Dismantling God's Ownership : Exclusive Shavuot to Inclusive Pentecost
The Israelites (Jews) have always identified themselves as the chosen ones of God. The influence of this privileged position sets them up above all the nation in the world.Every fundamentalist Christian believes that It's Israel that God has chosen to bless beyond measure than every other nation. Almost all devout fanatic Christian believes it, so much so that he/she would support Israeli occupation of Palestine.
But God does on Pentecost day is a dismantling of a well established myth of God's favoritism to Israel(Jews).
It was Shavout , the seventh week after Passover and the day when the Torah was believed to be given through Moses to the nation of Israel , Its the day that all the Jews in the diaspora would come together in Jerusalem to give thanks for the act of God of saving their ancestors from the land of Egypt , who were oppressing them and God giving them the laws to lead a God pleasing life.
It's the same day that God chooses to bring down the supremacy and the ownership of God that Jews hold dearly. By the the descending of Holy Spirit in the upper room on all and henceforth God gives a new commandment that God is not God of Jews alone but the God of all.
The Jews of that time were no lesser than the Egyptians who once oppressed the Jews, The Jewish dominon over the non Jewish was a regressive oppression meted out by them because of holding the dearly privilege of claiming God as their own.
Their sense of hegemony is quite evident ,the comments such as aren't they all Galileans who are speaking.v.7
They must be drunk.v13
Aren't the Galileans good enough to speak about God or own God.
Shouldn't others who aren't Jews talk the God talk.
By reiterating the Prophecy given to Joel, God reestablished Godself as the God of all and dismantled the Ownership of God that Jews created by misinterpreting scriptures for their supremacy.
The very words I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh reinstates hope in a all loving God , The wall of exclusiveness was broken and a community of inclusiveness initiated on the day of the Pentecost by descending, discerning, enriching empowering of the Holy Spirit.
May we all discern the Holy Spirit to create a wider community that includes all races, caste,gender without any pride, privilege and prejudice.
