Prior to His death and again before His resurrection, Christ promised the sending of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would work on behalf of God, completing the mission of salvation with the full authority of God. As this was promised, it had to occur.
On Pentecost, the Apostles received the gift of the Holy Spirit in a miraculous way, and the effects became evident immediately. Reading the first chapters of the Acts of the Apostles, we can see the conviction of the Apostles and the impact that the Holy Spirit had on them personally and on the work of salvation.
We see God’s wisdom in the timing of the sending of the Holy Spirit. Historically, the Feast of Weeks occurred 50 days after Passover; hence, it was named Pentecost, meaning fiftieth in Greek. The feast was a harvest festival, and many Jews would pilgrimage to Jerusalem to bring their first fruit harvest offerings to the temple.
The sending of the Holy Spirit could have occurred at any time, but God chose the time when Jerusalem would be filled with Jews from near and far. Thus, when Peter delivered the first great sermon after being filled with the Holy Spirit, the message would proliferate throughout the region when the listeners returned home. If this had occurred at another time, the message would not have spread as quickly.
What can we learn from this? Firstly, God always does what He promises. This gives us great hope that nothing can prevail against His promises, and if we remain with Him, then we can be their beneficiaries.
Secondly, Christ’s messengers today, equipped with the Holy Spirit, preach the message of Jesus Christ with authority and conviction. Christ’s good news message continues to live today and is relevant for our salvation.
Lastly, God does everything at the right time. We often struggle with this as it does not always correspond to our schedule. If we trust in God in all situations, He will provide us with everything needed and at the right time, so that we can reach the promised goal.