Peter Preaches to Gentiles

October 18, 2015 Background Scripture: Acts 10:1 – 44 Lesson Passage: Acts 10:24 – 38 As incredible as it may seem, sometimes we dare to set personal standards that exceed the standards of God. This is especially true when it comes to how we believe God sees us and how we dare to view others. We can all be thankful that when it comes to personal scrutiny, God’s standards supersede all others. However, we sometimes forget and assume the role of determining the standards of righteousness for others. Today’s lesson is a reminder that we are not alone in this wayward thinking and neither is this way of thinking a new reality. From the very first family who lived in this world, we note how one brother judged, condemned, and destroyed another. That attitude has persisted in this world since the beginning of time with the first family. It was still alive two thousand years ago and it is still alive today. Perhaps the only thing that is surprising is that it involves not some lowlife creatures who are disappointed with their own lives but this attitude is present even in some of God’s finest. Peter is listed in the gospel accounts as one of the first disciples selected by Jesus who would later become apostles. Among the group of twelve handpicked disciples of Jesus, Peter was included in the “inner circle” with John and James. The inner circle of disciples was singled out on several occasions to accompany Jesus into some settings the other disciples were not privy to. They were witnesses to some divine acts that the other disciples were not. Eleven of the twelve disciples were tasked with laying the foundation of the church of Jesus Christ after Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. During the time of ministry after the ascension of Jesus, Peter was given the command by the Lord to do what was unthinkable for Peter. Peter was commanded to go to the Gentiles and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to them. This did not go well with Peter’s Jewish upbringing that taught him to steer clear of Gentiles because of their uncleanness. God revealed to Peter that whatever was viewed as unclean could be made clean by Him. Once cleaned by God, Peter did not have the privilege as a servant of Christ to continue to declare a thing or person to be unclean. This was all demonstrated to Peter in a vision where he was told by God to eat various creatures that were by Jewish dietary standards defined by the Law considered to be unclean. In the vision, Peter protested the request and stated his conviction that he would not eat anything considered ritually unclean. God rebuked Peter and told him that he was to accept what He had cleaned as such. Peter was told that a group was seeking him and he awoke from the vision. The group summoned Peter to the home of a Gentile named Cornelius. Peter declared the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles there. For Peter to go into the home of a Gentile was for him an unclean act. To offer the Gentiles the message of salvation that was heretofore reserved for the Jews, must have felt akin to treason to Peter. But the nagging message of the vision reminded Peter that God can clean the unclean and he must accept God’s work as sufficient. Peter declared the gospel message in Cornelius’ house and the whole household believed the preaching and was saved. Peter preached the initial sermon on the day of Pentecost to the Jews at Jerusalem and he preached to the Gentiles at the home of Cornelius. Those two sermons delivered the message of hope to all—both Jews and Gentiles. Jesus promised Peter that he would give him the keys and Peter had now used them to open the gospel message to whosoever would receive it. We can celebrate today because Peter preached to Gentiles. Robert C. Hudson October 5, 2015