TEXT: 1 CORNINTHIANS 14: 1-20
TONGUES: JUDEA
The book of Acts mentions tongues three times: at Pentecost (most famously), at Caesarea with Gentiles and the family of Cornelius, and with the church at Ephesus. Pentecost sets the tone for our understanding of tongues. Remember what happened? The Holy Spirit descends upon the infant church and tongues of fire were distributed and rested upon each of the Apostles, and they spoke in tongues.
Let me remind you that the Greek word for language is tongue, and we could rightly translate this as “speaking in languages” and the “gift of languages.” At Pentecost, they certainly were speaking in languages. Jews from around the ancient world heard the Apostles speaking under the power of the Spirit, and heard them speaking known, intelligible languages that it was unlikely—if not impossible—for these Galilean bumpkins to know. The languages are named in Acts: Parthian, Mede, Elamite, Mesopotamian, Cappadocian, Turkish, Phrygian, Pamphylian, Latin, Egyptian, and more—in short, all the languages of the then-known world. In Jerusalem at Pentecost, the tongues were intelligible.
What happened at Pentecost was something spiritual and certainly well-beyond common description. But divine knowledge—the language of the Word of God—was given to each one and they then proclaimed with boldness the good news of Jesus and the glories of God—intelligibly and for the whole world. Remember, these Apostles had neither education, reputation, nor human authority. God’s gift of tongues empowered and enabled them to build the church far beyond their reasonable abilities.
TONGUES: CORINTH
In Corinth, the practice looks quite different, and we have no reason to presume that what was called tongues on Pentecost, in Jerusalem and Judea, was the exact same thing as what the Corinthians called tongues. In fact, they seem to come from opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of intelligibility.
This whole passage is Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians to grow toward greater intelligibility. What they practiced was likely a kind of sanctified babbling. We already know that this was a popular pagan practice—once which made its way into Corinth’s infant Christian community.
The pagan babbling worked like this: the one praying would freely babble believing that he or she might land on the name of a deity or spirit that would then be beholding to them because they had called its name. It also was part and parcel of the pagan priesthood—leaders of the shrines and temples would work themselves into a trance—an altered state of consciousness—by babbling.
In the Sermon on the Mount, remember Jesus says that when you pray, don’t heap up empty phrases like the Gentiles, thinking they will be heard for their babbling. Jews did not pray that way. It was not a facet of Judaism, but of the Greco-Roman world.
It seems this babbling kind of tongues was normal in the Corinthian church, and Paul does not discourage it. We have to say that this kind of prayer got baptized into the faith and into their public worship. We can also infer from the text that tongues played into their spiritual one-ups-manship: some Christians were a little better than others—a little more spiritual—because they spoke in tongues as freely as they did.
At Pentecost, the intelligibility factor was key; in Corinth, it didn’t seem to matter.
After the first couple centuries of church history, the practice of tongues seems to have tapered off and pretty well disappeared for a thousand years—the references to tongues and prophetic utterance grow very up until the Reformation. But with the Reformation and its freeing of Scripture to the people—and the availability of newly printed Scriptures now translated into common languages(a mini Pentecost in itself), Christians started reading in Acts and Corinthians about tongues. They wondered at it—and at some point, reintroduced the practice.
You may ask: Is the practice of tongues from the Reformation (and up to the present day) the same thing as we practiced in Corinth or Judea? The short answer is we dont’ really know, but we do know that there is only one Holy Spirit to animate and unite the whole church, so as Paul did not discourage it, neither should we. We need to respect the practice even if we do not have the gift ourselves.
TONGUES: THE GIFT
Well if it’s a gift to the Church, then why don’t we practice it? Why don’t we teach it?
Because it’s a gift of the Holy Spirit—it isn’t taught; it is simply given. Or not. No one instructed the Apostles at Pentecost on how to speak in different languages. It just fell upon them as a gift from God. I believe it still comes to some Christians as a gift from God and we shouldn’t discourage it any more than Paul did.
Now, most Presbyterians haven’t been exposed to tongues. If you’ve been around it, it’s likely from other churches. As a pastor, I have encouraged a few people to pray for the gift.
A good friend of mine from college expressed his frustration with public prayer. He was a camp counselor, and when his high schoolers prayed in a group, he felt terribly frustrated over business of putting his feelings into words. He said, “I just feel so bogged down and can never find the words.” I suggested he could ask God about tongues and ask for the gift. He seems to have found in practicing tongues a way he can pour out praise and glory to God unhindered by the constant mental search for the right words.
I think of tongues like great scat singing—think of Ella Fitzgerald—she was a phenomenally accomplished jazz musician. What she did with her voice is as marvelous as Miles Davis’ trumpet or John Coltrane’s saxophone. Her scat singing was inimitable, though many have tried to copy her. The music poured forth from her heart in nonsense syllables. Was it nonsense? No! Was it music? Absolutely! Was it language? Not so much, but we can say that in the language of music, she was most articulate and most eloquent.
Tongues is like this: the voice pours out the inexpressible longings of the heart and soul without the filters and editors of language. The worshiper is free to pour his or her soul into the free and unfettered utterance. Is it language? Not really. Is it true prayer? Yes, every bit as much as Ella’s scat singing is music.
Paul recognized and encouraged the practice for these aspects. But he certainly discouraged it as a means of one-ups-manship spirituality, and he encourages the Corinthians to emphasize prophecy all the more.
TO PROPHESY
The popular understanding of the word prophecy is foretelling future events, but this is not what biblical prophecy is about. When Paul encourages the people of Corinth to prophesy, he moves them on that line from unintelligible utterance toward intelligible proclamation—at least as far as public worship goes.
Simply put, to prophesy is to speak forth the Word of God. To prophesy is to speak by the power of the Holy Spirit the mysteries of God. Like tongues, prophecy can’t be taught—it comes from the Spirit or else it doesn’t happen.
The Prophets of the Old Testament were those who spoke the Word of God to the people. Yes, sometimes that involved warnings about the future, and sometimes other knowledge that was divinely revealed. In every case, the prophet is the one who bears the Word of God to the people.
Paul makes clear there is nothing wrong with tongues as a way of giving praise and glory to God—Paul says he practices it himself even more than the Corinthians—but he suggests that it is essentially self-serving. It builds up the self. In that it is unintelligible, it doesn’t bless anyone else and does nothing to either unite or build up the community of faith. It seems the best place to practice tongues is in that quiet inner room—as Jesus teaches us—and to pray our prayers for God alone.
We certainly aren’t to make a show of tongues, which can happen easily, because it is so very dramatic.
Not surprisingly, Paul wants the church to emphasize the gifts that build up the church more than just the self. He’s already spoken of the power of love in chapter 13, but here he holds up prophecy—speaking God’s Word to his people—because it is good for the unity of the church and the building up of one another within the church.
When Paul says, “let there be an interpreter,” how might that have changed their worship? At Pentecost, there were plenty of interpreters—all of them who heard the gospel proclaimed in their own language—and so in public worship, if you want to speak in tongues, let there be interpreters. It seems to me that this would have put a major damper on the practice. Anyone can babble, but not everyone can provide an interpretation of that babbling.
In his gentle and most tactful way, Paul demands intelligibility.
THE LOW AND THE HIGH
There are many Christians who say that these gifts have disappeared—that there was a general cessation of these gifts in the church. I find that line suspicious, particularly because it places limits on God, which is always wrong. God can do whatever He likes whenever He likes, and no earthly theologians can say otherwise.
They say that tongues, prophetic utterances, and miraculous healings were there for the birth of the church but then dissolved as the church grew. That is what the history looks like. That is the general view, but again, I feel it is wrong to put limits on God. The Holy Spirit can come down and affect anyone at anytime however God should choose. We should be open and aware of this, and even find hope in the thought that we never know what God may do next. The mystery of God is good news and we should all be on watch for it.
I will say that these special gifts were certainly part of the church’s first gear. Now, after nearly two thousand years, the church is clearly in fourth gear. We’re moving at 80 miles an hour. Our needs are different and our gifts are modified accordingly. What happens if a truck going 80 miles an hour suddenly throws the stick back into first gear? Not good things.
The Spirit works in different ways in different eras, but we should not try to codify them. There is no gift of the Holy Spirit that can be bottled or pre-packaged. The Spirit is wild and well beyond all human control. We can ask for gifts appropriate to our era—for things to build us up personally and as a people—and we should ask for these. At the same time, we shouldn’t look down our noses at other Christians who delight in tongues and prophetic utterances.
Two things must be held together: 1. God is mysterious beyond our understanding. God is bigger, brighter, and more active in and around us than we can imagine. We must be inwardly awake to his constant power and presence. He is ever near us and ever eager for us to know his presence, his grace, his goodness, and his love. 2. God is intelligible. God has spoken in the person of Jesus Christ intelligibly. We can know God and speak about God meaningfully—even in English—and have confidence in our understanding. We don’t make things up about God, but God has self-revealed through his Word—through Jesus—and God is knowable.
When we fail to keep either aspect in the balance, we risk falling off the tightrope of faith.
And finally, we are more than minds—we are spiritual beings with a share in eternity—we should have a hunger and thirst for the mysteries of God in our makeup. When we pray—alone, for God’s ears alone—we should seek that kind of prayer wherein we pour out the inexpressible longings of our soul to God. Like Ella, we are instruments and made for music—great music—and the song we participate in whenever we give praise, glory, and honor to God is one that began before this cosmos was created, and one that shall continue after it is long gone. You and I are called to sing along, to enter the stream of that music and to amplify its call to the ends of the world.
And when we’ve been there 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun. Let us begin today.
QUESTIONS
- 1. How did the practice of tongues differ between Judea and Corinth?
- 2. What does Paul mean by “prophecy”? (Hint: it has nothing to do with future events.)
- 3. What makes prophecy superior to tongues?
- 4. Without discouraging the practice of tongues in Corinth, how does Paul prioritize it?
- 5. How might adding the requirement that there be an interpreter to interpret tongues affect public worship?
- 6. What does it mean to pray with both the spirit and the mind?
- 7. Considering Jesus’ teaching about prayer in the Sermon on the Mount, what might be the most appropriate context for praying in tongues?