PETER'S AMAZING STORY

Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, 3 saying, "Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?" 4 Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, 5 "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. 6 As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7 I also heard a voice saying to me, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat.' 8 But I replied, 'By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth' (Acts 11:1-8, NRSV).

Now the saints who were back in Judea heard
that the Gentiles also had received God’s word.                                  
So when Peter came there, he was criticized
for his having gone to an uncircumcised
centurion and staying in his home.
(The Judaizers had no use for Rome!)
So Peter told them all that had occurred,
beginning with the voice that he had heard
in the vision, telling him that he could eat
any unclean thing that he saw on the sheet.
“Three times this happened,” Peter said, “and then
no sooner had it ended, when three men
arrived, who had been sent by God to me
from Caesarea, where amazingly
a soldier there had had a vision, too.
The Holy Spirit told me what to do.
I went with them, because God had made clear
that there should be made no distinction here
between this godly Roman man and us.
His name, I then learned, was Cornelius.
He told me and the six brothers with me
an angel had appeared to him, and he
was told to send to Joppa and to bring
‘a man called Simon Peter.’” Everything
for Peter now had fallen into place.
God wanted him to witness face to face
to this man. Although he was not a Jew.
God wanted him to hear the gospel, too!
All doubt of that, God quickly would dispel,
when on them all the Holy Spirit fell.
Then Peter justified his good intent
by closing with this cogent argument:
“If they received the gift we had from God,
who then was I that I could hinder God?”
When they heard this, all the believers knew
what Peter said was right, and they were through
objecting, for the Gentiles had received
God’s gift of life because they, too, believed.
The Judaizers might have praised God then,
but they would soon be arguing again
that Gentiles were not welcome any more,
unless they had been circumcised before.
So vehemently did they state their view
that Peter was intimidated, too!
He quite forgot the freedom of God’s grace,
and Paul had to oppose him to his face.