Pentecost and the Tower of Babel
Pentecost Sunday, May 23, 2010
Old Testament Reading, Genesis 11:1-9
New Testament Reading, Acts 2:1-21
Acts 2:1-4
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The Holy Spirit came with the sound of a mighty rushing wind. It was the sound of a storm, a tornado, a typhoon. The wind whistles around the corners, makes the telephone lines hum, it roars through narrow places; it cracks, it breaks, it shatters, it howls. You cannot see the wind, but you know it is there. Even if you are in a tight, well built home, and cannot feel the wind itself, when the typhoon comes, you can hear the wind and you know its power. It causes fear and excitement and curiosity that glue us to the television weather channel. And so it was and is with the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The Pentecost wind was a loud mix of all the noises created by a storm. Howling and screeching and roaring. It sounded like utter confusion. And then it came upon the disciples and became organized and clear and spoke the Word of Gospel so that it could be understood by everyone who heard it. In this way, the Holy Spirit proclaimed that the saving Gospel Message was for everyone in the world. It proclaimed the unity of all people in the love of God.
Pentecost is the opposite of the Tower of Babel.
Genesis 11:1-9Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
3 They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."
8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel; because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
Pentecost is the opposite of the Tower of Babel. At the Tower of Babel, God confused the languages of mankind in order that they might not become too unified and too proud. The problem with that pride was that they wanted to build a tower to reach heaven. This sort of a tower would be like a temple. From there they could control God and control the world. It was the beginning of unlimited sin and rebellion against God. This is why God came down to see the city and give proper judgment. God confused their language and scattered mankind over the face of the earth. Some people might think that the confusion of languages was a curse; others see it as a blessing by God in order to curb sin.
Pentecost is the opposite of the Tower of Babel. In the Gospel Message, people were unified in the grace of God. The cross of Jesus was the true tower that would reach heaven. The cross reached the place of God, not because it was lifted high into the sky, but rather because God in Jesus Christ came down to the tower of the cross. The pride of man was overshadowed by the shame of God who took upon himself the sin of the world. People who were scattered over the face of the earth because of sin were united in the love of God.
Pentecost is the opposite of the Tower of Babel. The people of Babel wanted to build this great, famous tower in order to make a name for themselves, and then they would be safe. It would be theirown power and fame that would save them. But on Pentecost, Peter preached the Good News that the Holy Spirit would give people faith to believe in Jesus of Nazareth. Peter quoted the Prophet Joel, saying, "And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" Acts 2:21. The unity and identity that the people of Babel wanted was to be found in Jesus Christ.
Today is Pentecost. Today is the opposite of the Tower of Babel. The trouble is that we all try to build our towers in order to reach heaven. We repeat the ancient sin. There are some classic bricks that people use to build their towers. The most common is good works bricks. If we stack up enough good works we will get to heaven: being a good person, keeping the Commandments, etc. This tower can be used by any religion since it does not need Jesus. There are money bricks. If you give offerings to church or your favorite cult, you can ride the elevator first class to heaven. But Jesus died penniless on the cross. He bought our salvation with his precious blood that he shed for us. There are also knowledge bricks. Kids in Confirmation Class have to be careful about this one. We memorize the books of the Bible, some famous Bible verses, the Ten Commandments, the Lord�s Prayer, the two natures of Christ, the three-fold office of Christ, the four Gospels, etc. But the final test of Catechism class is not the entrance examination into heaven. There is only one test question: Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? If you are not sure, then the Holy Spirit will whisper the correct answer into your heart.
Or, the Holy Spirit will come in as in a rush of a mighty windstorm and fire and reveal the truth to you. We do not build towers to heaven. God comes to earth. That is the message of Christmas, of Good Friday, of Easter, of Pentecost, and of the Second Coming. God has made a Name for Himself and the Holy Spirit builds his dwelling place in our hearts.
The Holy Spirit comes to us today on this Pentecost Sunday. The Spirit does not come with the sound of a mighty, howling wind, but in words we can hear and understand. We read the Bible, we sing the hymns, we pray the prayers, and we perform the liturgy. Because the Holy Spirit is speaking to us, it is not just the grammar and vocabulary that we understand. We understand the Gospel. The Holy Spirit speaks to each one of us so that we can see the love of God. We receive the forgiveness of sins. We confess our faith. We confirm and reconfirm our faith. And in the Lord's Supper, we renew the covenant of salvation.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Cor.13:14)
Amen.
Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church