October 22

Acts 10:1-16
In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort, as it was called. 2 He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God. 3 One afternoon at about three o'clock he had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius." 4 He stared at him in terror and said, "What is it, Lord?" He answered, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa for a certain Simon who is called Peter; 6 he is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside." 7 When the angel who spoke to him had left, he called two of his slaves and a devout soldier from the ranks of those who served him, 8 and after telling them everything, he sent them to Joppa. 9 About noon the next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat; and while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw the heaven opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 Then he heard a voice saying, "Get up, Peter; kill and eat." 14 But Peter said, "By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean." 15 The voice said to him again, a second time, "What God has made clean, you must not call profane." 16 This happened three times, and the thing was suddenly taken up to heaven.
How will the Christian movement go beyond being a Jewish community? This question comes into the life of the church very early. With the Ethiopian eunuch and with the growth of the church in Samaria, the question about how welcoming the church should be is presented. But is the church ready to move outside of the circles of those who have had historic relationships with the Jewish people and reach out to the Gentiles.

Cornelius is sympathetic to the Jewish witness to God. He “feared God” and gave alms. It is also clear that he is not a member of the synagogue or of the community. He encounters God in a way that causes him to send for Peter.

Peter, who is staying at the home of Simon the tanner, is the one who will be confronted with this dilemma. In preparation he has a vision. In his hunger he is tempted to kill and eat animals that a Jew is forbidden to eat. Scripture is quite clear, these animals are unclean and cannot be eaten. Peter, who is staying at a home where animal carcasses are present, is suddenly very clear that he has never eaten anything unclean.

The grace of God has the final say. If God has made something clean, it is not unclean. God is changing the rules in order to save those outside the law. The book of Leviticus is very clear that eating these animals puts one outside the community. Peter now hears that God has made them clean. The Gentile mission has begun with this reversal from God.

Reflection questions:
1. Does this change on God’s part put the whole question of God’s law into question?
2. What is the basis for this change?
3. Is there anything in this story to help us know when the law applies and when it has been changed?