Watch Your Language!

Today, there are 7,170 languages in use across the earth. Some are spoken by hundreds of millions of speakers, like Mandarin, Spanish and English, while others are spoken by one ethnic group in a small area, such as Basque. Many languages have gone extinct, and others have changed over time.

For example, what we call English has varieties based on location, where separate accents and idioms have developed – such as American (fanny-pack), Australian (Good’day, mate!), Canadian (eh?), British (Cheerio!) and so on. Languages also change over time. King James English from 1611 uses words that have changed meaning, such as “suffer” meaning “allow,” and not “be in agony.” Go back earlier in English and the words are unintelligible to us today.

For example, do you know what “Hū dēst þū?” means? It means, “How are you?” To which you might reply, “Ic eom wel. þanc  þē,” if you spoke Old English. Move ahead to Middle English, and you might read: “Ȝelde ȝe to alle men ȝoure dettes: to hym þat ȝe schuleþ trybut, trybut,” or, “pay your debts to all men that you owe.”

Languages add new words when new concepts occur, (such as drone, internet, and cell phone, none of which I used as a child), and slang, such as cool, sick, and dope – none of which means what it used to.

Some words sound familiar to us English speakers, thanks to our knack for borrowing words from other languages, such as pajama (Persian), canoe (Caribbean tribes), sauerkraut (guess!), and rendezvous and beef (French). Others are a mystery, such as 槐得好 or Schildkröte.

Where did this “embarrassment of riches” come from? Why do people – who have the same basic nature and social needs, speak so many different languages? The Bible tells us how it all began.

After the Great Flood, the survivors and their families all lived in one place and spoke one language. Genesis 11 tells us what happened. The people said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” 

God saw what they were doing, and knowing their hearts, decided to stop their project. He confused their speech so they couldn’t understand each other. They moved away and began to spread out over all the earth, which was God’s original command to “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28).

And so began the great migrations of peoples. Languages developed among scattered, isolated groups, changing over time and through contact with other groups. The result is what we have today.

So why do I bring up this ancient history? Because today is the Day of Pentecost, when God reversed the language curse by empowering the disciples to speak in “foreign languages” as a sign that God was creating a new people, known as his Church, who would be united by God’s word and the Holy Spirit.

No longer would people be divided; now they would be what Peter called, “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession” (1 Peter 2:9).

Acts 2:2-4 tells of the event, when the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples:  “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” 

Jerusalem was crowded at the time – Pentecost was a Jewish feast which brought pilgrims to Jerusalem – and the crowds were baffled by what they heard – Galileans (Jesus’ followers) speaking in all the pilgrims’ languages. The pilgrims list their native lands: Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs (Acts 2:9-11).

What the crowds heard was not just high school 101 beginning language: “How are you? My name is . . .” or “Where is the bathroom?” What the people heard that day was the disciples declaring the wonders of God in their own tongues! Then, Peter got up and preached the best sermon ever, because 3000 people believed and joined the Church. Talk about an altar call!

Of course, there are always doubters: some said the disciples were drunk on wine.  I wish I had known that all I needed to speak a foreign language was to drink some wine. Over the years I have studied a number of languages, but since I don’t drink, I had to put in the work to learn them: 5 languages with 14 years of formal study. Even so, I wish I could speak them all more fluently.

1. I studied German for six years, and stayed about seven weeks with a German family. While visiting them, we went on a trip along the Rhine River and found a kiosk that was selling maps of the Rhine in German, French, Italian and English versions. I practiced what I was going to say, asking the attendant for the German version. I was wearing a German shirt, and took off my glasses (apparently wearing them was a mark of being American). I sauntered up to the counter and asked in my best German, for ein Rheinlauf (a Rhine map). The woman working the booth smiled at me and asked, “the English version?”

2. During college I traveled to France to work in a summer camp there, with one year of French study. When boarding a train upon arriving in France, I wasn’t sure where to stow my baggage. I spotted one of the conductors and asked him in French, where to put my cases. He walked away with his hands in the air, saying in French, “I don’t understand! I don’t understand!” Funny, I could understand him just fine!

3. In the early 20th Century, a number of youthful missionaries went to mainland China, expecting the Holy Spirit to give them supernaturally the ability to speak the language, but it didn’t happen.

4. Sometimes, miracles do occur. When I visited Finland in 1988, I came upon a couple women in Helsinki who were preaching about Jesus to a group of mocking youths. I thought I would encourage them a little, though my Finnish was quite limited (“thank you”, “reindeer”, “book”and “elk” come to mind). I talked with one of the women, and somehow, I answered that I had Jesus in my heart. She was giving out Bibles, but only had one in Russian to give me. I explained that I didn’t speak Russian, but she said I would find someone who did. Two years later, I was given a free trip to Russia where, you guessed it, I befriended a Russian who was overwhelmed when I gave him the Bible. At the same time, he gave me a book on learning Russian – in French! I wish I had that conductor along to help me read it!

Languages enrich the world – but they also divide us. But there will come a day when we are no longer separated by our words, but united as one heavenly people. We are told in Revelation 7:9 about what John saw in heaven: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.” Will we still speak 7,170 languages in heaven? I don’t know, but if so, we will all understand each other, for the Holy Spirit has made us one in Christ. To God be the glory!

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Genesis 11; Acts 2.