Peter opened the door to his house and immediately felt tension in the room. His guests were not happy. He dropped his bag, kissed his wife, and began to greet the men who had gathered to see him. He hugged them, kissed their cheeks in ceremony, and sensed their cold, stiff anger. He knew what this was about. But they were going to spell it out anyway:
“You visited uncircumcised Romans!” one yelled.
“And you ate a meal in the man’s house!” another added. “A centurion, no less!”
Peter tried to answer, but the Jewish followers of the Way went on and on. Peter knew every man by name. They all worshipped Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah. But they were convinced Peter had lost his mind. In his zeal to share the gospel, he had crossed the line, not merely entering the home of an uncircumcised gentile—which is bad enough—but Peter had actually sat down and eaten the man’s food! What Jewish man would do such a thing?
Peter held up his hands and the crowd finally stopped shouting accusations. As they calmed down, he took a seat to tell them a story.
“Gentlemen. Recently I was in the town of Joppa. I had a quiet room by the sea in the home of Simon the Tanner. I was there praying one afternoon, when I saw a vision. I was outdoors and a huge sheet was coming down from the sky. As it came toward me, I could see animals standing around like sheep in a field. The sheet came to rest on the ground and it was covered in vermin and varmints. There were lizards and iguanas and camels and badgers and foxes and wolves and turtles. There were meat-eating birds, eagles, hawks, and vultures. Carrion birds and scavengers and every unclean pest you can imagine. Right in front of me, so close I could reach out and touch it, was a fat black and white hog, the biggest swine I’ve ever seen. The beast had tusks on either side of his face like a pair of spears.” Peter paused for a moment to let the image sink in. He waited.
“What did you do?” one man asked.
“Nothing. But then I heard a voice. A command. ‘Get up, Peter. Kill, and eat.’ Peter spoke slowly.
“I said, ‘No, Lord! For nothing common or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth!’ I was horrified. As I know any of you would be. But then the voice spoke a second time. ‘What God has made clean, no longer consider unclean.’”
Peter paused again. Waiting. Finally someone spoke, prompting him for more.
“And then what happened?
Peter looked around the room at each of the men. “Then it happened a second time. The Lord said, ‘Kill and eat,’ and I objected, and he said, ‘What God has made clean, no longer consider unclean.’ And you know what? It happened a third time.” Peter spoke enthusiastically. “THREE TIMES God told me to ‘kill and eat,’ and three times he repeated, ‘What God has made clean no longer consider unclean!’ After the third time, the sheet and all the animals were drawn back up into heaven, and the vision ended.”
“And then, before I could even catch my breath, there came a knock at the door. Three men arrived at the house and suddenly the Holy Spirit told me to go with them without asking any questions or having any doubts. I answered the door, and they told me that a Centurion, a man named Cornelius, had been told by an angel to send to Joppa to find Peter who is also called Simon. I told them I was Peter, and they said the angel told Cornelius that I had a message for him. So I invited the men to spend the night and we set out early the next morning for Caesarea.”
“When we got to the house of Cornelius, the centurion fell at my feet as if to worship me. I stood him up and assured him I was a man, same as he. And then I raised with him the same issue you raise with me now: I said, ‘You know it’s forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a foreigner.” Peter paused, eyeing his guests to be sure they were following his point. Then he went on.
“But God has shown me that I must not call any person common or unclean. That’s why I came without objection when I was sent for. So now I ask: ‘Why did you send for me?’”
Peter looked at everyone in the room. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “And this is where the story gets crazy.” Peter grinned.
“Cornelius had been praying four days earlier and a man in a dazzling robe stood in front of him. An angel. The angel said, ‘Cornelius, your prayers have been answered. Send someone to Joppa to the seaside home of Simon the Tanner. Ask for Peter, who is also called Simon.’ So Cornelius looks at me and says, ‘here we are. I have gathered all my family and friends to hear what you have to say.’”
Peter looked around the room. There were so many important leaders of the faith. Peter’s wife was there. His children.
“What could I say? What could I do? God sent me the vision. The angel told them to send for me by name. I was astounded. I looked at Cornelius and said the only thing I could say: “Now I really understand that God doesn’t show favoritism.”
“That was it. Jewish. Gentile. Roman, even? God sent me to the home of this Roman centurion to talk about Jesus, the Messiah. So I told them the whole story of the gospel. And you know what? I never even finished. I talked about the crucifixion and resurrection and while I was still talking, the Holy Spirit came down on the whole house, and suddenly we heard Cornelius and all his family and friends speaking in other languages and declaring the greatness of God. And not only did I hear it, but the six believers with me heard it. After that, what more could I do, but have the new converts baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.”
Peter stopped speaking abruptly. He was overcome. He had seen God perform an amazing act of grace. God had opened the tent to welcome the Gentiles. This new faith, faith in Jesus, was a BIG TENT.
“Whosoever will may come” Revelation 22:17. Anyone can be saved! Everyone can be saved! People talk about a “Big Tent.” Christianity is a BIG TENT. Everyone is welcome! Everyone!
What God cleansed, no longer consider unclean.
Peter was excited. But what would Peter’s friends say? The room was silent. These men were devout, deeply committed to the belief that believers in Christ must be circumcised and follow the law of Moses.
The room was silent for a beat…
“When they heard this, they became silent. Then they glorified God, saying, ‘So God has granted repentance resulting in life even to the Gentiles!” Acts 11:18.
Indeed he has, Peter thought.
“God has granted repentance resulting in life even to the Gentiles.”
God, thank you for the BIG TENT of our faith. Show us how to love people from other cultures. Help us to welcome them into your kingdom!
ΑΩ
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