After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples and said,
“Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to every creature,” Mark
16:15. Apparently, Saint Fracis of Assisi took that command to preach to birds,
animals, and all creatures, who, as rumor has it, were on their best
behavior when he spoke to them.
Most of us are more apt to announce the Gospel (Good News)
to people of every nation – a calling no longer confined to the work of missionaries.
Thanks to God and the Internet, our biblically-sound writings, devotions,
sermons, and inspirational poems can reach each corner or curve of the earth. The
Lord Himself, of course, led the way.
As Acts 2 tells us in the King James Version of the Bible:
2 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they
were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from
heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were
sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven
tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy
Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance.
5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews,
devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
6 Now when this was noised abroad, the
multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them
speak in his own language.
7 And they were all amazed and marveled,
saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
8 And how hear we every man in our own
tongue, wherein we were born?
9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and
the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and
Asia,
10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in
the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them
speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
Because of the Jewish feast of Pentecost, people from all
over the known world had gathered in Jerusalem, where the Holy Spirit fell upon
them, thereby giving us the Christian celebration of Pentecost.
God knew that gathering would occur, making the perfect
occasion to reverse the confused languages of Babel and giving everyone ear to
hear in their own language! Since that made me curious about the location of
the nations mentioned in Acts 2:9-11, a little online research produced this
information found on the BibleHub website:
Acts 2:9
The Parthians, know for their power, lived in what is
now known as northeastern Iran.
The Medies, an ancient people, lived in
Media, part of today’s Iran.
The Elamites dwelled in the southwestern part of present-day
Iran.
The people of Mesopotamia lived between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers,
the area often known as the “cradle of civilization.”
Judea, a region of the Roman Empire, is in the Middle
East.
Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia are in what is
now known as Turkey.
Acts 2:10
Phrygia and Pamphylia, also in present-day
Turkey, have been known for their diverse cultures, which helped to spread
early Christianity.
Egypt has frequently held a prominent place in Bible
history.
Libya in North Africa, includes Cyrene, the place which gave us Simon
who carried the cross for Jesus,
Rome, at the time of Pentecost, was the heart of the
Roman Empire.
Acts 2:11
Cretans lived on the island of Crete in the
Mediterranean Sea.
Arabs came from the Arabian Peninsula.
On this amazing day, people of all ages and ethnicity heard the Good News of
the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, ushering in diversity from
the very beginning of Christianity. With each person hearing about Christ in
their own language and frame of reference, the Bible sets a precedent for us to
recall today as we become aware of peoples whose ways of worship show diversity
too. May God continue to help us understand, love, and respect one another in
Jesus’ Name.
Mary Harwell Sayler
