the people; and they said, ‘All that the Lord has spoken
we will do, and we will be obedient!’ ”
This Jewish tradition avers that every Jewish person
standing at the foot of Mount Sinai
in their native tongue so that
they could understand what they
were hearing and obey. Now, this is
a tradition; we do not believe this
actually took place. But this custom
is ancient and may have been
known by Jesus and His disciples.
This new Pentecost took place
God, died for our sins. There were
signs and wonders accompanying
the pouring out of the Spirit, just
like at Mount Sinai, and those who
listened to the disciples preaching
heard this new revelation in their
native tongue. The giving of the
Spirit had come in just as powerful
at Sinai and therefore had great
authority for the disciples and the
Jewish people who had witnessed this event.
How gracious of God to use our culture and human
understanding to communicate His truth to us! He
make His point otherwise, but He often reveals Himself and
His truth in ways that humans can understand.
Perhaps the best example of this is when the Son of
God Himself
me to help us better understand the Father.
Counting the Days
We do not know when the pandemic will end, and therefore
we are unable to count the days until this challenging time
the waiting. That is one of the lessons of Pentecost, which is
clearly stated in the Psalms, “Wait for the Lord; be strong
As you read through this newsletter, I hope that you are
encouraged by some of the other lessons we can learn from
the Feast of Weeks.
May you be blessed in your waiting!
Your brother in Messiah,
The Chosen People | MAY 2020 3
Mitch
The Promise of the Spirit
one place, of one mind, praying and focusing on God’s work.
They were waiting in obedience to the
were observing the laws of Shavuot
Many were pilgrims who had left
their homes in other places to be part
of this festival, as Pentecost was one
of the three festivals when Jewish
people were commanded to “go up
to Jerusalem” to worship. These
worshippers probably remained in
Jerusalem between Passover and
Pentecost and were, therefore, away
from home for two months. God
would bless their obedience now in a
powerful way.
After many days of patient waiting,
the presence and power of the Holy
Spirit fell upon the disciples on the
new revelation given on Shavuot/
Pentecost! The giving of the Torah by
Moses at Mount Sinai had come with signs and wonders, as
people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at
its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the
There were signs and wonders in the Upper Room, marking
this transformed Pentecost. It was the birthday of a new
His Spirit in the last days!
The Tradition of All Israel
Being Present at Sinai
According to Jewish tradition, our sages taught that every
Jew who would ever live was at Mount Sinai, pledging their
Jewish person at that moment agreed to keep the Torah. The
“Then he
took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of
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