May 2, Acts 11:1-18 (NRSV) - Theological Scandal

Transcription

1 May 2, Acts 11:1-18 (NRSV) - Theological Scandal 1 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.' 9 But a second time the voice answered from heaven, 'What God has made clean, you must not call profane.' 10 This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. 11 At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. 13 He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, 'Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; 14 he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.' 15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' 17 If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?" 18 When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, "Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life." What we got here today is a good old-fashioned theological scandal. The pundits are standing by the microphones, the papparazzi are licking their chops, TMZ can't believe what they just saw... Peter ate dinner with the uncircumcised, the Gentiles. Peter ate unclean foods. The Rock on whom the church was built, one of the original disciples, has gone against tradition and has broken commands of God. A 1st Century Christian controversy is in full effect. Word has gotten around and so Peter is called to Jerusalem to explain himself. He is to stand trial before the early church leaders. The charges: Dining with Gentiles and eating unclean animals. Both of these transgressions are strictly forbidden in the dietary purity laws as laid out in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. If you eat unclean animals, you are

2 unclean and if you dine with those eating unclean animals you are unclean as well. But Peter tells his accusers that he had a dream that Jesus told him that the animals that once were unclean, were now clean. In his dream he saw a sheet come down with four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air- -all unclean animals--and he was told to kill and eat. But, of course warning bells went off in his head because he knew this was wrong, he says, "By no means Lord, for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth." For as long as he was alive he knew these animals to be unclean and to eat them would put him outside the Will of God. But three times Jesus tells him, "What God has made clean, you must not call profane." So there go the food laws! Peter then tells them that the Spirit of God told him that he should go with the Gentiles who sent for him and that he should make no distinction between THEM and US (Gentile or Jew). So he goes with these Gentiles and when telling them about the Gospel, Peter observes that the Spirit of God came upon the Gentiles at Caesarea, the same way they came upon them when they took Jesus as Lord. Vs 15 says, " 15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning." Peter witnesses that Gentiles could receive the Spirit as Christians without getting circumcised and without following the food laws! So, Yes, Peter is GUILTY as charged. He has eaten with Gentiles and he has even allowed them to convert with the requirements of the Law. But Peter believes his actions are approved of by God. Peter claims that the Risen Christ has appeared to him and told him that God has changed the Parameters of what is clean and unclean, God has widened the circle of acceptance to include the Gentiles, The Spirit is speaking a New Word to them. A bold claim, isn't it? As Walter Brueggemann writes, "This is a staggering narrative on which the future of the church pivots." Will the church allow Gentiles in or not?? Because for those placing him on Trial, those who say the Gentiles can t come in unless they become like us, the defense of their position was easy. Read the Scripture, Peter. Read Leviticus 11. Read Deuteronomy 14. You are off your rocker Peter. A dream? Jesus speaking to you? You expect us to cast away centuries of tradition and the Holy Scriptures to accomodate this new idea? Accept Gentiles, accept unclean foods...please, child. All Peter has to hang his hat on, is his belief that God can and will speak a new word. Not that God has spoken (period) -- that scripture and tradition are it. But that God is still speaking, that God can do a new thing. Does this debate sound at all familiar? Yeah, we now know that Gentiles are fully included in the life of the Church, but this very idea of accepting someone into the faith that doesn't fit quite right has always been and always will be a problem for

3 the church. The church has often been too quick to pronounce uncleanliness and unholiness. The people of God are always trying to decide...can we let thus and so in? If we let them in, are we selling out? Are we going against the scripture and tradition? Think about it. Think about the history of the church. Can we let the uncircumsized in? Can we let those who don't follow the dietary laws in? Can we let the Gentiles in? Can we let those who don't speak in tongues in? Can we let those who have been divorced in? Can women get into the priesthood? Be a minister? Can children take communion, are they in? Can we let gays or lesbians in? And for each of these, an argument can be made using scripture and tradition to justify keeping them out. And that s the tricky part of it, isn t it? And that s why that our scripture today exemplifies an incredible scandal in the life of the early church. Can this movement go in a direction contrary to direct commands of God in the scripture? Do we really believe that this is where our Risen Lord is TRULY calling us to go? Peter says Yes and its risky business. I mean, this is radical, Peter is really out there on a ledge. Go against the tradition, you are in trouble. Go against the scriptures themselves, you are an apostate, a sell-out, a false-prophet, a menace to all that is loving, and good, and pure. To understand our scripture, we must venture into the minds of the listeners who would have reacted very strongly to these claims made by Peter. To the listeners, either Peter was a true visionary moved by the spirit of God or a law-breaker and a sinner who watered down the Word of God. And some in the church were absolutely freaking out. Who does Peter think he is? So is he basically saying "Anything goes"? Where are your values and morals? Have you no respect for what God said in the Bible? While others were convinced of his testimony and believed that God s love and grace was and is big enough for the Gentiles, too. So what say you? Peter a law-breaker or a visionary? If you do think Peter was right, then this story should serve as a warning that we should be awfully careful proclaiming who is out and who is in. We should be careful using tradition to exclude someone. We should be careful using scripture as a way of saying YOU don't belong, you're not one of us, you're unclean. Because as God did a new thing then, God could do a new thing now. As Peter admits later in our scripture: " 17 If, then, God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could

4 hinder God?" Who was I to condemn them? Who was I to exclude them? Who was I to box in the Spirit? Who was I to get in the way of this new thing that God was doing? Who am I to hinder God? This God that we worship and know is not a God who predictably sits in the tight embrace of our traditions. The God we worship is living and active always moving in a way that reaches people where they are, showing Grace and love in new ways, which are stunning and even offensive. In the book of Jonah, God sent him to preach repentence to the Ninevites. The Ninehvites repented and believed, but Jonah was angry. How could God extend love and forgiveness to these foreigners, these who believed in other gods and even brought war upon them? Jonah learned as Peter did, that the God of all creation reserves the right to extend Grace and Love and Redemption to whatever and whomever. Don t try to box this God in. Isaiah 43:18-19, says, 18 Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. 19 I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? And I thank God that Peter perceived it. That Peter listened to the Spirit and believed the new Word that Jesus brought to him. Because if he didn t I would think that most all of us, as Gentiles, wouldn't be here, we wouldn't know Christ, we might still be on the outside looking in. Well history has told us that Peter was right, that the Gentiles are full recipients of God's Love and Grace. That Christ s love for people makes no distinctions between slave or free, Jew or Greek, male or female, circumcised or uncircumcised, kosher or non-kosher. And after Peter's testimony, even his accusers believed in their heart that he was right. The scripture says that they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, "Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life." God s circle is bigger than we thought.even so far as to the Gentiles. So, my friends, be open to the moving Spirit of God. Don't be so quick to write people off, to draw a line saying "no way, they could get in." Spirit of the Living God fall afresh on us Do you believe that God is still speaking to us...and if you do...listen, Listen...Listen

5