The stories of Babel and Pentecost both describe a miracle of tongues, of words and language. However, in one the Lord shows His severe displeasure; in the other He shows His wondrous mercy. Babel is caused by man's rebellious sin. God confuses the people's language so they can't understand one another, and they are scattered and divided. Pentecost is caused by God's grace. The Holy Spirit makes the saving Gospel of Christ understandable to people of many languages, and God's people of various tongues are brought together and unified. Today then, we will be looking at the meaning of Pentecost by viewing it through the event at the tower of Babel. We will see that God has undone the judgment of Babel by His gift of Pentecost. God grant you faith to receive what He gives to you now in His Word.

The people of Babel lived just a few generations after the flood. Noah and these descendants of his had been given the same command by God that was given to Adam and Eve, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth." But the people of Babel didn't want to fill the earth. They said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." These people sought their identity and security not in God's Word and command but in their own man-made organization, in their own numerical strength, in their own achievements. They rejected the Lord as their God and instead made an idol out of themselves. Not wishing to be what the Lord called them to be, they said,"(Let us) make a name for ourselves." They began to build a tower that would be so great, the generations to come would revere their name forever, they thought. It would reach to the heavens, signifying their supposed ability to achieve immortality by their own works. This tower under construction stood there as a corrupt monument to their self-idolatry and their rebellion against God.

We, of course, are descendants of the people of Babel; we are of the same stock. We, too, practice self-idolatry, putting ourselves into the #1 spot. Our old flesh doesn't seek to find its identity and security in God's Word and His ordering of things but in our own numerical or military strength, in our own man-made organizations, in our own achievements. On a small scale, consider how we can diminish what the Lord called us to be and instead seek to make a name for ourselves by the groups to which we belong and by our own personal attributes and accomplishments. Our Old Adam wants to achieve a certain degree of immortality for ourselves because of our works, so that our name might be remembered for generations to come. And on a larger scale, consider how we've even surpassed the desires of the people of Babel. Not only have we built our skyscrapers, but we now routinely send shuttles back and forth into space, and we explore the galaxy with our satellites and probes. These things, of course, are not bad of themselves. But they are monuments to a human race which trusts not in God but in itself, in its own abilities and its own supposedly unlimited potential.

God does not let such rebellion go unpunished. Concerning the people of Babel, He said, "Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." Their words and speech were changed so that communication with one another was broken down. They could no longer carry out their plans. Their unity led to wickedness and evil, and so the Lord scattered them.

We experience Babel still today. For in the end the Lord always scatters evil and the wicked. And we experience Babel not only in the many languages that are still spoken throughout the world, but also in the lack of communication that can occur even between people of the same language--between races, between spouses and family members, between co-workers. It's not only that fallen people can't understand one another but that they don't even want to listen to one another. Words and language are used destructively and selfishly--to hurt or to gain power and control over others. Words and language are used to confuse and deceive--as we often see in the realm of politics. Words and language are used as a cover for sin--as when abortion is called "the termination of a pregnancy", or when assisted suicide is called "death with dignity". Babel lives on in a world divided and disunified by words and speech and language.

But into this fallen world of discord and division comes the blessed gift of Pentecost. At Babel God said in judgment, "Come, let us go down and confuse their language." At Pentecost God the Father said in mercy to His only begotten Son, "Come, let us go down and pour out our Spirit on them, so that the words of the Gospel might be clearly proclaimed to them in their own language. Let their ears be opened so that they may not be confused but may understand and receive the forgiveness and salvation which you, my beloved Son, won for them on the cross.

And so it was that in His grace the Holy Spirit was poured out on the twelve apostles 50 days after Easter. The Spirit's presence was marked by the sound of a mighty rushing wind and tongues of fire on their heads. There were people of many different languages throughout the world there in Jerusalem for a Jewish holiday. When they heard the sound, they rushed to see what it was. Then the Spirit enabled the apostles to preach to the people in their own native language. The visitors heard the Gospel in their own mother tongue. Some didn't recognize God's gift and thought the apostles were drunk. But Peter proclaimed, "These men are not drunk; for it is still the middle of the morning. No, this is the fulfillment of prophecy; for God promised, 'I will pour out my Spirit on all peoples.'"

God poured out His Spirit appropriately enough in and through words and language. The primary working of the Spirit that day was that the Word of God was preached, His Law and His Gospel. By the Spirit's power, the apostles condemned the people for their unbelief in Christ and their wickedness in putting Him to death. Yet the apostles also proclaimed how God accomplished His saving purposes through Christ's death, and how He raised Jesus from the dead as Lord of all.

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart in sorrow for their sin, and they said to the apostles, "What shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call." About 3,000 people were baptized that day from all different lands and languages. They received the Holy Spirit through the ministry of the apostles.

You see, in contrast to Babel, the Spirit took the scattered peoples and brought them together and unified them through the Word of Christ. These new believers devoted themselves to the apostles' words and teaching, to the breaking of bread in the Lord's Supper, and to the prayers. They had all their possessions in common, and they sold what they had to give to those in need.

Pentecost, then, is the undoing of Babel. Babel was marked by confusion and differing languages, Pentecost by understanding and a common language of faith in Christ. Babel consisted of man's rebellion, Pentecost of God's mercy and forgiveness. At Babel, people were one in sin for doing evil. At Pentecost, people were made one in Christ for the glory of God and the good of one another. Though the different languages remain, the Spirit unites peoples of various places in the one body of Christ through His holy Word.

And so we see that Pentecost continues still today in the church. For the Holy Spirit continues to do among us the very things He did on the fiftieth day after Jesus' resurrection. The Spirit continues to call us to repentance and faith in Christ through the preaching of the Word. He convicts us of our guilt--we who have abused God's gift of words and language. And He proclaims words of mercy and pardon to us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the Word made flesh. Christ took our rebellion and sin on Himself in order to make full payment for it at Calvary. His death delivered us from God's words of judgment. As we hear and believe this preaching of the Spirit, we are absolved and set free from our guilt. We are forgiven and set right with God.

Likewise, the Spirit continues to pour out the new life of Christ into those whom He has chosen in the water of baptism. He makes them His holy temple and dwelling place. The promise of receiving the Spirit is also for us and our children. And it is a promise fulfilled at the baptismal font. As Christians we do not seek to make a name for ourselves; for what greater name could we be given than that which was watered onto us--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We have been marked as ones belonging to the Holy Trinity we are His precious possession.

And the Spirit also continues to gather us who were once scattered in our sin and draws us together through the breaking of bread, the receiving of the body and blood of Christ in Holy Communion. As we are united with Christ in His Supper, we are also united with one another. We are made one by the Spirit in the body of Christ. Thus, we see that the same fundamental work of the Spirit that went on at the first Pentecost goes on still today in the office of the ministry, the ministry of the Word and the Sacraments.

And now, we, who come from various backgrounds and who in some cases even once spoke different languages, speak a common language, the language of faith. We all say and confess, "I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth . . . And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God . . . I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life." This is a language taught to us by the Spirit. For the Scriptures tell us, "No one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit."

And this language is spoken in common by all of God's people of all times and places. Be it in Swahili or Chinese or German or French, be it in the 4th century or the 10th or the 16th or the 20th, the spiritual language of the Creed is spoken by the baptized. Throughout the world and throughout history, the Spirit has worked a miracle of tongues--namely, that the faithful have been given a single, common speech, "Jesus Christ is Lord."

Finally then, the ongoing reality of Pentecost continues to be the undoing of Babel in the church. Our words and our language have been sanctified. By the Spirit's power, we seek to use words not to hurt but to heal and build up, not to deceive but to speak the truth in love, not to reject God but to praise Him for all His goodness towards us. The Holy Spirit overcomes our confusion and enables us to hear and to listen and to understand one another. He moves us to love and to care for each other. Though we come from various places and different backgrounds, the Spirit unifies us in Christ, our Savior. Babel has been overcome by Pentecost.

Jesus said, "It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor (the Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you."