Lectionary passage: Galatians 2:11-14 - 11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood self-condemned; 12for until certain people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But after they came, he drew back and kept himself separate for fear of the circumcision faction.13And the other Jews joined him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14But when I saw that they were not acting consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, ‘If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?
Peter, James, and John gave Paul the hand of fellowship,
which meant Paul had the blessing of the church’s leadership.
When Peter came to Antioch, however, he withdrew
from eating with the Gentiles out of fear, because he knew
the Judaizers were opposed. He was afraid of them,
and so reversed the view expressed back in Jerusalem.
This was the same disciple who three times denied his Lord,
and now again for fear he felt that he could not afford
to face the ire of those who thought that Gentiles were unclean,
unless they had been circumcised. “What does baptism mean?”
asked Paul, reminding Peter that we’re saved through faith by grace.
O what a scene, when Paul confronted Peter face to face!
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