Pentecost

It’s easy to overlook the fact that women were in the upper room with the apostles, with Mary mentioned by name (Acts 1:14). Thus, I am confident that Mary was among them when the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost, fulfilling the prophecy of Joel that “your sons and daughters shall prophesy” and “even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit and they shall prophesy” (Luke 2:17-18, NRSV).

It’s easy to overlook that we first see the dove of the Holy Spirit in artwork descending upon Mary at the annunciation, and then we see the dove doing the same thing here at Pentecost. What was once just an experience for Mary, who gave forth an extraordinary prophecy in her Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), now many believers from many nations were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Not only was Mary the first human invited into this redemption story, but she was also still present and influencing the apostles when the promised Holy Spirit descended on the faithful followers of Jesus. The apostles, as described in the apocryphal book, The Gospel of Bartholomew, were keenly aware that God highly favored Mary, that she was the living tabernacle of Jesus when she carried Him in her womb, and that she had been with Jesus the entirety of His earthly life. They honored her and looked up to her as the mother of their Lord. She knew more about Jesus in her 33 years with Him than they ever would in their three years of following Him. Wisely, they asked her to lead them in this challenging time after Jesus ascended.