The Significance of Pentecost

I was recently working through my Seminary notes in preparation for our Session instructional time. I have reworked it considerably, but most of the content is attributable to Dr. Richard B. Gaffin. He has been more influential in structuring my thinking than any other scholar. I only hope that I have not lost or corrupted his teaching in what follows.

Luke structures the Acts narrative in terms of the promise Jesus gives in 1:8. The narrative has to do with the witness-bearing of the apostles, a witness activity that begins in Jerusalem, and expanding outwards from there. He documents the apostolic spread of the Gospel (and therefore the church) from Israel to the nations. So Luke is concerned to document the spread of the apostolic church from Jew to Gentile. This spread, geographically is to be understood ethnically. It has an ethnic qualification. It is a movement from Jew to the half-Jew (the Samaritan) to the non-Jew (the Gentiles). A sub-theme is the Jewish unbelief and rejection that contributes to this movement of the gospel to the nations. See 13:46-47.

1:8 is not a task given to the church indiscriminately, but one give to the apostles. And they completed the task. Now the completion, I think is on the order of the conquest under Joshua. Sure, there is still some mopping up to do. But the gospel has gone forth to the ends of the earth. I’m not suggesting that we stop missionary activity. Quite the contrary. But Col. 1:6, 23 clearly indicate that the program of Acts 1:8 is completed. Missions are not an extension of the apostolic task, but a filling in of the circle already established by the apostles. In terms of Redemptive History, Christ could have returned at any point following the completion of Acts. Why didn’t he? The only thing we are told is that the delay is related to his electing purpose. When all His elect are gathered, then the final end will come.

Acts 1:1 makes it evident that, whereas Luke was about what Jesus “began to do and teach”, Acts is about what the exalted Christ continued to do and teach. Pentecost is the hinge between the two. To see this, a little discussion of the Kingdom of God is in order. The kingdom proclaimed by jesus, is both present and future. We see it presented as the remote future in Matt. 8:11,12. This correlates with the final judgment (see Matt. 13:37-42; 49-50). It is difficult to reconcile the preterist position (correlating this only with A.D. 70) with this. The weeping and gnashing of teeth here are at the final judgment. (cf. Matt. 25:31-34; 41). It is presented as the near or immediate future in Matt. 16:28. The transfituration is a preview of the resurrection glory of Christ. For the time being it was secret (17:9), but after the resurrection, it will be the content of the gospel proclamation. There is also a present aspect to the kingdom in Jesus’ teaching. In Matt. 13:10-17, we see that the disciples have been privileged to experience the revelation of kingdom mystery. The contrast with the Old Testament prophets demonstrates the present reality of the kingdom. However we understand the difficult language of Matt 11:11-13, we can see that Jesus refers to a time subsequent to John the Baptist (the greatest of those outside, as in prior to, the kingdom) and including the present, the Kingdom is forcefully present. John represents the end of the Old Covenant, but they are included in the Kingdom. The least one presently in the Kingdom is in that respect greater than John, because John is outside of the Kingdom. Even though no one greater has been born than John. John has been granted the highest Redemptive Historical function a person can exercise -- he has the privilege of serving as the forerunner to the Messiah. That is his greatness. But in the exercise of that function, John is outside and prior to the coming of the Kingdom. Jesus is not saying that John is unsaved. He’s making a Redemptive Historical point. Probably the clearest indication of the presence of the kingdom in the ministry of Jesus is found in Matt. 12:28. More importantly, it links the kingdom with the Holy Spirit, the dynamic power of it.

So we have to see that the kingdom comes in installments. There are three stages: 1) The period culminating in His death and resurrection,
2) The period after -- between ascension and Pentecost and the parousia, 3) The period after the parousia.

The important thing to see is that the era in which we live is not in any sense a postponement of eschatological considerations, but is a distinct phase of the eschatology. (Mt. 16:18, 19; 28:18-20). “All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me.” We so focus on imperative here that we miss the indicative – our focus should be on the “therefore”.

With this background, let’s explore further the connection between the Holy Spirit and the Kingdom (a connection introduced at Matt. 12:28). We want to bring out here the connection between the Holy Spirit and the Kingdom, particularly as seen in Luke. We’ve already seen that connection in Mt. 12:28. Already in Luke 1:32-35, we see a strong connection between the Holy Spirit and the King(dom). We see it, too, in the baptism scene (Luk. 3:21-22). At the affirmation and appointment of Jesus to this kingdom task, he is given the Holy Spirit as his equipping endowment.

After the temptation – itself very much concerned with the kingdom, we see the beginning of Jesus’ ministry introduced with these words, “Jesus returned in the power of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of the Lord was upon him. So what did he teach? The present reality of the kingdom (Luk 4:14, 15, 18).

A comparison of Luk 11:13 and 12:32 will show that Jesus identifies, or at least correlates the kingdom and the giving of the Spirit. “The promise of the Father” (Luk 24:49; Acts 1:4) further demonstrates that Pentecost is a Kingdom installment. Being given the Spirit is the same as being in the Kingdom. In this sense, John the Baptist was not given the Spirit. We’re considering this from the perspective of historia salutis, not ordo salutis.

What happens between the resurrection and the ascension is a 40 day period of transition, an unstable period, redemptive historically (hence John 20:17). It is an important period, though. It is a period of teaching. (Luk 24:43-47). And the content of that instruction is the kingdom (v. 44 – what he taught while he was with them can be nothing else, as I hope we’ve seen). Explicit confirmation of this is found in Acts 1:3. What Jesus teaches them is that, if they are to understand their Bibles (our OT) correctly, they’ll have to see in it (“it is written”, v. 46) three things: Death, resurrection and church. The preaching of the Gospel to the nations is a kingdom phenomenon. The coming of the Spirit at Pentecost is to be seen as the manifestation of the Kingdom. Pentecost is a decisive juncture in the coming of the kingdom of God. Acts 1:4 refers to what we saw in Luk 24:49. Here, we have an explicit association of the Spirit and the Kingdom.

In Acts 1:6-8, Jesus doesn’t ignore their question. He does refocus it. They asked a question of “when”, and he gave them an answer of “what”. It is not as if the apostles ask a legitimate question about a future millennium, which Jesus implicitly affirms, but then goes on to talk about the church. This is not what is happening; He is not evading or changing the subject but is answering the question. What the disciples need is a present focus. If they are concerned about the kingdom, then they are to be interested in their task of world-wide gospel witness. And we can see that that is precisely what Paul was about (see Acts 28:23,31 as a summary of Paul’s preaching the whole counsel of God). Notice that he’s preaching the kingdom and teaching Jesus/gospel. He’s not preaching Jesus and giving eschatological lectures on the Kingdom. The Kingdom is the subject matter of preaching, and that involves teaching the things of Jesus.

As we continue to consider the significance of Pentecost, we should step back to the Jordan River. Acts 1:5 points forward to Pentecost by looking back to the ministry of John the Baptist (Luk 3:15-17). The crowd wants to know if John is the Christ. John’s answer is in effect a summary in one sentence of the Kingdom significance of himself and Jesus. It provides a contrast between himself and Jesus, capturing the respective significance of each for the Kingdom. To draw that summary comparison, John makes a contrast in which baptism is the common element. John sees baptizing activity to be central to each ministry; baptism is a basic index, and indicator, for the ministry of each. (cf. Luk 20:4 – assess John’s baptism and you assess his whole miistry). His baptism, with water, is anticipatory. But the messiah will come with Holy Spirit and fire baptism. Just as John’s baptism summarized his ministry, so he summarizes the ministry of the Christ in terms of Holy Spirit and fire baptism. John’s sign pointed to the reality of judgment. The crowds submitted to John’s baptism in hopes of having a favorable outcome at the judicial ordeal that is Christ-baptism.

So, as Acts 1:5 points to Pentecost as the fulfillment of this judicial, harvest baptism of Jesus, we can see that, whatever may be the full significance of Pentecost, what we must recognize is that Pentecost is basically a matter of judgment, a forensic reality. Pentecost is a part of God’s eschatological adjudication. Holy Spirit and fire do not refer to two different things, but to one and the same baptism. Luk 3:17 gives us a metaphor that illustrates v. 16. There is one threshing floor. There are two possible outcomes, grain and chaff. It is one harvesting activity. The same group is subject to both (“you”). Mark 1:8 omits “fire”. There is one messianic judgment that is experienced as blessing or destruction. It saves and destroys. In the prophets, fire is about judgment, but it purifies as well as destroys. Similarly, Isa. 11:4 shows that the Spirit is not always about blessing.

So we’ve been pointed back to the baptism scene. But why was Jesus baptized? It was not personal. He had no need of repentance. His baptism, rather, was an ordination, so to speak. We see that this is the case in the words from heaven (Luk 3:21-22). As the representative sin-bearer, Jesus’ baptism is an identification with those for whom he is the Christ. But it was also his commissioning, and so he is endowed with the Holy Spirit. Acts 10:38 provides a lens for viewing Jesus’ ministry: As anointed by the Holy Spirit with power, so He went about opposing Satan because God was with Him. That is what the anointing of the Holy Spirit means. For the Messianic Spirit and fire baptism to be a saving baptism, the Messiah must first be endowed with the Spirit in order to bear away the wrath and condemnation that their sins deserve. Luke is wanting to make clear that if they, the Messianic people, are going to receive the Spirit as gift, as blessing, then the Messiah Himself must receive it first in order to remove their just condemnation from the curse.

This is a coming together at the Jordan of the Incarnate Christ and the Holy Spirit. And so the eschatological climax of history begins. Here the Messiah begins that final Kingdom struggle. He officially and publicly steps forward. He is to pass through the ordeal of eschatological judgment and wrath. A baptism of fire that will eventually bring Him to the Cross and to His death. That is an ordeal from which He will emerge in His resurrection, vindicated and in eschatological triumph. (cf. Luk 12:49-51; Mark 10:36-40, among other things, these references reinforce the fact that baptisms are about judgment).
Lk. 12:50 connects the Jordan baptism at the beginning with the Cross baptism at the end. This brackets the entire ministry of Jesus. His entire ministry from baptism to resurrection is to be understood as a trial ordeal. In that sense it is a judgment, a baptism.

This point has been picked up within the Confessional tradition of the Church. See Heidelberg Catechism, Q. 37 Consider also Calvin’s Inst. (3:8:1), “His whole life was nothing but a sort of perpetual cross.”

According to Luke then, what John prophecies, what he intimates, is nothing less than the sum and substance of the manifestation of the coming of the Kingdom. What John intimated in his prophecy is all realized in the out-pouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. As Luke sees things, nothing less than the central redemptive purpose of the Messiah’s activity is realized in the baptism of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. The heart, the core of the Redemptive purpose in the Messianic activity of Jesus -- that is what is realized in Holy Spirit baptism at Pentecost.