Pentecost and Shavuot

We are soon coming up to the day of Pentecost.  Most of what I have learned of Pentecost in the Christian church has to do with this being the day that speaking in tongues was given as a sign of the holy spirit.  Now it is not my intention to get into a discussion of tongue speaking.  My intent here is to look at Pentecost a little bit deeper and see what is there.


Looking up Pentecost I see these following definitions, Pentecost is the Greek name, or Shavuot in Hebrew, for the Feast of Weeks, a prominent feast in the calendar of ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai; or, Pentecost is the great festival that marks the birth of the Christian church by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Pentecost means "fiftieth day" and is celebrated fifty days after Easter.  Now which one is it exactly?


Pentecost in scripture seems to be the first definition, or the Feast of Weeks celebrated by Israel commemorating the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai 50 days after their exodus from Egypt.  It can't be the birth of the Christian church because there were already believers in Jesus before that day.  So lets examine the Feast of Weeks and see if we can compare it to what happens in the new testament.


Moses at the appointed time came to deliver the Hebrews from bondage.  Jesus at the appointed time came to Israel to deliver them from bondage to sin.  Moses spent time proclaiming the Lord and deliverance to the people.  Jesus spent time declaring the Lord and proclaiming deliverance to the people.  Moses was resisted by the leaders.  Jesus was resisted by the leaders.  Moses showed miracles.  Jesus showed miracles.  The leaders sought to kill the Hebrews.  The leaders sought to kill Jesus.  Moses led the people from death unto life through the red sea.  Jesus led the people from death unto life through his burial and resurrection. 50 days later, God gave the law to the people.  50 days later God gave the Holy Spirit to the people.  There seems to be a lot of parallels. 



Modern traditions of the churches seem to have strayed away from the original meaning of Pentecost, or Shavuot.  The modern church seems to put a lot of focus on the outward signs of Pentecost rather than on the true meanings.  Some churches have so focused and perverted the miraculous tongue speaking that they have forgotten what the holiday was.  Others mark it as a birth of a new religion and separate it from its original roots.  Pentecost is really the same thing in both the old and new testaments.  In the old testament the law was given to give guidance to the people on living righteous lives.  In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit was given to guide believers in living righteous lives.  That was the most important thing about Pentecost (Shavuot) and why we should still be recognizing it today.


Shavuot is a holy day that should be celebrated and shared alike between both Christians and Jews for both have benefited in like manner from what happened on that day.  God IS the same yesterday, today, and forever.  He has not changed.  That fact needs to be recognized.  What happened on Sinai in Exodus, and what happened in the upper room in Acts are not different acts, but they are one and the same.  It's time for the modern church to throw away it's traditions of men and come back to scripture to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.