ACT 2:1-21, JOHN 14:8-17 , 25-27 

 

The ability to speak is a distinctive marker of humans as creatures endowed with reason by God. Through language, human civilization develops very diversely. That is what then gave birth to a variety of different cultures. Each language “ establishes ” its own world for its speakers. Language not only functions as a means of communication, but also as a guide in understanding social reality. Unfortunately, this reality also includes conflict and the control of one nation over another. Language is intertwined with power because it becomes a tool to establish and maintain power. Through language, individuals and groups can assert dominance, influence narratives, and create certain social structures.

 

In short, the intentions of power (the ruler) are visible in the engineered use of socialized language. Let's look for a moment at the dynamics of race politics in the United States. Today, black Americans assert their identity as African-Americans in the spirit of equality. There was a time when European Americans (simply classified as “white”) enforced their dominance by referring to African-Americans as negroes with the intent to denigrate. Similar power dynamics can be seen in this country, where there was a time when the government legally and formally distinguished the status of citizens as indigenous and non-indigenous, a colonial legacy that continues to be perpetuated to enforce domination and subjugate certain ethnicities. The reformation period has abolished this provision, but unfortunately this discourse continues to emerge and be politicized when needed by the contestants of the democratic party.

 

In the Bible, God jolted the pride of men at Babel by confusing the language of men, because in their mutual understanding and uniformity they wanted to rival God with the high tower they wanted to build. Human pride leads to division, envy, hatred and war. The Babel incident featured language as a medium for human division and pride. However, in the event of Pentecost, people were able to understand each other again. What does God have to say about this?

 

Acts 2:1-21, after Jesus' departure the disciples stayed in Jerusalem until the day of Pentecost. Then the Holy Spirit came down in tongues like flames of fire. They were possessed by the Holy Spirit and what marked the event was that they spoke in other tongues (Bhs. Greek: Xeno —ξένος meaning "foreign" and Lalia —λαλιά meaning "tongue" or "language"). Immediately there was a drastic change. The disciples, who had previously locked their doors and shut their windows tightly out of fear, suddenly spoke fluently of the deeds God had done in Christ. The disciples spoke foreign languages that were understood by people from all nations who had come to Jerusalem. God sent His Spirit to reunite the divided and rebuild the broken with a language that was unifying because it was spoken in the power of His Spirit. Language is no longer a medium of domination and control, but a means of conveying God's love that is available to all people of all cultures and languages.

 

The power of the Holy Spirit was long ago announced by Jesus himself as seen in John 14:8-17, 25-27. He promised the Spirit of truth who would be with the disciples in continuing the work of witnessing to Christ and accompanying them through any storms that might arise in the process of witnessing.

 

Christ's mandate to witness is still passed on to God's people throughout the ages, including us today.

The simplest medium of witness is through the words we speak or the barrage of words, images that represent ourselves in social media that are inseparable from modern human life. Pentecost is the day when the Holy Spirit descends and transforms human language. The tendency of language to divide and produce domination and oppression is subdued in His power so that it can become a tool to tell the story of God's great work in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ.

 

In the transformation that God brings through the Holy Spirit, God's people are united. The bond between the body of Christ is much stronger than just a common origin. His redemption gives birth to a common language in the midst of believers, namely the "language of love" that manifests in words, thoughts, and actions. It is the medium of our testimony that became His mandate when He ascended to Heaven and promised the Spirit of Comfort.

 

Reflective questions:

How can we strive to witness and be a blessing through the spoken word?