Easter 5
Devotional
Water From the Rock
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle C
Object:
Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?
-- Acts 11:3
Even Peter was accountable for his actions by the community of faith. He may have been the leader of the early church but he was subject to the criticism of others who also felt they had a legitimate claim on and an understanding of the faith. It is hard for us from this distance to appreciate what an earthshaking event it was for this Jewish sect to accept Gentiles into their community. Conversion of Gentiles to Judaism was a familiar experience but it required the inquirer to go through the procedure of becoming a full-fledged Jew. For males, this included the process of being circumcised. Acts records that it was the circumcised believers who raised the criticism for Peter. They were of the firm belief, backed by their clear understanding of Torah, that Jews should not associate with Gentiles. Peter reflected that belief in his own resistance to God's invitation to eat unclean food.
As the church currently struggles with the acceptance of homosexuals into the community of faith, we get some sense of the depth of their concern. This was not some casual expansion of tolerance. Rather, it seemed to those who raised the issue that Peter was violating a clear directive from God in sharing table with these outsiders. One can hear the scripture and theology that is brought to bear on criticizing those who want to make space for homosexuals as full members of the faith. For Peter, there was a critical experience that caused him to reinterpret his understanding of the faith.
In his association with these Gentiles, he experienced the power of God's Spirit working in their lives. That caused him to hear Jesus' words in a new light. "John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." He then recalled the Pentecostal experience of receiving the Spirit in a way that enabled them to speak to people from every nation (Acts 2:1-12).
Throughout Christian history as it has adapted to new circumstances and new challenges, it was when believers experienced the power of God's Spirit working in someone's life that they allowed themselves to reevaluate their understanding of scripture in a new way. Perhaps as we sit at table with each other, we will be able to sense the power of the Spirit working among us. Then we, too, will be faced with God's challenge: "What God has made clean, you must not call profane."
-- Acts 11:3
Even Peter was accountable for his actions by the community of faith. He may have been the leader of the early church but he was subject to the criticism of others who also felt they had a legitimate claim on and an understanding of the faith. It is hard for us from this distance to appreciate what an earthshaking event it was for this Jewish sect to accept Gentiles into their community. Conversion of Gentiles to Judaism was a familiar experience but it required the inquirer to go through the procedure of becoming a full-fledged Jew. For males, this included the process of being circumcised. Acts records that it was the circumcised believers who raised the criticism for Peter. They were of the firm belief, backed by their clear understanding of Torah, that Jews should not associate with Gentiles. Peter reflected that belief in his own resistance to God's invitation to eat unclean food.
As the church currently struggles with the acceptance of homosexuals into the community of faith, we get some sense of the depth of their concern. This was not some casual expansion of tolerance. Rather, it seemed to those who raised the issue that Peter was violating a clear directive from God in sharing table with these outsiders. One can hear the scripture and theology that is brought to bear on criticizing those who want to make space for homosexuals as full members of the faith. For Peter, there was a critical experience that caused him to reinterpret his understanding of the faith.
In his association with these Gentiles, he experienced the power of God's Spirit working in their lives. That caused him to hear Jesus' words in a new light. "John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." He then recalled the Pentecostal experience of receiving the Spirit in a way that enabled them to speak to people from every nation (Acts 2:1-12).
Throughout Christian history as it has adapted to new circumstances and new challenges, it was when believers experienced the power of God's Spirit working in someone's life that they allowed themselves to reevaluate their understanding of scripture in a new way. Perhaps as we sit at table with each other, we will be able to sense the power of the Spirit working among us. Then we, too, will be faced with God's challenge: "What God has made clean, you must not call profane."
