The Spirit and Vision

The day of Pentecost occurs the 50th day after the Sabbath of Passover week; thus the first day of the week. The disciples of Jesus were all together in Jerusalem after his ascension following the Lord's instructions not to leave the city and to wait for "the gift promised by the Father." Jesus told them, "In a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:5).

Then “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues (languages) as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:2-4).

The disciples spilled out of the house and into the city streets where a crowd witnessed the miracle of Pentecost. Peter stood up with the rest of the disciples and addressed the crowd. He started by quoting the prophet Joel: “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams” (Joel 2:28, Acts 2:17).

Throughout the Scriptures God has revealed himself to people in dreams and visions. Joseph and Daniel are examples of this as were Paul and John. The “dreams and visions” came through the Spirit of God as he revealed himself to them. Whether this occurred while asleep or awake, the important thing to note is that it’s God’s Spirit that was speaking. It’s the Spirit providing the vision or revelation.

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” This is a familiar statement found in Proverbs 29:18 (KJV). A modern language translation states it this way: “Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint” (NIV).

In a previous presidential election campaign, George H. W. Bush referred to “the vision thing.” Critical to all leaders is the ability to communicate a vision and inspire people. Spiritual leaders receive a vision from God and share it with the people. They then provide the leadership necessary to realize the goal(s). Vision is essential – without vision we flounder on the sea and wander in the desert. With vision we are able to chart a course to lead us through our situations and into a blessed state.

No one ever had a greater vision then Jesus Christ. He instructed his followers to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel to all nations, “And repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his (Jesus) name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem”(Luke 24:47).

God is still speaking today. Are we listening to his voice and responding to his vision? He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches” (Rev. 3:22).

From Triumph to Trial

One of the greatest days in the Church calendar in addition to Christmas and Easter is Palm Sunday. This is the day we celebrate Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem. There were crowds of cheering people and he was accompanied by his admiring disciples. Christ's popularity was never higher. He had just raised Lazarus from the dead and there were many people in Jerusalem from Galilee who had seen the miracles and heard him teach. However, by Friday, things had radically changed. Jesus was betrayed by Judas, deserted by his followers, experienced the mockery of a trial, jeered by a crowd and finally put to death on a cross between two criminals. What happened--what went wrong to change things? Who was responsible for this reversal and why did it turn out this way?

We have already recounted the events of two thousand years ago. Let us look at the various people involved and then lastly, explain why this happened. Considering the possibilities of who was responsible for things going from triumph to trial, let us examine the biblical account in Matthew 26. Someone might suggest as is often the case when a leader falls from grace that he did something to cause this. This was not the reality with Jesus Christ. We might ask if one of his staff of followers did something. Judas to be sure played a major role by going to the Jewish authorities and offering to betray Christ for money. The Jewish religious leaders--the establishment--also played a major part. Apparently, their problem with Jesus was fueled by their jealousy and suspicion of him because of his popularity with the people. They were clearly threatened by this and were also at variance with him on his teaching. Jesus frequently corrected what had been corrupted by man down through the centuries on such things as the Sabbath. He emphasized "the spirit" and not "the letter" of the law, which is legalism.

Additionally, there were the two trumped-up charges that involved the temple and his messiahship and divinity. On the first point, Jesus had said, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up again in three days" (John 2:19). The context of this quote reveals that Jesus was speaking about his body and the resurrection and not the temple which was the focal point of Judaism. When he was asked if he were the Christ, the Son of the Living God, Jesus replied, "Yes, it is as you say" (Matthew 26:63-64). A key issue that still separates Jews and Christians is not so much whether Jesus is the Messiah but that Christ could be human and divine. The prophecy in Isaiah 9 indicates that this indeed is true. (See v. 6-7).

Looking for other people who also bear some responsibility, we would have to point out the crowds who were led to call out, "Crucify him!" when given the opportunity to choose between Jesus and Barabbas. The rulers at the time also deserve mention. Pilate, the Governor, and Herod, the Tetrarch over Galilee, could have seen that he received justice but each did not. Jesus was crucified by Roman soldiers because only the Romans had authority to execute someone. No doubt the soldiers would say that they were "just carrying out orders."

All of the above played a part in Jesus' death. But according to the New Testament, the real reason that Jesus went to the cross was to make atonement for the sins of the world (See Acts 2:23, 1 John 2:2 & Romans 3:25). This means that your sins and my sins put Jesus on the cross. He gave his live to be our Saviour. This is ultimately the reason that things happened as they did during Holy Week.