by Rhonda Boudreau
Acts 11:1-18
The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3 and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
4 Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. 6 I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. 7 Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ 8 “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ 10 This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.
11 “Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. 12 The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. 14 He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.’ 15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” 18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
Peter followed God’s instructions. He believed he was to spread the news of God to the Jewish communities. Even though he was out of his comfort zone, he heeded God’s call and he listened. Peter may have expected some backlash when he returned to Jerusalem. After all, this was a new revelation to him too. After he told the story of his experiences and the visions, there was a better understanding of God’s acceptance. This passage reiterates that God’s love is for everyone. It would encourage people to learn of each other’s similarities and differences and to realize that God embraced all of them.
During this time of upheaval in our society, I find myself learning more about things that I thought I already knew. It’s not easy to examine oneself and see the mistakes you made out of ignorance. As a teacher, I am constantly focused on inclusion and assuring I respect and celebrate students’ differences. I try to give myself grace and acknowledge that I will do better after recognizing my biases. Peter says, “So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” I know that God’s love is a gift for all and I need to look through the lens of various cultures and beliefs to help understand the world around me. Pastor Joanna Harader of Peace Mennonite Church writes a personal blog called Spacious Faith, I like her closing words about this passage. I hope it speaks to you as well.
“Being an inclusive community doesn’t mean that we let people in who act like us and see God the same way we see God. Being an inclusive community means that we truly open up, that we are willing to let people who are different from us help us more fully understand the depth and breadth of God, that we look to and listen to others as we try to figure out what it means to follow Christ. This is not a story that provides simplistic answers for complicated questions. It is a story that reminds us that we should listen closely to the stories others have to share. That God operates beyond our areas of comfort. That God’s church includes people we wouldn’t expect in ways we can’t imagine. It is a story that can help us live together with openness and grace.”