I
am an old woman now, but I will never forget what happened in the Upper Room so
many years ago. I was but a girl who had just moved into womanhood. My father
owned this house. He had added a second floor. It was one huge room that he
rented to people who needed a place to meet together. Father had me attend to
the people who rented the Upper Room. I served them food that Mother had
prepared, and I kept the room clean. I just did what Father and Mother told me
to do.
I
had come up into the room frequently while the people I am going to tell you
about were using it. As I worked I watched the people gathered there and
listened to what they were saying.
These people were always praying, talking, and waiting. They talked about and prayed
to their dead friend, Jesus. I thought that praying to a dead person was
bizarre. I knew that Jesus was that character who had ridden into Jerusalem on
a donkey. I thought that was absurd. Entering Jerusalem on a donkey of all
things! On top of it, all the people were shouting welcome and waving palm
branches to Him. How peculiar was that?
He
was actually a criminal teaching things that the Rabbis did not approve of. It
was said that they feared that the people would no longer support the temple.
He was crucified for His bad behavior. These are the things that I thought at
first. Later I heard His followers say He had risen from the dead. They talked
about how He had been with them for forty days. Then they said He had ascended
into heaven. The followers had rented the Upper Room because they were going to
stay there as they were waiting for something. Jesus had told them to wait.
At
first I thought it was all nonsense, but, as I listened to their stories and
memories, I felt something stirring in my heart. I soon realized that what I
was feeling were the first stirrings of my faith in Jesus. It was not long
before I totally admitted to myself that I believed Jesus was who they said He
was, the Son of God.
At
that time, I also noticed that all the people in the room were fearful. They
were afraid that those who had hated Jesus and crucified Him would come looking
for His followers. The only thing that gave them some hope was His promise to
them before He died. He had told them, “… If you
love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the
Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave
you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot
receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But
you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I
will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no
longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to
life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am
in you.”
I
could see that the apostles and disciples did not totally understand, but
because He had told them they believed. I also believed because I had listened
to the stories. They waited, and I also waited.
One day we heard a loud wind above us and around us. I ran to the corner, and, while
crouching down, I watched. The wind blew but nothing was blown around. Then, to
my amazement, I saw what looked like candle flames above the heads of all the apostles
and disciples. The flames were later called Tongues of Fire. Peter was the first
one to speak. He was no longer afraid. He told everyone not to fear that this
was the Holy Spirit whom Jesus had promised.
There
was a loud noise down in the street. Masses of people were in Jerusalem from
many countries to celebrate Passover in the temple. They had run to find out
why they heard such a loud wind. They were shouting questions and comments in
the languages that they spoke. Peter and the disciples went down into the
street, and I followed them. They talked to the crowd about Jesus, and how he
had come to offer then salvation. I was really surprised to hear them speaking.
They each were speaking in languages that I did not understand, and the pilgrims
seemed to understand what they were saying. I was standing by the door watching
when a young woman came up to me. She started asking me questions. She was not
speaking Hebrew. Still, I could understand her, and I could answer her in her
native tongue. Because I had believed, I also was blessed with the gift of the
Holy Spirit. I knew it was a miracle. About three thousand people were
converted and baptized that day in Jerusalem.
That
was many years ago. Ever since that day I have travelled with his followers,
and brought the good news of the salvation to people in the way we were told. “But you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me
everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of
the earth.”
Corinne Mustafa
May, 2013
