Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
Acts 2:13 NIV
It was Pentecost. The Holy Spirit had been poured out in a very powerful and visible way on the believers who had gathered together. And the disciples began to speak in other languages. A crowd gathered, and each one heard the disciples speaking in their own native language. The natural response would be to wonder what was happening. This was not normal. What should we make of it?
But some just laughed and dismissed the event as the result of drunkenness. The noise they had heard when the Holy Spirit came, and the ability to speak the native languages of all the listeners, was the product of too much wine. At least that was their explanation. Facts did not matter. Rationality was thrown out the window. All that mattered was some excuse so that they could reject what they so clearly saw.
The Problem of Self-deception
And how like our world today. If you do not want to believe, you will not. And will instead invent, or accept, whatever explanation will support your view. Regardless of whether it makes real sense or not. This is true in many different areas of our lives. It is especially true concerning faith in Christ. But it is not limited to that. And these last few years have proven that over and over. As humans, we seem to be quite capable of self-deception.
