“Pentecost Reversed”

Genesis 11:1-9

Today’s text is from Genesis, the first book of the Bible. The oral traditions that became the written text of Genesis are among the oldest in history. The story of the Tower of Babel serves two primary purposes in the Hebrew Scriptures. It gives us an explanation for why there are so many different languages in the world, and also why there is so much disunity among the world’s nations, tribes, and people. How did one human race become so diverse? How did one human race become so divided?

Allow me to insert an interesting note about an example of intentional wordplay within the original Hebrew. Babel is Babylonian for “Gate of God.” The Babylonians built great prayer towers upon which they climbed to worship the false gods of the sky: the sun, moon, and starts. Babel also closely resembles “balal,” the Hebrew word translated as “to confuse.” The supposed gate to god, or the gods, that is described in today’s text was designed as a means by which its builders could bring to fruition their desire to occupy the very throne of God. It instead became the instrument of God’s judgment upon them.

That leads us to the second, and for today’s purposes, the most important reason for the inclusion of today’s text in the Hebrew Scriptures. The story serves as a warning against human pride and arrogance. What happens when human beings become overly full of themselves? What happens when the human animal goes about its business believing that it has no need of God? What happens when, like Adam and Eve, God’s ultimate creations come to believe that they are equals with or superior to their Creator?

The judgment of God – that’s what happens. What ensues afterwards is confusion and chaos. In one way or another human arrogance has a way of leading to factions among and frictions between individuals and nations. Human pride creates hostility, antagonism, jealousy, and envy within and among people. By way of our arrogance and pride we become estranged from one another, sometimes to the point of wanting to do each other harm. Even when we speak the same language we often do not hear each other. Our pride hardens our hearts and closes our minds to the point where real communication and interaction become impossible.

Why deal with the Tower of Babel on Pentecost Sunday? The Tower of Babel story is one of human arrogance and estrangement from God. It is a description of divine judgment. Pentecost celebrates the birthday of the Church. Pentecost is about the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Body of Christ. Pentecost is about grace, reconciliation, and Christian unity. On a day of celebration why talk about chaos and confusion? Why dwell on some example of God’s long ago judgment?

Why not? The title of today’s sermon is “Pentecost Reversed.” It could just as easily have been “Babel Undone.” Pentecost reversed the Tower of Babel story. Pentecost undid the damage Babel caused. On Pentecost there was a mighty miracle of speaking and hearing. People were speaking languages they’d never spoken before. People were hearing and understanding languages heretofore unknown to them.

Not only was the language barrier overcome, so too were social, racial, national, and tribal barriers. The walls separating human beings came down. The wall between God and humanity erected by human sin was demolished. On that day, three thousand people accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Three thousand people who had previously been estranged from God and one another were united by the Holy Spirit into Christ’s Holy Church that had been bought and paid for with his precious blood. For those people the chaos and confusion of Babel were ended forever.

That, unfortunately, was not the ultimate end of all chaos and confusion. Some people chose then, just as they’re choosing now, to refuse the gift of salvation made possible in Jesus Christ. Some people then, just like some people now, were unmoved by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus the world is still plagued by human pride and arrogance. In every part of the globe there are wars and rumors of wars. In every corner of the earth there are centuries old hatreds between people, nations, and tribes. Language is still a barrier to human unity and peace. Hearts remain hard. Minds remain closed.

Even Christian hearts and minds. In yesterday’s USA Today, in an article dealing with religion that’s found every Monday on the editorial page, a major evangelical leader said that he didn’t think that a certain Republican candidate for president was a real Christian. On Tuesday members of an ultra-fundamentalist sect from Kansas protested outside Jerry Falwell’s funeral because they didn’t think he was hard enough on homosexuals. Some Pentecostals and Charismatic believe that theirs is a superior brand of Christianity because they have been given the gift of tongues. Some fundamentalist Baptists declare that the so-called gift of tongues are a work of the Devil. Hyper Calvinists declare the preaching and teaching of Methodists and Baptists to be a false gospel. Too many of Pentecost’s children have allowed themselves to be co-opted by the descendants of Babel.

This is not the work of the Advocate promised by Jesus. This is not the work of the Spirit of Christ. This is not what that small band of Jesus’ followers waited for in that upper room. This is not what God had in mind at Pentecost. Strife, enmity, envy, and jealousy between and among the disciples of Jesus. Hatred, vindictiveness, violence, and murder overshadowing love, forgiveness, peace, and reconciliation in the hearts and minds of Christians. Prejudice, bigotry, and false notions of social, racial, theological, and doctrinal superiority separating brothers and sisters in Christ from one another. Pride, arrogance, and pettiness building walls between the people of God. None of that reflects the power of Pentecost. Instead it echoes the sin that was Babel.

None of this is new. Read Paul’s letters. Almost from the beginning the stuff of Babel began seeping out of the world and into the Church. Over and over again Paul had to admonish those early Christians with the following words:

“For by the grace of God given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think… Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister… I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and same purpose

“For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another… Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited."

Just before he ascended into heaven Jesus said this to his disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses” On Pentecost they became his witnesses in powerful and amazing ways. Following Pentecost, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the church grew exponentially.

And what was that earliest fellowship of believers like? What did the church look like before the stuff of Babel began creeping into it? “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.”

The power up Pentecost builds up. The stuff of Babel tears down. The power of Pentecost is generous. The stuff of Babel is selfish and self-centered. The power of Pentecost enables the church to grow in unity and strength. The stuff of Babel weakens the church and tears it apart. The power of Pentecost allows us to witness to the ends of the earth. The stuff of Babel is parochial and suspicious. By the power of Pentecost there are added to the church great numbers who are being saved. By way of the stuff of Babel the church chases people away and makes them deaf to the Good News of the Gospel.

Every day we are offered a choice between the power of Pentecost and the stuff of Babel. In the name of Jesus, let us choose Pentecost. Amen.