Or How the Luke-Acts Narrative Contradicts the Other Gospels

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place ... all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability... . All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." ...

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them ..."Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning." ~ (Act 2:1; 4; 12-13; 14a; 15, NRSV. Full text here.)

This is the greatest answer to a disbelief in the power of God ever displayed in the Bible.

And of course it comes from Peter: ADD/ADHD, impulse-control-issued, Christ-denying-but-getting-his-groove-back, blue-collar fisherman, shitty-sword-swinging Peter. In essence, when confronted by unbelievers about the miraculous indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Peter says:

"Well yeah, we COULD be drunk, and I'm not saying that I haven't had a few already, but damn, it's 9am: we've got $h!t to do today. We don't get drunk this early, but come shabbos all bets are off. But seriously though, this is the work of the LORD. If you read in the prophet Joel ..."

Only Peter would start with addressing the alcohol question before quoting Torah. (And on this "rock" the Church is built.)

Another feature of this passage that is noteworthy is how it completely contradicts the gospel accounts of the arrival of the Holy Spirit. How so?

Mark doesn’t mention the appearance of the Holy Spirit at all, which is understandable considering where the narrative ends. Matthew briefly mentions the Holy Spirit in the famous Great Commission passage. Before His Ascension into Heaven, Jesus gathers the eleven remaining disciples on a mountain in Galilee. He tells them:

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” (Matt 28:16-20)

But that’s it. Nothing about the Holy Spirit actually descending.

This changes, sort of, in John, where we find this post-resurrection, pre-Ascension story:

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20:19-23)

Both of these gospel accounts are at odds with the Luke-Acts narrative, which places the arrival of the Holy Spirit after the Ascension and on Pentecost. Furthermore, in Matthew and John place the imparting of the Holy Spirit into the mouth (figuratively and literally) of Jesus, while Luke-Acts has the Holy Spirit arriving on Her/His/Its own.

Despite these three narratives, it is the Luke-Acts story that gains prominence in relation to the Holy Spirit. The Matthew and John versions are not forgotten, but they never see the same Holy Spirit focus that the Luke-Acts does. This is for three important reasons.

First, it’s a better story than the other two. Tongues of fire is an image that rattles the mind, much more than Jesus breathing heavy on the disciples, no matter how much it harkens back to the creation account in Genesis 1 and John 1 (yes, we see what you did there John. Nice job). Follow that up with speaking in tongues, immediate translations without Google technology, and an impromptu sermon by Peter, and the other gospel accounts are left in the dust.

Second, this passage is identified (right or wrong) with the formation of the Church universal. A shift took place in the biblical narrative from edification to evangelism: no longer are the post-Resurrection gifts of God gifts only for the encouragement and strength of the Jesus-followers huddled together in an upper-room or wayward synagogue, they are now a means of bringing outsiders within those walls. The gospel and its gifts are being taken to the streets. 

In Matthew and John mention of the Holy Spirit is potential, the work that could be done through its power. In Luke-Acts that potential has been realized: action has been taken and the power of the Holy Spirit is actually seen working in the lives of those within and without the fledgling Church.

Third, alcohol is involved.

Perhaps the second contains the lesson we should learn, using our gifts to bring people to God, instead of staying in our good Christian bubbles.

But what do we know: we made this game and you probably think we're going to hell.