The Day of Pentecost

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                          Acts 2:1

The Day of Pentecost

by Robert T. Cooper

For most of my life, so far as I can remember, I have known that Pentecost was the 50^th day (hence the name Pentecost) of which Easter was the 1^st. I have known it as the day the Holy Spirit descended on believers in Christ. I have known it is considered to be the birthday of the church.

I have also known that it was related to a Jewish observance connected to the harvest. But I knew little else. So I decided to do some research. Let me share some of what I found.

When our Jewish friends observe Shavuot, it is the feast or festival we and they know as Pentecost. It seems that the entire 7-week period from Easter to Pentecost is a season of harvest with the barley harvest occupying the early part of that period and the wheat harvest occupying the latter part of that period. Shavuot is also the day on which it is reckoned that Moses received the Torah on Mount Sinai.

One interesting side note is that Shavuot is observed on Pentecost Sunday only by Israeli Jews and by Reformed Jews. Other Jews around the world observe Shavuot on both Pentecost Sunday and Pentecost Monday. One tradition is that during synagogue service the morning of Pentecost Sunday, a liturgical poem is read immediately prior to the Torah reading. This tradition has been in place since about a.d. 1100, and so was not observed by Peter and company on the day of Pentecost in the book of Acts. A second tradition connected to synagogue service is the reading of the book of Ruth: it is read by Israeli Jews in the service on Pentecost Sunday; it is read by Jews around the world in the service on Pentecost Monday.

Since 1533, there is all-night Torah study leading up to Pentecost Sunday. One might remember that the study of the book of Joel had been part of the preparation of the Christian believers immediately prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2.

Two other Jewish traditions are the consumption of dairy products and the use of greenery for Pentecost decorations in both synagogues and homes.

Let me close by returning to the thoughts connected with the wheat harvest. Because Pentecost celebrated the wheat harvest, while the Temple was standing, there were two loaves of bread offered that day. This was the context in which Jesus made His “I am the Bread of Life” sermon.

We believers in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior must remember that while bread gives life to the body, Jesus as the Bread of Life gives eternal life to the spirits of His people. As it is important for us constantly feed our bodies, it is even more important for us to constantly feed on Jesus.

In the comments section, share how you go about feeding on Jesus.