Based on Acts 10 and 11.  I urge you to read it!

“If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God? When they heard these things they become silent and they glorified God. saying, ‘Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.“

Acts 11: 17-19

Peter was not much different than the typical Jew of the day.  He had prejudices against non-Jews.  This prejudice, if retained by Peter and the growing group of believers, would greatly impede (or stop) the work Jesus had commissioned to his disciples to “carry the gospel to the entire world for a witness.”  If they remained separated from the Gentiles, the believers would have imploded by focusing only on their own experience with Jesus.  They would have likely created a commune of believers keeping to themselves, congregating for themselves; keeping clear of those who would make them common and unclean.

Jesus’ example had taught them better.  They had seen Him break down barriers by talking with “sinners” and those of other cultures.

Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.

Mark 2:15

When Jesus stopped to talk with the Samaritan woman at the well, he showed he did not discriminate against this racially mixed group of people who were not of the main-stream Jewish faith. Further, he did not care that she was a woman.  He did not subscribe to the typical prejudices of those who made themselves more righteous than others.

The woman said,

“Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”

John 4:20

Jesus response to her revealed the character of God.  He  does not limit the value of a person related to sex, race, or culture.  What matters are those who worship in spirit and truth.

 ^“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

John 4: 23, 24

Later on Paul would agree with this when he stated,

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Galatians 3:28, 29

The lessons Jesus taught on tolerance and acceptance came hard for the Apostles, especially to Peter. This time, as shown in our opening text, Peter appears to be on the “cutting edge” of this new way of thinking and “worldview.”

The inner circle of believers, the Apostles, and other believers in Jerusalem heard that Peter had been eating with “uncircumcised men”

This created one of the first controversies in the church and involved the Apostles themselves who appeared to have similar prejudices against Gentiles.  Peter and the Apostles had something to learn and it started with a man named Cornelius,

“…a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household who gave alms generously to the people and prayed to God always.”

Acts 10:1,2

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At about 3:00 PM (9th hour) Cornelius, this “non-Jew” of Italian decent was visited by an Angel.  It was commonly believed among the Jews that angels did not associate themselves with Gentiles.

Nevertheless, the angel appeared and gave directions to him to

“…send men to Joppa and send for Simon whose surname is Peter.”

Acts 10: 5

Cornelius obeyed as directed by the angel.  He sent three of those employed by him: two of his household male servants and a devout soldier from those who waited on him continually.  

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The journey from Caesarea to Joppa was a long journey by foot of about 30 to 36 miles. Walking at a purposeful, but easy pace of 2.5 miles an hour, it would have been a trip of about 12-15 hours  If they left shortly after Cornelius’ vision,  let’s say about 5:00 PM, that would be about 19 hours until they arrived at Joppa.  Time enough for a short sleep of 4 to 7 hours.  “The next day as they were on their journey and drew near the city,” Peter was on a rooftop praying.  He was very hungry and while he waited for lunch to be prepared, he went on the rooftop at noon (6th hour)

Peter fell into a trance and saw a strange vision that he did not understand.

“…he fell into a trance 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. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air.  And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

 But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”

And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.”

Acts 10: 11-16

The term “common” was used by the Jews whenever something clean came in contact with something unclean.  The clean became “common.”

Following the words of Moses to the children of Israel,  Peter and the Jews obeyed the diet laws by refraining from eating any animal considered as unclean and eating only those God proclaimed as clean. The description of clean and unclean animals can be found in Leviticus 11.

Many people are surprised to find in the story about the animals going on to the ark by two were “unclean animals.” The “clean” animals went into the ark by seven.

You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female;

Genesis 7:2 

Despite the command to slay and eat, Peter would not and did not do as directed.

Despite an apparent easy message, Peter did not understand the meaning of this vision.  Was this a vision about diet?  Was God telling him it was OK to eat unclean animals because God had made them clean now?

A cursory reading of this is used by many as a vision about diet, but we will see that Peter understood it differently after going through a period of wonder about its meaning.

“Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate.”

Acts 10:17

Notice that the sheet was let down three times.  This is a significant number to Peter because he had denied the Lord three times and the Lord asked Peter three times if he loved him.  Then Jesus said to Peter, “Feed my sheep.”

The fact that the sheet was let down three times seems to indicate Peter’s need to fully understand the significance of the repetitive act.  Peter like many of us tend to be a little hard-headed and need the repetition before we “get it.”  Often when something is repeated by the Lord, it means it is very important.  Was a change in diet an important event?

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Peter greets the messengers sent from Cornelius. They stay the night with Peter and they all leave the next day to see Cornelius. Peter invites some of the disciples with him. They travel the long trip back to Caesarea where Cornelius is waiting for them.

Somewhere along the way, the meaning of the vision becomes clear to Peter.  When Peter greets Cornelius, he discloses (almost immediately)  the meaning of the sheet with the many different creatures:

“You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.“

Acts 10:28

The barriers set up by mankind and their religion was beginning to break down under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  The vision was not about diet, but a very important message of acceptance of all people so the message could go to everyone in the world.  It taught Peter something different than how he was raised. It was a message the early church needed to hear and know so their commission to go into all the world was not slowed by petty prejudices.

When Peter tells the story of Jesus to Cornelius and his household, they believe and they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Those who came with Peter were astonished that the Holy Spirit was given to these Gentile believers! Like Peter, they needed to understand that God does not discriminate.

“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.  And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.  For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.”

Acts 10: 44-46

Then Peter does something very much prohibited by the laws of the Jews.  He stays with them a few days!

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In the next Chapter of Acts (Acts 11), Peter is in Judea with the Apostles (those originally with Jesus) and other believers.  They all are astonished like those who were with Peter at Cornelius’ house.  You can hear in their exclamation of disdain for what Peter had done!

You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”

Acts 11: 3

Peter then explained his vision to them.  At the end, Peter asks a serious question about the lesson he learned about prejudice and acceptance,

“….who was I that I could withstand God?”

When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”

Acts 11:17, 18

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Prejudice toward the Gentile slowly gave way. In this story, it gave way quickly…or did it? The believers were beginning to see that “….there is neither Jew nor Greek in Christ….”The separation of Jew and Gentile had been a tradition for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. They were looked upon as “inferior” in many ways. Also, the laws contained in ordinances would give way. Their job as the School Master to bring people to Christ was finished. Type had met anti-type. We now have the reality of Christ in the shadows that pointed forward to the work of Jesus.

“…which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.”

Colossians 2:17

Later in Galatians 2: 11-16, Paul calls out Peter for being hypocritical in his understanding about the separation of Jews and Gentiles.  I’ll save that story for another time.  But,  it points out that old prejudices are hard to break.

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How tough it must have been for tradition to be overcome, especially among those older and set in their ways, But, as Peter explained his vision of the sheet, many were convicted and “glorified God.” by changing their way of thinking.

Truth never changes, but are there traditions in the church that need to give way? Are there prejudices against women for example. Do we believe, “there is neither male nor female in Christ…”

For hundreds, if not thousands, of years there has been traditions in the church about women….Do those traditions need to give way? Can the holy spirit and the burden of pastoral ministry be laid on the heart of a female?  Will their ordination help speed up the spreading of the gospel to the entire world or will it impede its progress?  Let us trust God with our prejudices.

Maybe the Lord needs to send us a vision of the sheet? Maybe we should ask the same question as Peter, “Who am I that I should withstand God?”

This I know,

“if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven,..” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Brothers and sisters, we need to hear from heaven. Is not God calling us to pull out all the stops to reach this dying world?

Father, please hear our prayer for wisdom and guidance. Not our will, but Yours be done. Let us not withstand you if you are calling us to put away traditions and prejudices that prohibit the spreading of the gospel.