In today’s reading, we see Peter wrestling with breaking tradition. It’s maybe a bit more serious than that, since he’s being challenged to break more than a custom. Visiting a non-Jew in his home, let alone eating with him, goes against the way Peter was trained to respect and worship God. These laws and traditions were important and valuable, because they set God’s people apart from the rest of the world. That separation was a picture of the holiness of God, of the problem of sin, and a reminder that God chose the Hebrews as His people. Suddenly, Peter should give all that up, because he fell into a trance and heard God say those unclean foods were now clean?!?
It was risky, and it was difficult. Peter had to have known there would be consequences, that he would be accused of breaking the laws of God. He had to have wondered if he could really trust this vision. How did he know this vision was really God speaking to him and not just a crazy dream?
It’s challenging for us, too. We want so much to do the right thing, and we know that usually means separating ourselves from bad things. However, it seems that God values building bridges of grace between his people and the world as much as He values building hedges of protection around his people.
So what is God saying to us? Here are some questions this passage causes me to wrestle with; perhaps you’ll wrestle with me.
- Am I hiding God behind traditions that make him harder for others to find or understand?
- Do my traditions represent the values of God or my personal preferences?
- Am I hiding the Gospel in a religious system by holding unbelievers to the same standard as believers? (1 Corinthians 5:9-10)
- Is God calling me to reach out to someone that is difficult for me to relate to?
- Is God calling me to reach out to someone I wouldn’t expect?
- Are there means for helping people hear and receive the Gospel I wouldn’t normally consider?
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