You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. (Acts 10:28)
What makes Acts such a great narrative is how it shows people getting the hint and going with the flow of the Spirit.
I often think Peter was a bit slow on the uptake. Jesus had already informed him along with the other disciples that they were to make disciples of the nations. When he asked the risen Christ if this was the time for the Kingdom, Jesus told him that they would be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth. There was a consistent message throughout the ministry that this good news would spread.
Yet here was Peter needing to get a vision, a word of assurance and finally and confirmation in a Cornelius encounter for him to get it. Even there, after he got it, later on Paul would confront him for behaving by double standards when he first ate with the Gentiles, but then switched to eating with the Jews when they came visiting.
I say he was slow on the uptake, but actually witnessing this evolving understanding of the will of God is actually a relief to me. It’s a relief to know it’s not for me to get the whole picture now, but it is for me to remain committed to the process of growing in knowing the picture. It’s a relief to know that it takes time to grow, but it is for me to likewise be patient with other people in their understanding.
The significant breakthrough in this episode with Peter is one that is still challenging for us today. The breakthrough that the gospel of Jesus Christ breaks down national and cultural barriers and builds bridges to unite folks of different background in the faith.
This breakthrough is truly critical to an understanding of what it means to follow Jesus. The same Holy Spirit that inspired the Jewish audience has now been seen with those beyond that community. God has made clean those who had previously been considered unclean. That transforms how we engage with people of different cultures.
It is still a challenge to get the insight that the family of God is not just about getting people who share the same cultural background. If that is the case regarding those who get the gospel message from us, it also has implications about those with whom we share gospel life.
Again the merciful God is patiently working with us as He worked with the early church. Two thousand years of the gospel and we’re still struggling with this reality. By His grace, though, we are able to succeed to see true gospel expansion leading to gospel communities reflecting love for people who are no longer considered strange or unclean.
God help us in seeing the riches of the gospel impact.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
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