Babel or Pentecost?

Before Jesus returned to the Father, he promised his followers that he would send them the Holy Spirit, so they would be empowered to continue his work. Today we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit, who empowers us on a daily basis, as individuals and as the Church, as we do the work that Jesus has given us to do.

The story of Pentecost in the book of Acts is often paired in the lectionary with the story of the Tower of Babel. Pentecost is called the reversal of Babel, because at Babel, God mixed up language so that people could no longer understand each other, while at Pentecost, when people received the Holy Spirit, they could suddenly speak each other's languages and understand each other again.

I want to explore these two stories in some detail because I believe that Babel and Pentecost are still very much with us. These two stories represent two very different ways that we can respond to the challenges we face. In any given situation, we can choose to respond like the people who built the Tower of Babel or we can choose to wait for God's spirit, like those first followers of Jesus.

The tower of Babel story is in part designed to explain how it came about that there are different languages in the world. It is part of the primeval history set forth in the first II chapters of Genesis, which deals with how things began. But even more importantly for us, the story teaches us something about human nature and something about God.

Human nature: Why did these people build the city and the tower reaching to the heavens? We are given two reasons in the text: they wanted to make a name for themselves, and they were afraid of being scattered all over the world.

They were responding to deep human anxieties-the fear of being lost and in danger, and the fear that we are insignificant, and our lives have no meaning. So they built the city for security and safety, and the tower as a lasting monument to themselves, as if to say, we were here and we accomplished something.

This happens all the time, doesn't it? People are still building cities, and great monuments and soaring towers. It is a very human response to the insecurity and sense of insignificance that we all feel at times.

So why was God so displeased? Why did God mix up their language so they couldn't understand each other, and then scatter them across the world? Some say God was angry at their pride or hubris in attempting to build a tower that would reach heaven. In part, this story is a critique of the Babylonians, who had a vast empire, and wherever they settled, they built tall towers called ziggurats as temples. The towers represented the intersection of heaven and earth. The Hebrew understanding of God was far more transcendent-God is beyond time and space and cannot be reached by any physical structure.

But it wasn't only the people's pride that bothered God-it was also their disobedience. After the Flood, God told them to spread out over the earth and populate it. Instead, they built a city and tried to sequester themselves in it instead.

They let themselves be guided by fear instead of trusting and obeying God. They closed themselves off to new experiences, change, growth and diversity by huddling together in the city they had made. They looked for their self worth in a physical structure, instead of grounding their identity in God.

Jesus' followers also knew fear. In the days after he ascended to heaven, they had to try to carryon without him. Could they keep everyone together? What if the Romans decided to make an example of them? What if they failed in the mission Jesus had entrusted to them?

Right after Jesus' death, they hid behind locked doors in fear-they gave in to the impulse to barricade themselves and try to stay safe. But after spending time with the risen Lord, they find a new courage. After he departs from this world, they follow his instructions and wait patiently in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to come.

It's a remarkable contrast, isn't it? Build a city and hole up, or wait patiently for God? Trust in your own efforts or trust God? Close yourself off to others, or open your heart?

Babel or Pentecost?

The people in these two stories made different choices, and God in turn responded differently to them. In the Babel story, God confused their language so they could no longer understand each other, which brought the construction project to a grinding halt. Then God scattered them over the earth, in keeping with the original divine plan. In the Pentecost story, God sent the Holy Spirit upon them, and they were suddenly able to speak other languages and understand each other. They were empowered to go into the world and spread the gospel. They didn't have to do anything to "make a name for themselves." They simply received their identity as children of God as a gift, as did 3,000 other people who were baptized in the name of Jesus that same day.

Notice what did not happen that day, which was the beginning of a new era. People still did not get to stay safely at home with people they knew-instead, they were promptly sent out to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth. Also, they did not revert to a single language, a kind of biblical Esperanto superimposed on the diversity of tongues. They continued to speak in many different languages, only now they could understand each other.

Diversity of people, language and culture appears to be part of God's plan, just as biodiversity is part of God's plan for the natural world. Efforts to impose uniformity are doomed to fail.

We still face the choice between Babel and Pentecost, in our nation, in the church and as individuals. As a nation, we can respond to the challenges of globalization with fear. We can turn inward, fortify the walls, close the borders, impose uniformity. We can try to exert control and grasp a disproportionate share of the world's goods through our military and economic might. We can try to make a name for ourselves or find our self worth by building tall towers and monuments. Or, we can respond in faith. We can turn outward, we can welcome the other and celebrate diversity. We can seek a just distribution of the world's goods. We can refuse to live in fear, and put our trust in God.

The Church also lives in the tension between Babel and Pentecost. At times, we are divided and fearful, staying within the comfort zone of people who are like us, holding onto familiar ways of doing things. But at other times, we step out in faith, in the power of the Spirit, to bring the gospel to the world. The things that can happen when we trust in the Spirit are amazing. You can start a food pantry in a basement that feeds one family a week, and 20 years later, you will be feeding almost 400 people each month. You can reach out to AIDS orphans a world away, and help them get an education that will free them from the cycle of poverty. You can open your doors and your heart to all kinds of people, and take the trouble to learn their language and listen to their experiences. You can welcome little children in the name of Jesus, and be transformed by the questions they ask, and the truths they tell.

God is calling us to choose Pentecost-to embrace our identity as children of God, and drink deeply of God's Spirit. We are called to step out in faith, trust God and leave fear behind. God needs us to carryon Christ's mission of bringing about the kingdom of God in the world. On our own, we're not able to do that much-maybe build a few cities and towers and such-but with God all things are possible. In the power of the Spirit, we can work for justice and peace. We can reach out to those in need. And above all, we can share the gospel that has been entrusted to us: that all of God's people are loved, forgiven and free through Jesus Christ.

The world is waiting in eager longing for good news. Go forth rejoicing in the power of the Spirit!