Image: The Bible is the Manger in which the Christ Child is Laid, Matthew Rosebrock (2011)
This week’s text is Genesis 11:1-9 and Acts 2:1-21.
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Language, as fun as it may be, can sure be frustrating. But language can be dangerous too, especially when it is used for terrible purposes. That is what our Old Testament Lesson speaks about today. There was once a time when there was one language that all people understood. After the flood, God told all of his people to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth. But the people said, “No.” They insisted on building a great city and a tower for themselves. They thought that they would build a tower up into the heavens to declare that they were their own people. They said that they would make a name for themselves.
But God thwarted their plans. He made it so that their was confusion in their language. He brought confusion because he said that anything would be possible for them. That is, they would even be able to think that they could block out God from their lives. They sought unity in speech and power apart from God. And this can only end in ruin. So the Lord, confuses their language because it is necessary. The people must scatter as their best laid plans would have meant ultimately separation from God. The problem goes much deeper than language.
We know the dangers of how when we try to gather together under common assumptions and speech and pride in ourselves how we can put our own national, ethnic, language to such a high degree that we put it first in all things. Sometimes, we think that our sense of belonging is based on things that we can control. Seeking unity based on anything other than the Lord reveals the ultimate brokenness that we all have. The thing that we all have in common is our sin.
But the thing is, one came with words that cut quick to the heart. The one who speaks and mountains tremble. The one who speaks the free word of grace. Jesus, THE Word made flesh. As John says in Chapter 1, the Word who was in the beginning, who was with God, who was God. In Him was life and the life was the light of men. He was in the world, but the world did not know him. He came to His own but his own did not receive Him.
His Words cut to the heart. This Word is sharper than any two edged sword. It is able to divide between bone and marrow. They did not receive Him.
So this world did it’s best to silence the Word of life from ever speaking again. In a fly by night trial, false words of accusation flew all around the One true Word. “He said he would destroy the temple!” He breaks the Law of God! The false words surrounded him, like hateful chatter and later in unison created by their own definition of unity, the words were joined together in, “Crucify! Crucify!”
Sin cannot bear to hear the One true Word. Sinners cannot stand to hear the Lord’s Word because it reveals just how deplorable we really are. Sinners know that when in the presence of the one true word, they know that someone must die.
The amazing thing? Our Lord, the One True Word, the one who can move mountains with His words, lets himself die for us. He died to sin once and for all. But He was raised again from the dead! The Devil, the world, and our sinful self as hard as it tried to muzzle the Word, through whom all things were created, He speaks again in His Resurrection life. Jesus will not be silenced, because He is the THE Word! The Word that remains, the thunderous Word of His life has been proclaimed throughout the world.
Pentecost is about how that message has come to you. Pentecost is about the Holy Spirit has come and reversed the curse. Pentecost is about the Holy Spirit delivering Jesus to you by creating the faith that receives the Word.
In Your Baptism, you have been Baptized into Jesus. He has given you the Spirit so that you might be in Him and He in you! So that His death to sin, is your death to sin. His defeat of sin is your defeat of sin. His resurrection from the dead is your resurrection from the dead! He is the Word of life for you! No matter what language you speak. No matter what country you are from, no matter how old you are. He is for you!
In Acts, it becomes clear as the disciples begin to preach in the languages of the people that are gathered there. Each one proclaims Jesus in the languages of the people. It becomes clear that the One True Word is gathering people around Himself. Jesus is for all nations. All peoples. All languages. There are many languages but only One Word. He, and He alone, is the basis for all true unity. It’s true unity because he declares it. We live in it today! For there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. There is One faith. One faith that was handed down to us in His free gift of salvation. One Baptism. There is only One Baptism into Jesus.
Pentecost is a reversal of the curse of Babel. Where the people in Babel sought to create their own unity through their language and accomplishments, are scattered. So at Pentecost, the people are gathered by the unity of the Word mad flesh preached to all peoples.
Where the people of Babel sought to make a name for themselves, here at Pentecost, Jesus brings the people into His name.
Where the people of Babel sought to make a kingdom for themselves, here Jesus is establishing His kingdom.
The same Spirit is at work today in the miracles of creating faith when we hear the Word of God preached.
The same Spirit is at work today as He delivers Jesus into our ears and our hearts and our minds.
The Same Spirit is at work today to gather and collect us into the one holy and apostolic Church.
The Same Spirit loosens our tongues to praise God and to confess who Jesus is for us and for the world. The same Spirit gives us Jesus to loosen our tongues that would be locked up for fear to speak Jesus, the One Word of God, into the ears and hearts and minds of our neighbors as God brings them before us. This same Spirit with the Word works and strikes cords in people’s hearts and minds, even if we don’t see the results. We can indeed trust that the Word does not ever come back void. This same Spirit calls and gathers people of all tribes, nations, races, languages into one people whom He loves.
There are many languages, many cultures, much diversity, and it is truly beautiful when we find unity in one Word of God made flesh. There are many languages, but ONE WORD!
For there is one Lord, One faith, and one Baptism.
