 A question that gets asked often is what is interpretation? What is the gift of interpretation? But also to go along with that, that necessarily must be asked and answered is, why do we have to have interpretation? What's the point? What's the purpose of it? And then there's something that we don't think about often and that is an example of it in the Bible. So let's first go to 1 Corinthians 12. It's brought up in 1 Corinthians 12. I have it highlighted when Paul makes a statement he says in verse 28, 29 and 30. And so he says, all do not have the gifts of healing. Do they? Obviously the answer is no. And we know the answer is no because of the way he asks it. In English, it doesn't look like you can't really tell, but over here in the Greek, it says main pontes. And so not all. So he's telling us not all have. So an easier way to look at it is that not all have the gift of it of healings. Do they? As a matter of fact, the word do they is actually not there. All do not speak in tongues. Do they? All do not interpret. Do they? And this word right here that's used for interpret, this is where we get the word, this is interpret or where we also get our English word that we use in determining how we ought to read the Bible. You've heard us speak about this word hermeneutics, which is a way or a method used to interpret or to explain the text. And if we go back and look at it, we see this Greek word is meant of two words, dia and then hermeneu, which is where we get the word hermeneutics. It means to explain, to give an understanding. And so the whole point of this gift is to explain. And when we say interpret, sometimes we might think about it as someone at a UN where they are saying something in one language and then we give the verbatim in or as close to verbatim in the next language, in the language the person may understand. So if you hear someone speaking in Mandarin or French and then an interpreter at the UN might give that same word back to that person, to the person in English. Well, there's a little bit more to it than just giving a word for word transaction because oftentimes in languages, it's hard to give a word for word translation. And so what you might have to do, what you will have to do is you have to give a word or something that is easily understood, more understood. So sometimes words might not exist in one language. So the next one, so what you're trying to do is explain the meaning. So you're trying to give the word as close you can, but also the thought where we get the word hermeneo, which is to explain or to interpret. And so he says in this passage, all don't interpret. Well, there's a reason for that, but more importantly, why do we need to have someone to interpret? If we go to the next passage in 1st Corinthians 14, the next chapter in 1st Corinthians 14, he talks about this gift of these tongues. But before we go there, remember what he says in chapter 12 also, the whole point of these spiritual gifts, which also includes interpretation, this hermeneo or say the hermeneo, which is to explain why the point of these gifts are for the benefit of the body. And so if there's going to be need for this explanation, there are different parties that have to have understanding of what's being said. Remember Paul starts this off in 1st Corinthians 12 by saying, I don't want you to be ignorant. And the word that he used there, concerning these spiritual gifts is the word agnoa. I don't want you to be ignorant concerning these spiritual gifts or spiritual things. The word agnoa means to not know. It refers to our mind. The word for mind is nomus or noa. You're going to see this also in 1st Corinthians 14. I don't want you to be unknowing. And if we drop down a little bit further in chapter 12, the verse 70 says, but to each one is given the manifestation of the spirit. Why? For the common good, for the benefit of all. And so this gift of interpretation, this ability to bring about this explanation of understanding is why? For the benefit of all. Remember that whatever the gift is, it's for the benefit of all. So interpretation is why? So that all the body can also understand. Now, if we go to 1st Corinthians 14, notice what he says. Let's start in verse 10. He says, there are perhaps a great many kinds of languages in the world. And that's important. And no kind is without meaning. In other words, you got to know what it's saying. There's a point, there's a meaning to what's being stated in these languages. If then, I do not know the meaning of the language. Again, that's important. If I don't understand the meaning of the language, I will be to the one who speaks a barbarian and the one who speaks will be a barbarian to me. We are forms we cannot connect. We don't understand each other. So he says also, since you are zealous for these spiritual gifts or spiritual things, seek to abound and do what? Seek to abound to do what is important, going back to what he said in 12, for the edification of the church, for the benefit, the building of the body. Then we get to verse 13. Therefore, with all that in view, therefore, if that's what you're supposed to do, therefore, let the one who speaks in a tongue or a language is what the word means, pray that he may interpret it. It says, Dio ha-la-long. So therefore, the one that's speaking these languages, he should pray in order that there be, there's that word, the airmaneo, in order that there be interpretation, in order that there be in explanations. For who? For the benefit of the body. So the body has to understand, the people around them have to understand. Now, here's a question. Do we have any example of anyone in the Bible ever having to give explanation or to interpret before the people? Yes, we do. We have only one example. As a matter of fact, we only have one example of somebody or some people actually speaking in languages. The only time in the Bible that we see people speaking in languages to other people, and we know what they're saying, is Acts 2, Acts 8. We can't use Acts 10. We can't use Acts 19. Why? We know that there were tongues being spoken, there were languages being spoken. And I'm saying language is for a reason. We know there were languages being spoken, but we simply don't know what they were saying. We have no idea. We are told about in Acts 19 or Acts 10, we're told about the fact that they were marveling at the fact that they were speaking in these languages, but we don't know what was being said, what was being spoken. So as we look at Acts 10, comparing with Acts 2, Acts 10 does say that they were exalting God, but we don't know exactly how, but that kind of helps us to understand. In other words, that the people that were listening understood that they were exalting God. So some sort of way someone heard in a language and they were able to understand or to explain what was being stated. Now, does it say that specifically in Acts 10? No, but it tells us what happened. And so that kind of leads us to understand what was taking place. Now, if we go back to Acts 2, where the only time that we see someone speaking in languages, we know what's being stated in these languages. Why? Because the people tell us who hears in those languages, but there's another group that's there who don't speak or understand the languages that are being spoken and they are there. And so do they have to have some sort of explanation? Well, according to 1 Corinthians 12 and 14, yes, they do. And so in Acts 2, let's go there in verse three says, and there appeared to them tongues that is the apostles tongues of fire distributed upon themselves and they rested on each one of them and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other languages, Glossis, as the Spirit was given love and so it's the Spirit that does it. You don't ask for it. You don't bother, hey, let's just speak in tongues. It's as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were Jews in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation, and that's the point, every nation under the heaven. When they heard this sound occurred, the crowd was bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak. There's a word, laluton. They were speaking in their own languages and the people were amazed and astonished. So the people hear them speaking to them in their own languages. Why are not all these who are speaking Galileans, how's that we hear each of them in our own language to which we were born, Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, and so forth. So he goes on speaking and then noticed what was stated. And they were all continued in amazement and with great perplexity saying to one another, what does this mean? Now obviously the mockers show up and mockers do what mockers do. They begin to mock. But then we get this example of someone getting up and it seems to be he's explaining because every time that we hear this, when we saw this in Acts 10, they spoke in these languages and they were exalting God. When the people that were hearing the languages speak, they say that they were glorifying God. The only people that could not testify to that or state what was being stated were the people that were there who did not understand what was being spoken. They heard something that they had no idea do because they didn't speak that language that the apostles were speaking into under the power of the Holy Spirit. So Peter stands up, taking his stand with the 11, raise his voice to them, men of Judea and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words for these men are not drunk as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day, but this is what was spoken through the prophet of Joel and so he goes to speak what Joel is speaking of. But then he also goes on to speak about or magnifying the Lord. He starts speaking about Jesus, exalting God. Is that not what was told that was gonna happen? They're gonna get speaking these languages and the people that do not speak these languages or hearing these languages, they'll hear the gospel, they'll hear the Lord being magnified. But then what about the people who are there who don't speak those languages? They also get an explanation or interpretation. That's what the word the airmanail comes from to interpret or it's also the same word that we use whereby we get the term or the word hermeneutics, which is to explain or to give an understanding of the text. And so what Peter is doing is just that he stands up and he's giving an explanation, he's interpreting. Now, someone say, well, I'm not sure if that's it or I don't think that that's what Peter is doing. What question then is, what is Peter doing? Why is he doing so? And if Peter is not giving an interpretation of what was stated, if Peter is not explaining to the other people what was being said, well, then who does? Are the apostles on that day giving two different messages to the people? Are the apostles speaking to these people, these people from these different places, different countries? Are they saying something different than what Peter's also saying to those Jews that are from that region? Is he saying something different? No, he's clearly saying the same thing. He's exalting God to them. They are exalting God to them in their language. And now he's exalting God to them, to these Jews that are native to that place in their language as well. And so we have him explaining what was said to them. He's explaining, we know he's saying the same thing. He's explaining because he says, these men are not drunk as you suppose, but this is what was happening when Joelle said, the spirit will be poured out upon men and they will then prophesy the word prophesy means to give a revelation to tell to inform. Acts 10 says that they began to speak in tongues and then it's divided by the word chi prophesy. So they were speaking these languages and prophesying or also prophesying or namely prophesying, that's what the word chi means. And so the same thing's happening here, which is what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 14, that if you speak and do these things in order that you would do what? In order to tell, to reveal, to inform or in order to prophesy. And so we see this happening in Acts two. We see it being explained a little bit more in Acts in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14. So what does interpretation mean? It means to explain, to interpret, to explain, to bring about an understanding. And anyone that speaks in a language under the power of the Holy Spirit, they are supposed to have someone there, either they themselves or someone else, to give an explanation as to what was said. Why? As Paul says, so the whole body, not just individual parts of the body, but so the whole body would be edified. The whole body would be built up. Amen.