow (Acts 2:3-4).
- “When the day of Pentecost had come”
Pentecost comes from the Greek word for fiftieth. It was the Old Testament Feast of Weeks, celebrated fifty days after the offering of the first sheaf of the barley harvest at Passover time: “even to the next day after the seventh Sabbath you shall number fifty days; and you shall offer a new meal offering to Yahweh” (Leviticus 23:15-16). Israel was to “observe the feast of weeks with the first fruits of wheat harvest” (Exodus 34:22), and to rejoice before God together with servants, foreigners, orphans and widows (Deuteronomy 16:10-11).
The timing is full of meaning. Jesus died at Passover and rose on the day the first sheaf was offered, “the first fruits of those who are asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). Now, at the feast of the first fruits of the wheat harvest, the first great harvest of believers would be gathered: about three thousand people in one day (Acts 2:41). Later Jewish tradition also linked the Feast of Weeks with the giving of the law at Sinai, which took place “In the third month” after the exodus (Exodus 19:1). Many see a contrast here: at Sinai God gave his law on tablets of stone, at Pentecost he gave his Spirit to write his law on hearts (Jeremiah 31:33).
- “They were all with one accord in one place”
The believers had been meeting “with one accord” in prayer (Acts 1:14). The same unity marked them when the Spirit came. Luke does not say exactly which place this was. Many think it was the upper room where they had been staying; others suggest a room in the temple courts, since a large crowd soon gathered. Either way, God poured out his Spirit on a praying, united people.
- “A sound like the rushing of a mighty wind”
The sound came suddenly and “from the sky”, that is, from heaven. It was not an actual storm but a sound “like” a mighty wind. Wind was a fitting picture of the Spirit. In both Hebrew and Greek the same word can mean wind, breath or spirit. Jesus told Nicodemus, “The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). In Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones God said, “Come from the four winds, breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live” (Ezekiel 37:9). On the evening of Easter Jesus “breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit!’” (John 20:22).
- “It filled all the house where they were sitting”
The sound filled the whole house. When God came down on Sinai there were thunder, fire and “the sound of an exceedingly loud trumpet” (Exodus 19:16-18). When Solomon dedicated the temple, “Yahweh’s glory filled Yahweh’s house” (1 Kings 8:11). Now God’s presence filled a house full of ordinary believers, a sign that his people themselves were becoming his dwelling place.
The Significance of Acts 2:1-2
- God keeps his promises
The disciples waited because Jesus had promised. The Spirit came at the time God had chosen. Believers today can trust that God’s promises will be fulfilled in his time, even when the waiting is long.
- Unity and prayer prepare the way
The Spirit came on people gathered “with one accord” in prayer. The church still needs to seek God together, humbly and in unity, for fresh power to live and speak for Christ (Acts 4:31).
Cross-References:
John 3:8: "The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going." The Spirit like the wind.
1 Kings 8:11: "for Yahweh’s glory filled Yahweh’s house." God’s presence filling the temple.
Acts 1:4: "Don’t depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father," The promise fulfilled at Pentecost.
Conclusion: On the Feast of Weeks, fifty days after Passover, the believers were gathered with one accord when a sound like a mighty wind came from heaven and filled the house. The feast of first fruits became the day of the first great harvest of the church. God kept his promise, and his presence came to dwell among his praying people.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible