“They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other.”
Acts 2:12 (NLT)
In Acts 2, Holy Spirit falls and that windstorm is loud enough that the devout Jews in Jerusalem hear it, come running, and enter the place. To me that confirms they were in the temple, the house of the Lord. Devout Jews don’t run into a random home. But what matters most is this: the move of God was loud enough for the city to hear.
When Holy Spirit moves, it should still carry that kind of weight. The Spirit should be doing so much in our local body that outsiders come running, drawn to the power of God on display, and seeking to meet Jesus.
The crowd is bewildered because they hear their own languages spoken by Galileans, common men and women who did not have the capacity to speak those languages. Most stand amazed and perplexed asking, “What can this mean?” Others mock and say, “They’re just drunk.” Even today, when tongues are taught or witnessed, some of us are still amazed and perplexed. If we have been told it is bad, or we have not experienced it, we have to be patient and let the Word show us what this gift is and why it matters. Peter is about to stand up and explain it.
One insight I stumbled on is Babel. God confused language in Genesis 11:9 to keep people from becoming too powerful. But now Holy Spirit gives a language that unifies us in Christ, and in Christ the curse of Babel is gone. Sometimes tongues minister to unbelievers through real languages we do not know but others do. Other times it is a heavenly language, praying directly to our Father. So yes, we can be amazed and perplexed, but we should keep reading Acts for understanding—and keep submitting to Holy Spirit so the city can hear again.