The Jews and the Gentiles
9 The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. 10 Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance 11 and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 13 And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”
14 But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”
15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” 16 This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.
Acts 10:9-16
From OT times, the Jews separated themselves from the Gentiles. They were forbidden to eat with, or associate themselves with gentiles. They were even forbidden to enter into the house of a gentile. Gentiles were allowed to worship God (if converts) at the temple, but were required to stay in the outer court with the women and children (The Apostle Paul was charged with bringing a gentile into the inner court of the temple which would defile the temple).
The animals in this vision represented the Gentiles. Gentiles were considered unclean and Peter would never have gone with these men if God had not instructed him to do so in this vision.
See Galatians 2:11-14. Even after Peter boldly defended the gentile believers, here he gets caught up in the prejudices of some of the Jewish Christians.
The Prodigal Son; And The Angry Brother
25 “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’
28 “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”
28 “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”
Luke 15:25-32
We might ask ourselves how a brother could be bitter when his lost brother comes home, but how often do we get angry when a fellow believer who has strayed, comes back to the fold? Have you ever been angry when someone gets an appointment in the church (SS teacher, Deacon etc) and you feel they are not deserving or that you should have been called to serve in that capacity? Or what if you haven’t missed a Sunday in ten years and no one seems to notice, and then Joe and Carol walk in and everyone runs to welcome them. Jesus taught many parables about this (See Luke 15:3-7, the lost sheep and Luke 15:8-10, the lost coin). God showed time and again His love for all. If we truly want to follow Christ, we must do likewise.
Love The Person, Hate The Sin
3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
John 8:3-12
If Jesus can reconcile a sinner such as this to Himself, are we not obligated to do the same? We would do well to remember that until we received Christ as our Lord and Savior, we were just as condemned as this woman.
Leave Your Gift At The Altar
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
Luke 5:21-24
If we have not reconciled with our brother, then we can’t be reconciled to God.
I myself struggle to forgive certain people, but I am convicted in my heart to do so. Some say that if the person does not ask for forgiveness, we are not obligated to forgive. However, that is not what is stated here. You and I cannot please God if we disobey His commands. We must take seriously what He has commanded us.
Us and Them
In closing, if you are struggling with this, or you would like an accountability partner to help you, get with the pastor, Sunday School teacher, or a Godly person you trust to deal with this. But first and foremost, talk to God and confess your sin to Him. He will step in and help you. You cannot do this by your own strength. Pray and ask God to show you un-confessed sin in your life and He will.
This is not about us and them, it is about God and us.
The Good Samaritan
Jonah and the Ninevites
The Jews and the Gentiles
The prodigal son; and the angry brother
Love the person, hate the sin
Leave your gift at the altar
Us and them
Follow Up Reading
1 Corinthians 13 (This is a short chapter) Romans 13:8-9 Romans -27
Leviticus Galatians Romans -32
Zechariah Luke -38
Matthew James 2:8
Matthew Matthew
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