The Meaning Is Clear

​Pentecost Sunday                                                                                    LSB #’s 498:1-6, 497, 906
Text – Acts 2:12-13
 
And all were amazed & perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”  But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
 
THE MEANING IS CLEAR
 
 
One of your neighbors, whom you know casually,  calls after dinner to say that he or she is going in for surgery tomorrow morning.  They’re feeling uneasy & need to talk to someone.  You  can almost feel  God tapping you on the shoulder to say, “It’s your turn!  It’s time for you to offer peace & comfort  through the power of God’s word!”    How  would you respond? 
The details of what you would say  are not so important  as the big picture.  Would you follow the leading of the Holy Spirit,  or  would you shy away?     That’s really the issue.   Until the day of Pentecost,  the Apostles had been shying away  from any  public proclamation about the mighty works of God.  On Pentecost,  Jesus unleashed the Holy Spirit upon His disciples. 
Everyone who was there,  everyone who heard & saw this event,  was amazed & perplexed.  They’d never seen or heard of such a thing  & had no idea what to make of it.  Those of a more faithful posture wondered, “What does this mean?”   Those of a more cynical nature turned to mocking the followers of Jesus, “Ha!  They are filled with new wine.” 
I can see myself in either group,  on some occasions wondering what God is doing,  but on others  mocking such a far-fetched event.   How  would you respond?    In the course of life, there are a vast multitude of events  to react to  & to discern the meaning of.   Our sinful nature responds in very different ways  than does our saintly nature. 
The book of Hebrews gives this advice: “…solid food is for the mature,  for those who have their powers of discernment trained  by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”  (5:14 ESV)   Living in a sinful world  gives plenty of opportunity to practice distinguishing good from evil.  The question is  whether we’ve risen to the level of solid spiritual food,  or whether we are still feeding on milk.   That’s what we see at play in the sermon text: “And all were amazed & perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’  But others  mocking  said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’”  (Acts 2:12-13 ESV) 
That verse is so true to life,  it rings to the core of my being.   People see  the exact same event,  & arrive at completely  opposite conclusions.   The politics of our day is a perfect illustration.   Our presidents  have been the source of many examples.   Any one executive order today  will reveal people  who draw totally opposite conclusions.  
Both of those opposite reactions cannot be correct,  although both of them can be wrong.  All the presidents in our nation’s history  have been sinners,  therefore  none of their words or actions can be discerned as perfect.   That doesn’t stop Republicans, Independents  or Democrats  from acting as if their completely opposite reaction is perfect. 
Life in this world is complicated by sin.  As a result, people like to say there are two sides to every story; the point being  there are valid conclusions on both sides.   While that applies to sinners like us,  is that a legitimate claim when the Word of God is involved?   Some religious denominations  say that it is.  Martin Luther would have said, “Auf keinen Fall!” or “No way!” 
One of Luther’s rallying cries  was Sola Scriptura.   It positions the Bible as the sole infallible source of authority for Christian faith & practice.  The Roman Catholic Church has declared Sola Scriptura to be heresy.   In other words,  even when it comes to the Word of God, Roman Catholic teaching would agree, “There are two sides to every story.” 
In the reading from the book of Acts, it’s clear that there were very different responses to the work of the Holy Spirit.  One response was amazed, yet perplexed confusion, “What does this mean?”   The other response was ridicule, “They are filled with new wine.”   While the confused response wasn’t exactly faith, it revealed an openness to learning.  The response of ridicule was obviously the work of the sinful nature.   As children of God who are saints & sinners, we exhibit all three on a daily basis – faith, confusion & ridicule. 
If you’re not so sure about the ridicule,  consider that every time you sin  you are rebelling  against Yahweh.   Every sin is,  in essence,  ridiculing the words & promises of our Lord & Savior.  It’s easy to consider ourselves, at the very least,  as better than politicians, but the truth is not nearly so flattering.  The meaning is clear. 
On a more pleasant note, even with our sinful nature, the Holy Spirit is able to work through His children as we speak the words of God to ourselves & to others.  He may not do so through us as dramatically as He did on Pentecost,  but our Creator promises that the Holy Spirit is working through us.  Even when we are confused about the meaning, God works through us. 
The Holy Spirit works within us to expose our sins,  but also reassures the penitent of God’s gift of forgiveness.  He always works to expose our sin with the goal  of reassuring us of God’s gift of forgiveness.  Come Judgment Day,  sin will be exposed for a different purpose,  so it’s better to expose our sin now while forgiveness is the purpose  instead of judgment. 
What does the miracle of Pentecost mean?  As Peter preaches, he points the people,  & us, to the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel.  The pouring out of God’s Spirit upon His children is the meaning of the miracle.  As broken & dysfunctional as The Church,  & as our church,  often appear,  the Spirit of Christ has been poured out upon it, & upon us. 
The Pentecost scene in Acts 2, is far more than a day; far more than flipping the calendar to a new page.  This Pentecost scene ushers in a new era in time.  In Joel, he was speaking to the people of his day, that God would restore the “grain & wine & oil” (Joel 2:19) that drought & locust had destroyed.  Now, however, under the influence of the poured-out Spirit, Peter perceives the promise in the historical perspective of all salvation history.  Yahweh is now working to restore our lives as holy & for all eternity.  God is pouring out His Spirit on all flesh to signify that Yahweh has come to His people in an even greater way  than through His Son Jesus.  No one is out of range of the Spirit’s work; He targets every human heart.  
We may encounter “closed doors,” our testimony may be rejected, but the Spirit of the LORD, the Holy Spirit, keeps going about His work & will continue to do so, unceasingly, until the very last day. 
The Spirit with whom the Father anointed Jesus at the Jordan River “to bring glad tidings to the poor… to proclaim liberty to captives... (Luke 4:18-19) is now given through the risen Christ to the church, so that “repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in His name to all nations.”  (Luke 24:47)   
The One anointed with the Spirit of the Father at the Jordan to proclaim glad tidings now becomes the One who baptizes the disciples with the Spirit on Pentecost to preach the name of Jesus.  You also have been anointed by Christ, through the Holy Spirit, to offer peace & comfort through the power of God’s word! 
One day,  it may be your turn,  to speak words of peace & comfort to someone who’s feeling uneasy & needs to talk.  If so,  God’s Spirit will be with you,  as you respond.  Amen. 
 
 
 
Come, Holy Ghost,  God & Lord,  with all Your graces now outpoured  on each believer’s mind & heart;  Your fervent love to them impart.  Lord, by the brightness of Your light  in holy faith Your Church unite;  from every land & every tongue  this to Your praise,  O Lord, our God, be sung: Alleluia, alleluia!         Come, holy Fire,  comfort true,  grant us the will Your work to do  & in Your service to abide;  let trials turn us not aside.   Lord, by Your power prepare each heart,  & to our weakness strength impart  that bravely here  we may contend,  through life & death  to You,  our Lord,  ascend.  Alleluia, alleluia!   Amen.  LSB 497:1, 3.