There was a big spring festival in Jerusalem that day. It may have been similar to Dogwood Days in Atlanta, the Strawberry Festival in Dayton, or Mule Day in Columbia, Tennessee. This agricultural festival was called the “Feast of Weeks" and it took place every spring on Pentecost, 50 days after the Jewish Passover. Jews scattered throughout the world returned to Jerusalem for the celebration designed to emphasize the goodness of God. As people do at community festivals, everyone was having a good time — connecting with old friends, trading old stories, maybe even attending a community worship service or two.

Everybody was happy — except for a group of 120 followers of Jesus who were sequestered in an upper room, scared out of their wits, searching for perspective on the strange things th…