Dear Friends,

The Old Testament is not a booster rocket that falls away and becomes obsolete once the real action (i.e. the New Testament) gets going. Biblical scholars refer to the Hebrew Bible as the operating system of the New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, etc. don’t make sense without it. Acts 2 is a case in point.

Luke’s account of Pentecost in the book of Acts is well known. The disciples are huddled together in Jerusalem. It’s been fifty days since Jesus’ resurrection and ten since his ascension into heaven. Suddenly, the Holy Spirit descends upon them like a violent wind. They begin proclaiming the good news of Christ in languages not their own, and many come to believe.

This is a remarkable event. What some have called the birth of the church. But if you’re not familiar with the Old Testament you won’t understand the full meaning of what’s going on here.

Many of you know the story of Adam and Eve. According to Genesis, they put themselves in the place of God and this ruptured humanity’s relationship with God and with each other. After the Fall, we read a series of stories emphasizing how this initial rupture spirals out of control. We see murder, we see oppression, we see women treated as property.

This fracture climaxes with the story of the Tower of Babel. Here, humanity’s desire to displace God reaches its climax. Here, God enacts justice and confuses humanity’s languages. Here, we are reminded just how closed off we are to each other.

It is in this context that we read Luke’s account of Pentecost. It is with this antecedent in mind that we begin to understand that the work of the Holy Spirit is the undoing of Babel. In light of the first eleven chapters of Genesis, we begin to see that the day of Pentecost is the beginning of the reversal of the climax of the rupture.

So what does this mean for you and me? It means that the Holy Spirit who dwells within you has been, is, and will continue to break down the dividing wall of hostility between you and God, you and your enemy, and you and yourself. And this is true—whether you want it right now or not—thanks be to God.

Grace and Peace,

Ben