Recently I was reading John Polkinghorne’s book, “Quantum Physics and Theology”, in which he made the point that the resurrection of Jesus was the most significant event in human history . That event continues to impact the world to this day. Along with that event another subsequent event ignited that transformation that the world was to see.
The death of Jesus crushed the hopes and dreams of his followers, particularly the twelve he had appointed as apostles. So much so that when the women came to announce that Jesus’ tomb was empty and angels had appeared to them announcing that Jesus was alive, they didn’t believe them. Peter and John ran to the tomb to confirm that it was empty. John seemed to have some awareness of what had happened but Peter remained confused. Two other followers of Jesus left Jerusalem that day to walk to Emmaus. During their journey they were joined by another, who, unknown to them, was Jesus. At their destination and when they were about to eat, they recognized him; it was Jesus. Excited, they returned to Jerusalem to tell the others, who had already seen Jesus. Their despair had turned to joy, but they still struggled with doubt and fear during the forty days that Jesus remained on earth and appeared to them numerous times. During that time, Jesus informed them that they were to remain in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father, the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5). Even so, Matthew recorded that at Jesus’ ascension into heaven some still doubted (Matthew 28:17). Even after seeing Jesus, spending time with him, receiving instruction from him, some doubted. How could such a group of individuals, some of whom struggled with what they had experienced, go out and initiate a movement that changed the world? The writer and historian Luke, explains what happened. Ten days after Jesus ascended into heaven, and fifty days after he rose from the dead, the festival Pentecost was celebrated in Jerusalem. Because of that festival all of Jesus’ followers were gathered together in one place. Then, Luke tells us, a sound from heaven came, like a mighty rushing wind, which filled the house where they were. Tongues of fire appeared and rested on each one of them. Then they began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit enabled them (Acts 2:1-4). There was such a commotion that their neighbors overheard what was going on. Some of them had traveled from different places and spoke different languages. They were shocked to hear these uneducated Galileans, speaking their own languages. Some among them claimed that they were drunk. At this Peter got up and explained what had happened; God was fulfilling the prophecy that Joel had made that God would pour out his Spirit; Peter then exhorted them to repent and follow Jesus. Three thousand of them did so that day. From that time forward, Jesus’ followers were different people. They no longer doubted. They no longer feared what the Jews could do to them. The rest of the book of Acts, records their transformed lives.
We cannot fully understand the global transformation that Jesus has worked through his followers in the last two thousand years, without also acknowledging the empowering role of the Holy Spirit in his followers’ lives. The world is a different place because first God became a man in the person of Jesus, confirming his deity by conquering death, but along with that God continues to be present on planet earth through the Holy Spirit indwelling and transforming followers of Jesus enabling them to do what Jesus did and according to Jesus, do even greater things that he did (John 14:12).
David Freitag 