Living Sacrifices And... Frog Legs???

What do frog legs have in common with living sacrifices? Well, it has to do with something that happened to my mom and dad.

First, let me remind you of the verse that mentions living sacrifices.

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 

(Rom 12:1 NAS)

In the preceding chapters, Paul discusses his concern for his fellow Israelites. I believe he is also revisiting a question he asked at the start of chapter three: What advantage has the Jew? So, in that context, Paul evokes image of the Old Testament sacrificial system.

Now, we often think of those sacrifices in terms of atonement for sin. But Leviticus 7 speaks of thanksgiving sacrifices. The Law of Moses also speaks of celebratory sacrifices made at some of the Feasts.

Paul equates the presenting of your body as a living sacrifice to one of those celebratory sacrifices.

But living sacrifices differ from Old Testament sacrifices in one major way: the animal sacrificed would be dead before it reached the altar.

This shows us a principle that has been forgotten in Christianity. A sacrifice is not truly a sacrifice until you give up all claim to it.

Too many people today see church attendance, tithing, ushering, singing in the choir, etc., as sacrifices made to “serve the Lord.” But they hang on to those things as reasons why God should bless, heal, or prosper them, or to answer their prayers. They haven't totally let go.

In the Old Testament sacrificial system, someone would bring an animal to the gate of the courtyard that surrounded the Temple building and the Bronze Altar. At the gate, the priest would kill the animal and drain its blood into a vessel. Then the priest would take the animal to the Bronze Altar to burn it there.

(By the way, when I read the description of the Bronze Altar in the New American Standard, it sounded like a large, portable barbecue pit.)

The person who brought the animal might stay at the gate to observe the sacrifice, but eventually they leave without it.

So, presenting your body as a living sacrifice means that you give up all claim to your body.

Now in my early days in Christianity, this verse would come up in discussion of living sacrifices.

The LORD is God, and He has given us light; Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.

(Ps. 118:27 NAS)

Note in particular the last statement: BIND the festival sacrifice to the HORNS of the ALTAR. 

Why would the an altar have horns?

Well, here is where Mom, Dad, and frog legs come into the picture.

Dad grew up in the southern end of Tulsa County, near the banks of Duck Creek, in a community called Liberty Mounds. It was a very rural area, so Dad was a country boy, and he grew up eating foods that country people would eat — like frog legs.

Dad later served in the Navy during World War Two, and stayed in afterwards. Soon after leaving the Navy, he met and married Mom in Wichita, Kansas.

Mom was born in western Kansas, and Kansas is about all she had seen of the world when she met Dad. He had to teach her how to cook the country food he loved.

The first time she tried cooking frog legs, she dropped a pair into a hot cast-iron frying pan, and they jumped out of the skillet!  They scared her so bad, she refused to cook frog legs from then on.

Why did the frog legs jump? Because of how nerves and muscles work.

I learned about this during CBR training in the National Guard. CBR stands for Chemical, Biological, and Radiological warfare. My unit had a member who was a certified specialist in that field.

The film he showed us about nerve gases described how nerves and muscles work, and how nerve agents disrupt those processes.

Nerves control muscle movements by releasing chemicals in response to a stimulus or a signal from the brain. Those chemicals will make a muscle contract, (tense up), or relax, depending on which chemical the nerve releases. Nerve gases interrupt those processes, causing the nerves to constantly release those chemicals, alternating between contracting and relaxing the muscles in a runaway manner. The results are very unpleasant, and often deadly.

Even after death, nerves can release those chemicals for a time, and the muscles will still be able to react.

The hot grease in the frying pan caused the frog legs to jump by stimulating the nerves in the frog legs.

The same thing could happen when a freshly killed animal sacrifice is placed on a burning fire. So, God's design for the Bronze Altar called for a horn at each corner at the top, so the priests can tie down the carcass.

Why keep the sacrifice on the altar this way? To complete the sacrifice process. If the animal fell to the ground, it would become unholy and unacceptable. The animal would have to be discarded and another animal brought in for sacrifice.

Now, you should be able to see why binding the sacrifice to the altar is important, especially for a living sacrifice.

Today, we don't burn sacrifices on an altar made of metal.

(Well, I remember one preacher said he knew his wife worshiped him, because when they were first married, she offer him three burnt sacrifices everyday.)

How can we bind ourselves to the altar?

Let's start with this passage.

Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. Now if we put the bits into the horses' mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.

(James 3:1-12 NAS)

I am sure you have heard and read teachings on passage focusing on controlling the tongue. I know I have.

I am not sure if anyone notices or remembers a key point made in verses 2 and 3, and illustrated in verse 4: he who controls his tongue is able to control his body.

Hmmm... present your body a living sacrifice...bind the sacrifice to the altar...binding is a form of control....controlling the tongue enables one to control their body.

Could controlling your tongue be the key to controlling your body as a living sacrifice?

In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory." And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven." Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

(Isaiah 6:1-8 NAS)

I haven't heard anyone speak from this passage in a long time, and I wonder why, in light of this passage:

Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ, John answered and said to them all, "As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. "His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

(Luke 3:15-17 NAS)

Notice the progression here: Jesus baptizes people in the Holy Spirit AND fire. Why the fire? To clear His threshing floor by burning up the chaff.

What's chaff? In our current urbanized, and digitized society, many may not know or some might need a reminder. Chaff is the outermost husk or shell on cereal grain, like wheat or barley. It is generally inedible and useless. Chaff represents the spiritually useless things in the life of a believer.

Another interesting point is to consider John's reference to the “threshing floor.” Matthew's account mentions that many of the people John the Baptist spoke those words to were from Jerusalem.

The city of Jerusalem was formed from two separate towns that were close together: Jebus and Salem. Jebus was the last Canaanite city to fall to the Israelites. David led that conquest soon after ascending to the throne of Israel. The section of Jerusalem that once was Jebus is also called the City of David.

(Now, you have probably heard or read that Bethlehem is the City of David. Well David had two cities named as his city. One was the city of his birth, and the other was the city of his conquest.)

Jebus means “threshing floor.” Jerusalem is often a symbol of the Body of Christ. The purpose of the baptism of fire is the the purging of the Body of Christ.

CONCLUSION: To present your body as a living sacrifice means you give up all claim to your body. Doing so is reasonable and spiritual worship. Your body will react to this sacrificial process the same way dead flesh is still able to react to a stimulus, just like the frog legs in the illustration. To prevent this, the sacrifice must be bound to the altar by controlling the tongue and the tongue controlling the body. Praying in tongues applies the cleansing fire to your tongue. Prayer, confession, and gracious speech are how you control the tongue.

THE SIGN OF JONAH

Please read Matthew 12: 1 – 45.

   Here are the key verses:

   Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."

   But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

 (Matt. 12: 38 - 40 NAS) 

   The entire passage is the context for the Sign of Jonah. I will not cover everything in the context because some sections are sub-contexts that can stand on their own, but they still fit into the full context. I will look at the these sub-contexts as needed.

    The primary focus of this article will be on three things: 1.) the Pharisees' thought processes, 2.) the characteristics of the Sign of Jonah, and 3.) the event that meets these characteristics.

The Pharisees' Thought Processes

Before the events recorded in this chapter, the Pharisees didn't know what to make of Jesus.  On the one hand, He believed some of the same things they believed: the existence of angels and spirits and the resurrection of the dead. On the other hand, He taught with authority, like He knew what He was talking about (He did!), while their teaching style was tentative (undecided) and speculative (based on guesswork). He also operated in miracles. These things caused people to turn to Him, and that took influence away from the Pharisees. 

    Now, Jesus didn't intend to take influence away from them, as we see happening in politics. He came to save people and bring them the truth.

   But the Pharisees' view of Jesus changed. 

   Speaking of views, you can see many videos on the Internet where people attempt stunts, and the stunts go very wrong very quickly. Sometimes you can see the potential for things to go sideways as they start the stunt.

    I'm sure many viewers wonder, “What were they thinking?” My question is, “Were they even thinking?”

     Well, in our passage, the Pharisees were thinking.   But their thought processes led them wrong, and, spiritually speaking, things got sideways very quickly!

     Their thought processes are shown in their view of the the Sabbath. I have already covered this in another article:

https://lightseekerok.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-sabbath-was-made-for-man.html

You can find a printer friendly version here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dssnsuli2tyv7py/SabbathMadeForMan.pdf?dl=0

    In short, their thought processes showed carnal, natural reasoning based on information gained through the five physical senses. For our purposes today, we see how their view of the Sabbath flavored their view of the Disciples' actions in the grainfield, and their view of Jesus.

   As I stated in the Sabbath article, the Pharisees' saw the Sabbath as a restriction on activity, the Disciples were Sabbath-breaking sinners, and Jesus was a leader who condoned Sabbath-breaking. 

   But that's not all. Now look at the episode recorded in verses 9 through 14.

    What Jesus said to the Pharisees in the grainfield had no effect on them, except one. Now, they were watching Him more closely.

    After leaving the grainfield, Jesus and His Disciples went into a synagogue. The Pharisees were there, and a man with a withered hand was there also.

     Most likely, the man's withered hand was not a birth defect. When someone had a birth defect, the Scriptures say they were born with the condition, or they had the problem since birth. An accident or disease caused the man's hand to shrivel.

    No matter what the cause was, Jesus was the answer.

    The Pharisees knew that Jesus would want to heal the man, so they not only watched Him to see if He would, they challenged Him. They wanted to know if He would go beyond condoning Sabbath-breaking to break the Sabbath Himself!

    Jesus not only answered their challenge, He made His answer personal, by asking what they would do if had a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath.

    In a similar incident recorded in Luke 14: 1 – 6, He asks about a son or ox falling into a well. He goes on to state that they would IMMEDIATELY pull their son or ox out of the well.

   Now, remember that Jews measure their days from sunset to sunset. When is a person or livestock animal likely to fall into a pit or a well? When they can't see it – most likely in the dark. Jesus was as much as asking them if they would leave their child or animal in a pit through the rest of the night and and all through daylight before they would attempt a rescue. Of course they wouldn't!

    Jesus described the man's healing as a rescue. Verse 13 states the man's hand was restored to normal. That tells us the man's hand had once been healthy. When he lost use of his hand, he lost his ability to earn a living. He could go back to work with a restored hand. Jesus rescued the man from a life or poverty!

    But still, the Pharisees did not change, except now they thought they had strong evidence against Jesus.

    In their eyes, when Jesus healed that man, He broke the Sabbath. They saw Him as a Sabbath-breaking sinner!

    If He was a sinner, then no way could He be the Messiah of Israel, much less the Son of God!

    Thankfully, that was only their twisted thinking, and not the truth!

     Now, look at verse 14. They formed a conspiracy against Him! Operation Get Rid of Jesus had begun!

    After this synagogue Sabbath healing service, Jesus continued His healing ministry elsewhere (verses 15 – 21). Jesus didn't let the plans of men stop Him from doing His Father's Will!

    Then we come to the incident where the Pharisees ask for a sign.

    Someone brings Jesus a man who had two problems – he is mute (cannot speak) and he is blind (cannot see). Both problems have the same cause – demon. Jesus solves both problems by casting out the demon.

    The people react to this healing by openly speculating if Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah of Israel.

    Well, that got the Pharisees stirred up! In their view, Jesus was a Sabbath-breaking sinner. He was disqualified from being the Messiah! If Jesus was casting out demons, He was not doing so with God's power. The only other source of power for expelling demons was Satan himself. So according to their twisted logic, Jesus was using Satan's power to cast out demons. Not only did they think that, they said it!

    Jesus couldn't let that accusation go unanswered. I won't elaborate on His answer, but I will point out, for your study and meditation, that His response included everything from verse 25 to verse 37, including His warning about the Unpardonable Sin.

    Once again, Jesus' answer had no effect on the Pharisees.

    Now Jesus and the Pharisees were trying to get each other to repent.

    The Pharisees wanted Jesus to stop. They saw Him not just as a rival, but also as a false prophet who broke the Sabbath and operated by Satan's power. However, as I said earlier, He believed some of the same things they did, so they might have thought they could “save” Him.

    Jesus wanted them to repent because He loved them and He was concerned about their eternal destinies.

    So, they were now at an impasse, a standoff. They had accused Him of being a false prophet, and He had charged them with committing a sin that could not be forgiven.

    The Pharisees offered a “solution.” If Jesus would just perform a sign – a miracle – that would prove He was the Messiah, then they would believe in Him.

Miracles, Signs, and Wonders

Before I go into detail about the kind of sign the Pharisees were looking for, I want you to understand what miracles, signs, and wonders are.

    A miracle is an event that does not happen according to the laws of nature. God created those laws, and built them into the design of the physical universe.

    Nature obeys those laws because it has no choice.

    Now, people might not know those laws, or even be aware of their existence. In ancient times, people would attribute to gods or spirits any natural phenomenon they could not explain. Now we know what causes some of those phenomena, and according to the laws we know, we can predict when some of those events are likely to happen.

    However, I still see people attribute supernatural causes or explanations to natural events they do not understand.

    I also recognize that God is greater than the physical universe, and He is well capable of acting to effect the realm we perceive with our five physical senses. When that happens, it's a miracle.

    Sometimes a miracle is just a miracle. Sometimes a miracle is a sign. Sometimes a sign can be a wonder.

    What makes a sign a sign? What makes anything a sign? It carries a message.

    If you drive along a major city street and you see a big chunk of metal shaped like a cowboy hat and it has the word “Arby's” on it, that's a sign. The message is that you can get roast beef and other types of sandwiches there. (Now, if you're hungry for Arby's, don't blame me. You're on your own.)

    A miracle that comes with a message is a sign. God is not just acting to affect the physical realm, He's trying to say something through that miracle!

    Sometimes, the message isn't so obvious, and people can't figure out what God is trying to say.   So, they WONDER!

    We will see this more clearly later, but now you should know what miracles, signs and wonders are.

The Characteristics Of The Sign Of Jonah

The Sign the Pharisees Sought 

The Pharisees were looking for Jesus to perform a miracle that would say, “This man is God's Anointed One (Messiah, or Christ).” They were not going to settle for just any miracle.

     They never denied that Jesus performed miracles. They had seen Him heal. They had seen Him cast out demons. They never denied that Jesus had done, or was capable of doing those things. They knew Jesus performed real miracles, that His actions were not illusions like those performed by stage magicians.

    They didn't deny the miracles of Jesus. They just denied that He did them by the power of God.

    The Pharisees would not be satisfied by the types of miracles they had already seen out of Jesus. They wanted something more – more powerful, more impressive. They wanted something spectacular!

    They wanted something the same scale as the miracles done by Moses – plagues on Egypt, parting the sea, water from rocks, making a large flock of birds appear to provide enough meat to feed their entire nation!

Jesus Agrees to Give a Sign, with a Warning 

   Before Jesus agrees to perform a sign for them, He gives them a warning. He informs them that a generation that seeks a sign is evil and adulterous. “Wicked” is the word used in Luke 11: 29.

    Why would Jesus consider sign-seeking wicked and adulterous?

     Wickedness is rooted in the carnal, natural reasoning used by the Pharisees, and is often tied to the emotions. Focusing on information gained only through the five physical senses blinds one to revelation knowledge. Reasoning based on such a focus leads one to incorrectly assume they are right with God when they are not. Continuing to follow that path leads to death.

    There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. 

(Proverbs 14:12 NAS)

    For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.  For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 

(Romans 8: 5 - 8 NAS)

   The adultery Jesus spoke of is spiritual, not physical. The Jews were married to God through the Old Covenant. Before the Babylonian Captivity (actually, it was more of a relocation), the Israelites committed spiritual adultery by worshipping other gods. The Pharisees committed adultery by worshipping money and wealth.

    Notice one thing – Jesus never said He wouldn't answer the Pharisees' request. He just wasn't going to do it right then.

    So, He did agree to give them a sign. All He did that day regarding the sign was give them enough information to recognize the sign when it happened.

Jesus Describes the Sign

What information did Jesus give that day?

    First, we already know this would be a miracle – an event that would not happen according to natural law.

    Second, this miracle would be a sign. It would carry a message.

    The message would be that Jesus is indeed the Anointed One of Israel – the Christ – the Messiah.

    Also, because the miracle delivers a message, it would happen in public and it would be large scale.

    The message would be confirmed by, and confirm, the fact that only Jesus of Nazareth could perform the miracle.

    But wait! That's not all! Jesus ties this miracle to the story of Jonah.

    Now here we come to a tricky part. Jesus ties His sign to Jonah by mentioning the three days and and three nights Jonah spent inside the whale. Jesus adds that He will spend three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. One can easily assume the three days and three nights are the sign.

    But wait! That is not all Jesus said about the sign of Jonah! In Luke 11:30, Jesus makes this statement:

    "For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

     “AS JONAH BECAME A SIGN!”

    That tells us the Sign of Jonah wasn't the time he spent inside the whale. Jonah himself was a sign to the Ninevites.

    How, when, was Jonah a sign?

    At this time, I request that that you read the entire book of Jonah before continuing with this article. You will find it right in-between Obadiah and Micah.

    I also recommend that you look at a map that shows the locations of Joppa in Israel and Nineveh in Assyria. If your Bible doesn't have such a map, here's a link to a map that shows the locations mentioned in Jonah's story:

https://www.openbible.info/geo/preview/jonah

    I'll cover the relevant points in the book of Jonah.

    The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me."

(Jonah 1: 1 - 2 NAS)

    In the first two verses we see God giving Jonah a mission to preach repentance to the Ninevites.

    Jonah's immediate response?  He runs away from the job!

    He does this by boarding a ship at Joppa on the Mediterranean coast and sailing west when he should have headed northeast towards Nineveh.

    The remainder of chapter one tells how Jonah wound up in the whale. Chapter two records Jonah's prayer while still in the whale, and how he returned to dry land.

    Did Jonah become a sign to the Ninevites then?

    No.

    Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you."

(Jonah 3: 1 - 2 NAS)

   God had to speak to Jonah a second time about going to Nineveh. Why would God have to do that if Jonah had gone directly to Nineveh?

    Jonah needed to take some time to recover after getting back to dry land.  After all, he had spent three days in darkness, exposed to the whale's digestive juices, and tossed around as the whale repeatedly came up for air.  So, Jonah recognized that he needed to take a few days to get back to normal.

    But those few days became more than just a few. Jonah might have forgotten about Nineveh, and/or he probably thought God forgot too.  At least Jonah might have been hoping so!

    I would say, “No such luck,” but I don't believe in luck.   How could a God who knows everything ever forget anything?   He doesn't give up on His purposes either, as long He can find someone, anyone, who will obey.

    God must have known that Jonah would obey.  So He spoke to him again.   As long as you have a job to do, you have a job to do – especially when God gives you an assignment!

    I remember someone relating this story as if Jonah had landed right outside Nineveh, but that is not what the Scripture and the maps say.

    Jonah entered the whale somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea. I believe this was not far from land, for the Scriptures say the ship's crew was trying to each land while still in the storm.

    Nineveh is nowhere near any seashore. It is located on the upper Tigris River. The closest seashores are over three hundred miles away!  For the whale to swim from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf and up the Tigris to Nineveh, it would have had to gone all the way around the continent of Africa and the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula first.  That is definitely more than a three day trip!

    Most likely, Jonah landed near the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean. Wherever he landed, he got comfortable there, until God reminded him of his assignment.

    So, Jonah didn't become a sign to the Ninevites right after coming out of the whale. He didn't become a sign to until he appeared in Nineveh!

    How long did Jonah take to reach Nineveh? I don't know. Some scholars think that once he started, the journey took three days, but going from the Mediterranean coast to Nineveh must have taken longer. I think fifty days, but no more. You might see why I say fifty days later on.

    What happened when Jonah arrived at Nineveh? The entire nation, including the king, repented. This is an important characteristic of the Sign of Jonah because Jesus also says the Ninevites repented at Jonah's preaching. Jesus added that the Ninevites by their repentance are qualified to judge the unrepentant Pharisees.

Time for a Review

Let's go back and list the characteristics of the Sign of Jonah:

1. It would be miracle, a supernatural event not possible under the laws of nature.

2. It would be a sign, a miracle that carries a message.

3. The message would be that Jesus is the Anointed One of Israel, the Christ, the Messiah.

4. To capture the attention of many, the sign must happen publicly, and on a large scale.

5. The message would be confirmed by, and confirm, the fact that only Jesus of Nazareth could perform the miracle.

6. This sign would come after the Resurrection of Christ, but not soon after.

7. This sign would bring many to repentance.

Now, The Sign of Jonah

Where do we see in the New Testament an event that has all these characteristics?

    The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2.

    We know this as the day of Pentecost. What was Pentecost to the Jews?

Pentecost was one of the three major Feasts of Israel, but it is called the Feast of Weeks, or Shavu'oth, in the Old Testament.

    Originally, it was a a thanksgiving celebration to mark the end of the springtime wheat harvest. Leviticus 23, Numbers 28, and Deuteronomy 16 describe offerings for this occasion. Since the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, no one can make those sacrifices, so the Jews today emphasize the giving of the Law, or Torah, at Sinai, which happened around the same time.

    Shavu'oth is the Hebrew word for 'Weeks.' The festival came seven Sabbaths, or weeks after Passover. Today, Jews still celebrate Shavu'oth as a major observance, but not all Christians celebrate Pentecost. The only thing they have in common is they occur in the same time frame.

    Many liturgical (ritualistic) churches do observe Pentecost as the birth of the church, but they don't emphasize the infilling of Holy Spirit. Ironically, I see very few Pentecostal and Charismatic groups celebrating Pentecost.

Setting the Scene

    As a major feast, the Torah required Israelite or Jewish men to present themselves at the Temple. (See Exodus 23 and Deuteronomy 16.) So, this was a very popular holiday in Jerusalem, with increased chances of something happening publicly.

    You see, the requirement for men to appear at the Temple meant that Jews from all over would be in town for the holiday. Because the requirement was for all three of the major feasts, and because travel was not as fast then as it is now, very few men had the time or money to go to Jerusalem in time for Passover, then return home, then return for Shavu'oth, if they lived far away. So, what many did was this: they would arrive in Jerusalem before Passover, find temporary lodging and work, if needed, and then stay through Shavu'oth. If they could afford to, they just might stay for the remaining festivals in autumn.

    To sum it up, the population of Jerusalem had grown because of the number of people staying there for feasts.

    The physical setting also contributed to the probability of a very public event occurring. Jerusalem covers three mountain tops. Sounds carry in high country like the mountains and hills. Any loud noise originating high up would surely draw the attention of many people.

    While we are still setting the scene, let's consider who the disciples of Jesus were. They were Jews. Many of them most likely followed the teachings of the Pharisees. They sought to keep the Law of Moses the best they could. That meant they kept the Sabbath, ate a Kosher diet, and their best to stay ceremonially clean. Also, like the Pharisees, they believed in the resurrection of the dead on the last day, and the existence of angels and spirits. Jews are expressive in their faith. Ever see the movie, “Fiddler on the Roof?”

    Most of the disciples were also Galileans.  Galilee was the backwater part of the country of Israel.  Geographically, it is hilly and mountainous in the eastern part around Lake Galilee.  It also has a flat area in the middle, and a few mountains near the coast.

    Most Galileans were what we would call blue-collar types: farmers, shepherds, fishermen, carpenters, etc. You would not find many scholars, academics, or intellectuals there. Galileans were generally not widely traveled, highly educated, or very sophisticated. They were the rednecks of their culture.

Now for the Play by Play

    So, let's examine in detail what happened that day to see if, and how, Pentecost meets the requirements to be the Sign of Jonah.

    The Galilean disciples of Jesus were together in the Upper Room, and spending time in prayer. Jesus had taught the Twelve about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, and they had passed that teaching on to the other disciples.

    Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." 

(Act s 1: 4 - 5 NAS)

  ''And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' '' 

(Acts 11: 16 NAS)

   Shavu'oth/Pentecost was already a festive, upbeat occasion, but now the atmosphere in the room was charged with expectation and excitement!

    Then strange things started to happen.

     And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

 (Acts 2: 2 NAS)

   First, a sound like a fast and violent wind blew fills the house. Notice, the Bible does not say a physical wind blew into the room – only a sound occurred. I've heard wind make sounds as it blew through trees, bushes, telephone wires, and against windows and walls. But I have never heard the sound of a wind without a wind! Strange...

    I know the King James says, “mighty” instead of “violent.” But I like that the NAS says “violent.” The wind that came into the Upper Room that morning was not a natural wind, but a spiritual one. And it wasn't just strong, it was strong enough to to do damage. But the damage wasn't done to people, it did damage to Satan's kingdom!

    As a storm spotter, I can tell you this sound probably was not like a tornado. Tornadoes strong enough to do damage produce a sound that lasts a while. That's why people often say a tornado sounds like a freight train.

    While this sound was loud, it was not sustained. The sound was more like a down-burst than a tornado. Many people think the only winds that cause damage are tornadoes and hurricanes. But straight-line and downburst winds can cause damage too.

    A downburst happens when a storm collapses and pours out air and possibly precipitation. During the life of a storm, a core of cold and dense air is fed by and supported by an updraft of warm and moist air. When the updraft gets cut off, the core will fall, hit the ground suddenly, and spread out equally in all directions. The sound is not just “whoosh,” but “WHOOSH!”

    Luke tells us the sound filled not just the Upper Room, but the entire house as well. Remember what I said about how sounds carry in the hills and mountains? You can be sure that people outside the house heard it too.

    Shavu'oth/Pentecost occurs in late spring, when strong and severe storms happen the most. The people outside the house must have thought that a surprise storm had happened. I'm sure they started looking around for signs of bad weather.

    You can now see the beginnings of how this event became public.

    That's not all. Another strange thing happened.

     And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. 

   (Acts 2: 3 NAS)

   Tongues that looked like fire appeared. Those tongues split and spread apart to touch each person in the Upper Room.

    Now, the people touched by these tongues had no way to exactly describe what they looked like. The only thing they could compare the tongues to was fire. The tongues glowed and flowed and shimmered the same way fire does. But the tongues were not physical fire. They only looked like fire to these people.

    I have seen paintings showing what artists think how this scene appeared. The usually show a small flame on top of each persons head. They look like human candles. While that might be a cute image, I do not think it is accurate.

    Just before Jesus ascended to heaven, He told his disciples they would soon be baptized in the Holy Spirit. I will stick to my Baptist roots – Baptism means Immersion!

    These Galileans were being immersed in the Holy Spirit. Immersion means you get completely covered. Each person there was covered by their own fire-like tongue!

    As I said earlier, the people there could only compare the tongues to fire. While meditating on this, the image that came to me was – transporter beams! After all, Colossians 1: 13 tells us the God has transferred us to to the Kingdom of His Beloved Son!

    Something else strange happened. 

    And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. 

(Act 2: 4 NASB)

   Now, let's step back outside the house.

Going Public

    People have heard the sound of a severe storm wind. They're now looking around for signs of a bad storm.

    Now imagine the glow from at least one hundred and twenty transporter beams. Someone notices the glow coming from that house.

    “That house looks like it's on fire! The wind must have blown over a lantern or something! Let's go see if the people there need help!”

    So people start running towards the house. As they get closer they hear voices – many, many voices! The people running towards the house must have thought the people inside the house were in a very bad situation!

    But as the crowd gathers around the house, they discover strange things are going on.

    No fire. No indication of storm damage either. No one distressed by any kind of disaster or threat of a disaster. Just a bunch of loud Galileans talking excitedly, some singing, some dancing, but all of them acting up in some way.

    Remember what I said about Jews being expressive in their faith? Considering that this was a festive occasion, this behavior might not seem so strange. 

   And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. 

   (Acts 2: 6 NAS)

    Also remember, the people in the crowd were Jews who had come Jerusalem for Passover and stayed for Shavu'oth/Pentecost. These people lived in distant lands. Each one spoke the language of the land were he lived, and he considered that language as his native tongue.

    And each person in the crowd heard a Galilean speaking the listener's native language! Strange....

It's a Miracle!

    Again, remember what I said about Galileans not being widely traveled, highly educated, or highly sophisticated? Well, most Jews who lived in the land of Israel at the time spoke Aramaic. That was the language they spoke mainly to each other. Those who had dealings with Gentiles who lived in the land also spoke Greek. Many Jews had adopted a Greek lifestyle, so they spoke Greek most of the time. The Greek they spoke was koine (koy-nay), or common, Greek. Any Jews that worked for or dealt with the Roman government might have spoken Latin too. The priests and Levites were probably the only ones who still spoke Biblical Hebrew, for the Temple ceremonies. Overall, most Galilean Jews spoke only one or two languages.

    So, the chances of a First Century Galilean Jew speaking a foreign language were slim, fat and none. 

   “...we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.”

   (Acts 2: 11 NAS)

    Now, these Galileans were not just speaking words in the other languages.  Today, someone could listen to a foreign language broadcast and learn how to pronounce the words, but not know what they mean. If he strings together a bunch of those words, he would be speaking a foreign tongue, but say nothing.

    But the people in the crowd said they heard the Galileans speak of God's mighty deeds! They were communicating information!

    When someone communicates information in a language they don't know, that's a miracle! That doesn't happen according to natural law.

    And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 

(Acts 2: 12 NAS)

   So, we see this a very public event, and it was a miracle.

   Was it also a sign? YES!

    Not only was it a sign, it was a wonder too. Notice what the people in the crowd asked, and what they didn't ask.

    They didn't ask if this was a miracle. They already recognized that. They also recognized that God was trying to say something.

    But they couldn't figure out what God was trying to say, so they wondered, and asked, “What does this mean?”

Hold on a Minute!

    Before we see what the meaning of the miracle, we see another example of twisted, carnal logic producing a wrong conclusion. Some people in the crowd accused the Galileans of being drunk.

    Whoever was the first to reach that conclusion was so confused, they not only made a wrong assumption, they failed to see that a miracle had happened right in front of their eyes.

    Their assumption certainly seemed logical. I'm sure the Galileans were not sitting there, stiff as statues, and droning on in tongues, speaking in creepy, dreadful monotones. I'm sure some were singing in tongues, some were playing music, some were dancing, some might have been laughing in tongues. They looked like they were having a party!

    Remember what I said about Galileans being the rednecks of their culture? What would you think if saw you some American, uh, excuse me... 'Murican rednecks having a party? You would probably think, “There's gotta be some beer around here! And maybe the moon is shining too!”

    When Peter heard that accusation of drunkenness, he recognized this was the opportunity he was waiting for, the one that Jesus had prepared him for.

Finally, Some Answers!

    So, Peter gets up and gets everyone's attention. Then he provides two answers: one for the accusation of drunkenness, and the other to the question about what the miracle of tongues meant.

    Peter quickly dismisses the accusation of drunkenness by pointing out the time of day. It was only nine o'clock in the morning! The day was just starting! That was way too early to start imbibing anything besides water.

    Then, Peter begins explaining the message behind the miracle by stating that it is the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy where God promised to pour out His Spirit on all flesh.

    (Did you catch that? The prophecy was a promise. Oftentimes a prophecy is more of a promise than it is a prediction of a future event.)

    Of course, this miracle was performed by God, but Peter goes on to show that the miracle was not performed by God the Father, but by God the Son. 

   “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know...” 

   (Acts 2: 22 NAS)

    After quoting Joel's prophecy, Peter immediately starts talking about Jesus. He points out that Jesus did miracles, and he identifies the miracles as an endorsement from the Father.

    I'm sure some in the crowd were thinking something like, “Waitaminnit! Isn't Jesus dead? We saw Him die on cross back during Passover, didn't we? What does Jesus have to do with this?” 

   “this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.  But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.” 

   Acts 2: 23 - 24 NAS)

      Well, Peter does mention the crucifixion, but, just like Paul Harvey, he gives them the rest of the story!

    God has raised Jesus from the dead!

    But wait! There's even more! God has not only raised Him from the dead, Jesus has ascended to heaven to be seated at the right hand of the Father!

    Peter shows this by quoting a couple of prophecies David made about the Messiah rising from the dead and ascending to heaven. David could not have fulfilled those prophecies himself. His tomb was still in Jerusalem, and is still visibly sealed up. If David had left his tomb, everyone would know. 

   “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.” 

   (Acts 2: 33 NAS)

   Because Jesus had fulfilled David's prophecies, He is the only one qualified to fulfill Joel's prophecy! 

   "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ -- this Jesus whom you crucified."

   (Acts 2: 36 NAS)

   Peter then reaches a conclusion: God has made Jesus Lord and Christ (Messiah, Anointed One)! He also reminds the crowd they had called for His crucifixion back at Passover.

   We have no record of Peter having an altar call, prayer line, or even a good ol' Baptist invitation. No one playing or singing “Just As I Am,” or “I Surrender All,” or “Coming Home.”

   Verse 37 says they were “pierced to the heart.” The NAS marginal rendering says, “wounded in conscience.” Peter's message had cut into them like a sword!

    For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
 

   (Heb 4:12 NASB)

    Feeling guilty and exposed, they asked Peter and the others what to do. Peter's answer: Repent!

    Three thousand did. I'd say that is more than just a few.

Pentecost Is The Sign Of Jonah

    Just to be sure, let's compare Pentecost to the list of characteristics of the Sign of Jonah. 

   1. It would be miracle, a supernatural event not possible under the laws of nature.

   Sound of wind without wind, fire-like tongues covering each person, people communicating information in languages they did not know and had no way of knowing. Check! 

    2. It would be a sign, a miracle that carries a message.

   The crowd knew God was trying to say something through the miracle.  Check! 

   3. The message would be that Jesus is the Anointed One of Israel, the Christ, the Messiah.

   The major point of Peter's sermon.   Check!

   4. To capture the attention of many, the sign must happen publicly, and on a large scale.

   Jerusalem was full of people who had come for the Shavu'oth/Pentecost celebration, and at least three thousand witnessed the miracle.  Check! 

   5. The message would be confirmed by, and confirm, the fact that only Jesus of Nazareth could perform the miracle.

   Peter's second major point.  Check! 

   6. This sign would come after the Resurrection of Christ, but not soon after.

   Shavu'oth/Pentecost comes nearly two months after Passover.  Check! 

   7. This sign would bring many to repentance.

   Three thousand repented.  CHECK! 

One more thing to consider when connecting Pentecost and the Sign of Jonah: the name “Jonah” means “dove.

Why The Sign?

Why would Jesus perform this sign this way? Wouldn't answering the Pharisees' request be enough? Upon further meditation, I see that more is at play here. 

   The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. 

   (Acts 1: 1 - 3 NAS) 

    Hmmm, why would Jesus need to convince His disciples that He was risen from the dead? Wouldn't just appearing to them be enough.

    No it wouldn't. Without evidence, they would assume they had only seen a ghost. In their culture, seeing a ghost was a very scary thing. The common belief was that when you see a ghost, you are the next one to die!   No wonder Jesus had to tell them not to be afraid!

    Also, if they didn't believe in His resurrection, they wouldn't stay around. They had already forsaken Him once before the Crucifixion. Without proof, they wouldn't see the value or the need to stay faithful.

    If they didn't stick around, His message would not have a chance to spread.

    Jesus knew the public would require evidence of the Resurrection.

    Then, why didn't Jesus just appear in public? He could have shown up at the Temple, and then people could see for themselves that He was alive again. Or would they? They would have assumed they had seen a ghost. That would have created fear and panic across the city!

    Even if a public appearance would have convinced the people, they could have become angry at the religious leaders who lead them to reject Jesus and call for His Crucifixion. That could have lead to a rebellion against the Jewish authorities. Jesus would not want that! He wanted those leaders saved too!

    Even if a rebellion didn't break out, the people could have become afraid of Him, fearing that He came back to get revenge!

    Also, if none of those things happened, a public appearance by Jesus would be sensational! Sensationalism often leads to unrealistic expectations.

    Without the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, if the disciples had only started saying that Jesus had risen, the people would demand to see Him. Then the disciples would have to say that they couldn't show them Jesus because He had ascended up to heaven. How do you think the people would react to that? “Yeeeeah, riiiight! Suuure, He did!” The disciples would have had no more credibility than those who claim to have seen Elvis!

    But the people could not deny what they had seen and heard that day, and that Peter's explanation was right!