One thing is certain – those seven weeks after the Resurrection felt quite different to any other time before or afterwards. In part it was the tremendous joy which had filled the apostles now they knew for sure the Lord was still alive. They had been so crushed, so utterly deflated at his cruel and unexpected death, but those daily appearances, when behind closed doors he would suddenly stand amongst them, answering their questions, sharing their meals, had eventually convinced even Thomas that Jesus had conquered the grave.
However, in spite of their euphoria, there was something strange about the atmosphere. They were not as relaxed as they used to be. They were on edge, as if something was going to happen. Towards the end of the period there was a bright, sunlit morning when he led them out over the Kidron and up into the Mount of Olives. For an hour, it felt just like old times, as they basked in his love, his wisdom, his concern for each of them. And then, to their consternation, he had said goodbye in a very final way, and a cloud had settled round him, taking him out of their sight. They walked home desperately sad that day, sure that nothing would ever be the same again.
Since then, they had waited on in Jerusalem, as he had asked. "Before many days" he had promised "you shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:5). Strange words! As they met during the last week in their secret first–floor room to discuss what they ought to do, they felt an excitement, a tingling anticipation.
The call, when it came, took them by surprise. Jerusalem was packed with visitors for the Feast of Pentecost, the time when the green sheaf was waved in the Temple as a token of the harvest to come. The disciples were assembled in the upper room for their usual discussion, the doors locked for fear of spies. Within minutes, the whole place was in uproar, with people rushing along the streets and crowding round the foot of the stairway. What happened was burnt sharply into the memories of all who were present.
The first thing that distracted them was the noise. It was a fine day, and they were sitting quietly in a closed room, yet suddenly there was the howling of a great tempest right inside the house! It was eerie and frightening – the sound of a roaring wind, and yet not a breath of air stirring the curtains. Then, as they stared at each other, wondering what was going to happen next, they saw shimmering flames hovering over the heads of the twelve apostles, tongues of fire that rested on them, and yet left them completely unharmed. The ceiling was unblackened, and not a hair was singed. As the fire died away, the apostles started from their places. A strange and disturbing Babel filled the room. The apostles were speaking, aloud, and yet the words were impossible to follow. Only when they spilled down the stairway and into the street did the truth become apparent.
Jerusalem was full of foreign Jews who had made pilgrimages from many different countries to keep the Feast. As the apostles continued to speak together, the combined effect was perplexing and confusing. Some bystanders were convinced the apostles were drunk and were just babbling. Peter soon disposed of that idea – "It is only the third hour of the day", he pointed out – much too early for sampling the wine skins.
The expression of rapt concentration on the faces of the crowd, and their obvious delight, soon gave the secret away. The apostles were not speaking Greek, the international language of the first century, nor in Aramaic, the local tongue of Jews from Palestine. They were addressing, in faultless accents, Jews from countries as far apart as Persia in the east and Crete in the west, each in their own language. Within minutes, four humble fishermen, a tax collector, an ex–Jewish nationalist and their friends were speaking foreign languages like natives. The overall effect was confusing, but to the individual hearers, the message was crystal clear. "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?" they queried "and how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?" (Acts 2:7, 8)
