Fire and Judgment... In A Good Way! Happy Pentecost! (John 15:26 - 16:26)

Jesus Unmasked

"When the Advocate comes... he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment." The Holy Spirit is Coming! Fire and speaking in tongues and a heavenly Advocate. What does it all mean? Pentecost was an ancient Jewish celebration before it became known as the birthday of the Christian church. It refers to 50 days after Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt, when he delivered the 10 Commandments. So when the Holy Spirit descends upon Jews gathered from every part of the known world, a connection is made between the Law and the Spirit. But what is the Spirit? The Spirit is the Holy Wind that carries the message of God's redemptive love in Christ to the ends of the earth. It is wild, free, uncontainable. It is the Spirit of Compassion. Connecting the Law to the Spirit means understanding God through the lens of Love. The Law cannot be an instrument of condemnation when is carried on the life-breath of mercy. Jesus says that the Spirit will prove the world wrong about sin, because from the beginning, people have set themselves up over and against "sinners," when the original sin is over-againstness, or accusation, itself. God Incarnate is judged to be a sinner and is condemned, ridiculed, and murdered. The world was wrong about sin. The world is also wrong about righteousness when we think we find it in condemning, incarcerating, executing, or going to war with others. Judgment itself is judged, and condemnation is sentenced to transformation. The Holy Spirit is the Advocate, the Heavenly Defense Attorney, who sees through all our mistakes and shortcomings to the core of who we are - reflections of Love. The Holy Spirit is the power that brings out the best within us and shows us the best in one another, so that we move from conflict to cooperation, from enmity to embrace. Even before Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends upon the Roman centurion, a member of the army of Jesus's executioners. He gazes upon the cross and sees Jesus as the Son of God. Truly, God is in every condemned person, and the centurion finally saw that in Jesus. An "enemy" recognizes the truth of who God is. That is the Spirit blowing where it will. On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends in tongues of fire upon all the people gathered. Then they hear each other in their own native languages. That's what the Holy Spirit does... it allows us to hear and understand one another. "Speaking in tongues" is not about babbling, but about communicating through Love, so we finally understand one another. Happy Pentecost! Adam and Lindsey invite you to many more fiery conversations every Wednesday on Jesus Unmasked at 5 CT/ 3 PT on the Raven Foundation FB page!