Religious Roadblock
In Acts 10, Peter is hanging out on a rooftop while waiting for lunch to be made. While up there, God suddenly got his attention by giving him this vision:
He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.”
So…that’s kind of weird. Can you imagine laying in bed, counting down how many hours of sleep you’re going to get and then…BAM…you see a sheet with animals on it. Now, imagine it happening 2 more times. That’s what happened to Peter. With Peter being really confused (understandably), he asked what this vision meant:
“Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.”
What did this vision mean? Well, it was against the Jewish religion to eat anything that was considered “unclean.” All of the animals that appeared in Peter’s vision were animals that he would never eat due to his devotion to his religious practices. But, God was preparing Peter for something He was doing behind the scenes.
Immediately after his vision, 3 men showed up at the house, who were sent by a man named Cornelius. They told Peter, “We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer. He is a devout and God-fearing man, well respected by all the Jews. A holy angel instructed him to summon you to his house so that he can hear your message.” What’s the big deal about this? In the past, Peter would not have gone to Cornelius’ house because he wasn’t a Jew and therefore considered to be “unclean”. But, when the men showed up, Peter knew exactly what his vision was all about. When Peter arrives at Cornelius’ house, he tells him and the 3 men:
“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. So I came without objection as soon as I was sent for.
That made me think: Sometimes our religion can get in the way of our relationship with God and His people. Man, I know I have been guilty of this! How about you?
this is good
i think of the jewish culture of his day as the christian culture of our day
” 11 But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. 12 When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile Christians, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision.”
we all like to eat with the jews and talk about the gentiles, it feels great and is a comfortable lifestyle, it assures our self righteousness, and reminds of us why we are better, but i get the idea that jesus came to bust that mess up
to throw us in the lions
to learn to be different, not fit in with the jews
i start to think that with every turn to not conform, then we are becoming jesus
he becomes greater and die a little, doesn’t it feel great?