(Acts 11: 1-18)
Teresa will tell you that I have this irrational aversion to mayonnaise. I know there’s nothing wrong with it, but I get chills and a queasy feeling if and when I suspect that a dollop of mayo has found its way into or onto my food. It is barely acceptable in some extremely dry macaroni salads and maybe in the making of a patty melt. I think the grilled onions counteract the toxins of the mayo. Teresa will also tell you, that in years past, I was prone to make a scene in restaurants if the server let some mayo slip into my order. And to this day I still inquire when ordering if mayo is routinely a part of what I’m ordering. This aversion is not entirely of my making. You see, I grew up in a mayo-free household. My mother used it sparingly and even her potato salad was made with yellow mustard. It’s almost as if God needs to come to me in a dream and tell me mayonnaise is acceptable, you know, as good as kosher.
And being as good as kosher is what the Apostle Peter is talking about in our scripture reading for today. In Acts chapters 10 and 11 the Apostle Luke takes 66 verses to record a very significant event in the life of the early church, a crossroads so to speak. He’s telling us the story of the conversion of Cornelius, the Roman Centurion, who was assigned to Caesarea. We’re told that Cornelius was a pious, Gentile God worshipper who, for all intents and purposes, practiced Judaism without becoming a full convert through the ritual of male circumcision. I suspect that one reason for not going all the way was that being Jewish, and a Roman Centurion were mutually exclusive and would probably be a career killer. In any event, Luke records that Cornelius had a vision of an angel who directed him to call for Peter to come to his home and tell how his whole household could be saved. At the same time, Peter who was staying at Simon the tanners house in Joppa, received a vision where he saw a linen sheet being lowered from the sky that had all sorts of animals on it, which he was commanded to kill and eat. Many of the creatures must have been unclean and coming from a Jewish background Peter had an aversion to eating any of them and therefore refused to partake in any meals of unclean and unacceptable animals. About that time Cornelius’ men showed up at Simon’s door and asked Peter to accompany them back to Caesarea where the whole household was gathered together awaiting his arrival. When Peter arrived Cornelius told him of his vision, at which time Peter had that “ah-ha” moment when the meaning of the vision became clear to him. It wasn’t about diet after all. It was God telling him not to consider any person as unclean. So, he preached to the household and when he witnessed the Holy Spirit descend upon the household, he baptized them.
And this is where we pick up this morning. When word spread throughout Judea that even some Gentiles had welcomed God’s word and had been baptized many of the formerly Jewish believers criticized Peter accusing him of going into the home of the uncircumcised and eating with them. It wasn’t kosher! The significance of what had happened in Caesarea wasn’t lost on Peter, and seeing this as a teachable moment he began step by step explaining what had happened. He explained being in Joppa and having this baffling visionary experience where this large linen sheet came down from heaven and he saw upon it four-legged animals—including wild beasts—as well as reptiles and wild birds. He said he heard a voice say: Get up Peter! Kill and eat! He responded: Absolutely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth. The voice from heaven spoke a second time saying: Never consider unclean what God has made pure. Peter tells his listeners that this happened three times and then everything was pulled back to heaven. He said that at that moment some men from Caesarea arrived looking for him and that the Spirit told him to go with them even though they were Gentiles. So, Peter left with them for Caesarea taking with him six brother followers. Peter told them that when he got there that Cornelius told him about his vision and that he, Peter, would tell him how he and his entire household could be saved. Peter tells them that when he began to speak the Holy Spirit fell upon the members of Cornelius’ household, just as the Spirit fell upon them in the beginning. At that time, he remembered the Lord’s words: John will baptize with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Fully realizing the meaning of the vision Peter explained to his critics: If God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, then who am I? Could I stand in God’s way? Once the apostles and other believers heard this, they calmed down. They praised God and concluded, So then God has enabled Gentiles to change their hearts and lives so that they might have new life.
God was quietly working behind the scenes putting another part of his plan into motion. This account illustrates God’s prevenient grace in preparing both Cornelius and the apostle Peter for what is often called “the Gentile Pentecost.” The independent visions of Cornelius and Peter had probative value in showing the divine initiative in all that happened, being an extension of salvation to Gentiles. At the time most Jewish believers thought that God offered salvation only to the Jews because God had given his law to them through Abraham, Moses, and the prophets. And then there was a group in Jerusalem that believed Gentiles could be saved, but only if they followed all the Jewish laws and traditions—in essence—if they first became Jews before becoming Christians. But now, the realization that God does not show favoritism or preferential treatment to one group of people over another was an enormous breakthrough in the early church’s comprehension of the full meaning of the gospel. And John Wesley, the founder of our Methodist denomination observed: “God does not confine his love to one nation,” and generally, “he is loving to every man, and willeth all men should be saved.” The intellectual questions ended, and the theological discussion stopped with the report that God had given the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles as was his plan all along. This was a turning point for the early church. They had to accept those whom God had chosen, even if they were Gentiles.
And here we are, 2,000 years later, needing to be reminded of God’s unconditional love and acceptance of anyone who confesses with their mouth that Jesus is Lord, and in their hearts have faith that God raised him from the dead, will be saved. Too often, in our ignorance, we are inclined to accept only the parts of God’s Word that appeal to us and support our own agendas, ignoring the teaching we don’t like, the inconvenient truths, and accept all of God’s Word as absolute truth. That’s one of the major stumbling blocks churches face as we continue to decline in membership and relevancy. It’s why people claim to be turned off by “organized” religion. It’s what causes churches to split and some to suffer a slow and agonizing death as they move to shuttering their doors. We can be our own worst enemy and it hurts when churches like ours are lumped in with churches that truly do not live the gospel of Jesus Christ.
So, we have to ask ourselves why is it so difficult for some Christians to accept someone who is acceptable to God regardless of who they are, what they are, or where they are from? We need to ask ourselves the same question Peter asked his fellow believers who had a problem with him baptizing Gentiles: If God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, then who are we? Can we stand in God’s way? We need to remind ourselves that at one time we were nothing special. We came from a great multitude of people who were looked down upon and considered of little value by those who believed they were the ones who were “holy and acceptable in God’s eyes” just because of their birth and religious pedigree. They were raised up with the belief that their way was the only way and that the only way to get what they have was to become one of them. If that’s what they believe, if that’s what they think it takes to become acceptable in God’s sight, then they need to get over it and never consider unclean what God has made pure.
Let us pray.
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. Gracious and loving God, how we praise you for your unconditional love for us your imperfect children. How we thank you for your gift to us of your Holy Spirit sent to guide, teach, and lead us as we strive to attain Christian perfection. Keep us mindful that your gift of the spirit wasn’t just for us but for all who desire to come to know you and call upon your name no matter who they are or where they come from. Remove the blinders from our eyes that prevent us from seeing others as you see them, fallen children that desperately need your salvation. We are unworthy of your grace, the grace you always had planned for our acceptance and the acceptance of others. We are yours Father. Melt us, mold us, fill us, use us. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.