The Day of Pentecost (Shavuot)
Acts 2
o Last week:
Are you a disciple?
Applying Jesus’ teaching to
your daily life?
Can others see the fruit of
the Spirit in your life?
Do you share Jesus with
others?
How is your homework doing?
________
_________
________
You
Who?
Who?
Who?
Background from the end of Acts 1:
v After seeing Jesus ascend into heaven, the disciples returned to
Jerusalem.
vThey went to the “room” where they were staying – the upper
room (banquet room) where they celebrated the Passover meal
with Jesus – the home of John Mark’s family (Mark - the author
of the Book of Mark).
vAll 11 disciples were there, plus Jesus’ mother and His brothers,
plus others – 120 people there.
vMatthias chosen to replace Judas Iscariot.
March/April Yearly:
Feast of the Unleavened
Bread: started with the
Passover supper and
lasted 7 days
First Fruits Celebrated on
the 1
st
Sunday after
Passover – Spring
harvest. (Easter Sunday)
Pentecost: 50 days after
the First Fruits Feast
Feast of the Unleavened Bread
• Exodus 12: 17 – 20
• Preparing for the Passover, all yeast
was to be removed and homes were
cleaned to remove any yeast in the
home. Yeast = picture of sin
• Bread made without yeast to show
the urgency of the time… no time to
wait for the yeast to raise the bread
dough
• Symbolic of Sanctification – the
cleansing of our sins…
The Day of First Fruits:
vSpring or early harvest
was celebrated by
bringing an offering of
the first harvest to be an
offering to the Lord
vSymbolic of Christ’s
resurrection: in I Cor. 15,
Jesus is called the First
Fruit of the resurrection
Celebrated the Sunday after
Passover
Pentecost - Different Names:
• Shavuot = the 49 days between the First Fruit celebration and the Day
of Pentecost…it is the celebration of the giving of the Torah (10
Commandments+) and God coming to mankind through His Word
• Pentecost is the 50
th
Day after Passover – to celebrate God’s provision
and the escape from Egypt ( bondage)
• Exodus 23:16 = Feast of the Harvest
• Exodus 34: 24, Leviticus 23: 15 – 22 and Deuteronomy 16: 9 – 12 =
Feasts of Weeks
How did the Jews Celebrate Pentecost
• A wave offering: used 2 loaves of freshly made bread and a killed lamb
were waved over the head of the priest
• 7 one year old male lambs, 1 young bull, and 2 rams were used as burnt
offerings (volunteer or free will offerings )
• 2 lambs for fellowship offering (just because/love offering)
• 1 goat sacrificed for a sin offering
• The “feel” of the day was to rejoice and give thanks for all that God had
done for His people. A time to be thankful!
Acts 2!
The 120 were gathered together on the
Day of Pentecost giving thanks for what
the Lord had done in their lives
The room shook and the presence and
power of the Holy Spirit filled the room
and filled each one with the Holy Spirit –
the Baptism of the Holy Spirit … to be
continued next week…
WHAT DOES PENTECOST MEAN TO US
TODAY?
• “We owed a dept (our sins) – we could not pay… He paid a
dept (for our sins) – He did not owe”…
• Remember where we came from! What He saved me from
• John 14 – 16 = the infilling (baptism) of the Holy Spirit is
for all believers … it is a gift from the Father, sent by the
Son… so we can BE witnesses as victorious Christians!