“Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean.” Acts 10:28 NLT
All those years in the Old Testament, where God used his spokespersons to get Israel to understand His whole plan of using the Jews to bring God to the whole world.
All those wild interactions Jesus had with Gentiles and Samaritans, many of them women, no less.
And it takes a supernatural and commanding vision to finally begin to fulfill this original plan of redemption offered to all.
Peter blurts out this awkward greeting to Cornelius – “hello, I’m not supposed to talk to you, but God made me.” Such strong words, “You know…” was it that obvious? “It is against OUR laws…” Were these civil or moral laws? No, they were Jewish religious/cultural laws. Talk about some deep-seated, systemic racism! I don’t know, maybe the hatred went both ways.
Peter summarizes his own personal vision, “I should no longer think of ANYONE impure or unclean!” Holy bacon bits – that’s such a huge shift for him. So much had changed and yet God kept pushing Peter into a “Kingdom of God” perspective. God had given both men this twinsy, matching visions. Peter’s vision went against a massive amount of food laws that had been handed down to his people for generations. Levitical laws were clear and strict! Cornelius had just been praying and giving to the poor yet had no idea what or why he was doing. He was without purpose or direction.
God saw him and said, boom, there’s the BRIDGE guy! There’s the guy that will get this religiously racial wall torn down. Angels were dispatched with one mission – let’s get Pete and Cornelius together. Cornelius was curious, Peter confused!
After story-swapping, Peter comes to this conclusion… it just give me goosebumps! “Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.”
God shows NO FAVORITISM! In Christ there is complete and absolute equality across several physical and cultural boundaries – Paul later tells the Church, There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus!
And don’t even get me started in the fact that the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Cornelius crowd. With not only a powerful outward indication of an inward change, but also a sign of unity. Peter’s crew was ASTONISHED at what they SAW and HEARD – “The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.”
PRAYER:
Dad,
Oh how I long for such reconciliation among the Church today. Unity, bridging the gap in racial and cultural- even denominational divides! These “laws,” this barriers are still causing issues today. It should not be so. There is so much social media trash slinging in the body of Christ, so many theological labels to hide behind and use against a unified church. Help us Lord!