1. - Joel announces the gift of the spirit, delivered in streams, with the following words said in the name of God: I will pour out my spirit (Jl 3,1). The announcement is fully accomplished in Pentecost, but, what does that mean in Joel´s time?, what does it mean for Jesus to pour out his spirit?, what does it mean in the newly born Church to receive it?, what does it mean for us God´s and Jesus´ promise, the gift of the spirit?
2. - Let us see the context in which Joel lives. He is a Jew, living in Jerusalem, perhaps in the ninth century b.C. The allusions to Egypt and Edom (4,19) may be placed at that time. In Rehoboam´s, son of Salomon, times, Sishak, king of Egypt, attacked Jerusalem (1 K 14,25). In Joram´s time, Edom gained its independence (2 K 8,20-22). Joram assassinated his brothers and also some of the chiefs of Israel (2 Chr 21,4); he suffered philistines and arabs invasion and died by a painful disease (2Chr 21,17-18). Much later (year 4 b. C), precisely on Pentecost day, died Herod the Great, of the same disease: “The people congregated, not to celebrate the holiday religious service, but to free his anger” (F.Josepho, Ant. XVII, 254).
3. - The affairs do not run correctly. It is necessary to wake up from the general sopor and to stay alert. A terrible plague of locusts helps the prophet to announce what nobody sees, the invasion of the country: Hear this, you elders! Listen, all you, land dwellers: Has such happened in your days or in the days of your fathers? … What the cutting locusts left, the swarming locust ate. What the swarming locusts left, the hopping locusts ate. What the hopping locusts left, the destroying locusts ate. Wake up drunkards, and weep! Wail drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine withheld from your mouths. A nation numerous and mighty has invaded my country. It has the teeth of a lion and the fangs of a lioness. It has destroyed my vines and ruined my fig trees; It has stripped off their bark and left white their branches (Jl 1, 2-7). Drought and fire add to the plague of locusts: The fields are in ruin… the granaries are in ruins… the harvest has dried up, fire has razed the open pasture (Jl 1, 10-20). The day of the Lord draws near (Jl 1,15), a day of gloom and darkness (Jl 2-2), day of judgement.
4. - The plague of locusts in a signal of a much worse plague, the destructive invasion of a great military power: Sound the alarm on my holy mountain… They look like horses, they gallop along like chargers. With the clattering of chariots, they leap over the mountains; with crackling like burning stubble, they charge – a mighty army arrayed for battle. Before them nations are appalled, and every face turns pale. They attack like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. Marching in line, they move onward without swerving from their course, without jostling one another, every one of them marches straight ahead; amid a hail of arrows they run, they press without breaking ranks. They rush upon the city; they leap over the walls; they break into the houses, like thieves enter through the windows. Before them the earth shakes and the heavens tremble, the sun and moon grow dark and the stars lose their twinkle. (Jl 2,2-10). Psalm 79 denounces: The nations have invaded your inheritance… They have given your servants´ corpses to the birds, and the flesh of your saints to the beast of the earth.
5. - It is necessary to change. Present situation claims for a deep conversion: Rend your heart, with fasting, weeping and mourning… Let the bridegroom leave his bed and the bride her room. Between the vestibule and the altar, let the priests, Yahweh’s ministers, weep and say: Spare your people, Yahweh, do not humble them or make them an object of scorn among the peoples: Where is their God? (Jl 2,13-18).
6. - The prayer is listened and the invader sent away: I am sending you grain, new wine and oil which will fully satisfy you; never again will you be scorned by the nations. I will drive far from you the enemy from the North and pursue him towards a land of drought and desolation: his vanguard to the Eastern Sea, his rearguard to the Western Sea. Its stench will rise everywhere. See that I do great things. (2,19-20). Joel lives in the south, in Jerusalem. The invader comes from the north.
7. - God spirit´s gift will be poured with no gender, age or social class distinction. A rest will receive it: After this, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh: Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even upon my servants and maidens, I will pour out my spirit on that day. I will show wonders in the heavens, and on earth blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun will darken and the moon turn to blood at the approach of the great and dreadful day of God. Then all who call upon the name of Yahweh will be saved, for on Mount Zion there will be a remnant, as Yahweh has said: In Jerusalem some will be saved – those whom Yahweh will call. (Jl 3, 1-5)
8. - The gift of the spirit implies the judgement of nations over their faults against the believer people: exiles, crimes, sexual abuses. Jehoshaphat means God judges: In those days and at that time when I re-establish and prosper Judah and Jerusalem, I shall l let all the nations gather together and come to the Valley of Jehoshaphat: there I shall uphold against them the cause of Israel, my people and my heritage… For they have dispersed them among the nations and divided my land. They cast lots for may people; they gave a boy for a harlot and a girl for the wine they drank.. And you Tyre and Sidon, and all the districts of Philistia… (Jl 4, 1-4) The harvest and the vintage are judgement symbols: Bring a sickle for the harvest is ripe; come and tread for the winepress is full… so great is their wickedness (Jl 4,13).
9. - The invasion destroys everything. The gift of the spirit, like a fountain that flows and irrigates the valley, transforms everything: On that day the mountains shall drip wine and the hills flow with milk; all the streams of Judah will run with water and a fountain will spring from the House of Yahweh, and water the valley of Shittim. On the other hand, Egypt will be devastated and Edom will become a deserted wasteland because they committed violence against Judah and shed innocent blood in their country. But Judah will be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem through all generations. And I shall avenge their blood and not leave it unpunished, for Yahweh dwell in Zion. (Jl 4, 18-21)
10. - The last day of the feast of the Tents, Jesus shuts to the thirsty: If some of you is thirsty, come to me and drink that who believes in me, like the Scripture says: living water will run from his womb. He said that referring to the spirit those believing in him would receive. There was no spirit yet, since Jesus still had not been glorified (Jn 7, 37-39). Blood and water springs from his dead body. (Jn 19,34), testimony and spirit. In his farewell Jesus promises to his disciples the gift of the spirit: I will ask the Father and he will give you another Helper to be with you for ever, that spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him for he is with you and will be with you. I will not leave you orphans I am coming to you. A little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me because I live and you will also live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father and you in me, and I in you (Jn 14, 16-20).
11. - The gift of the spirit is Lord´s promise: You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you… and you will be my witnesses (Acts 1,8). On Pentecost day Peter interprets what is happening. No, they are not drunk those who proclaim Lord´s wonders. It is what the prophet said: I will pour my spirit on every mortal. Listen these words: Jesus of Nazareth, to whom God accredited with powerful deeds, wonders and signs… your delivered him to sinners to be crucified… But God raised him to life and released him from the pain of death, and you are witness of it. He has been exalted at God´s right and the Father has entrusted the Holy Spirit to him; this Spirit he has just poured upon us as you now see and hear… God has made Lord and Christ this Jesus whom you crucified (Acts 2, 14-36).
12. - When they herd this, they said with remorseful heart: What must we do, brothers. Peter answered them: Each of you must repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sin may be forgiven; then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, since the promise of God was made to you and your children, and to all the other nations whom the Lord our God has called (Acts 2, 37-39).
* Dialogue: What does it mean for us Lord´s and Jesus´ promise: I will pour out my spirit? Present experiences.