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Acts 10 "Nothing Unclean"
There was a certain man in Caesarea called 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. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius!" And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, "What is it, lord?" So he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do." And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.
Cornelius was a foreigner living in Caesarea. He was part
of the Roman conquest and commanded a hundred soldiers who kept the
Roman Peace in that city by the sea. And yet he was devout. He feared
God. He gave to the poor and he prayed. He was not a Jew. He did not
observe the Jewish laws and was not circumsized, but he was impressed
with the Jewish idea of one God. One God who was just and merciful,
rather than many gods who might be kind one day and vicious the next.
One God who was the Creator of man, pure and holy, rather than many
gods that were the creation of men, and like them, corrupt and flawed.
I wonder how many like Cornelius there are in this city? People who
aren't satisfied with worshipping in every scenic spot or the gods of
the place where they happen to live. People who want to know God now
and have spiritual help in their everyday lives, not just have a spiritual
funeral when their life is over. If you look at the number of Bibles
sold every year in Japan, you can see that many out there are searching
for God. Look at the number of new religions there are. These too are
people searching for God. But it is not enough to search for God, these
people need to find Him. Jesus Christ said, "I am the way"
If you would find God, the way to Him is through Jesus. If they would
find God, they need to know Jesus.
The wonderful thing is that God is already working on their behalf.
Not only has He already redeemed them from sin by the work of Jesus
Christ on the cross, but like Cornelius, He is drawing them into the
place where they can learn of Jesus Christ. And for Christians, like
Peter, God is bringing people to you who need to know what you know.
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. Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, 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."
I am always encouraged by Peter, because he is the most
human of the apostles. He has all the weaknesses that we have. My prayer
life is oftentimes like Peter's. I determine to pray and then I get
hungry. So I guess I will pray after I eat. Then after I eat, I am sleepy
and during my prayer time I doze off. But I am so thankful that God
is not limited by my lack of discipline, God is not hindered by my weakness.
Instead where I am weak, He is strong.
Since Peter was asleep, God decided to give him a vision. And what a
weird vision. This big sheet coming down out of the sky filled with
animals and birds and bugs. And the voice, starting off with the familiar
"Arise" saying to kill and eat. Now this was a problem for
Peter, because as a Jew, he had never eaten animals that were unclean.
And Peter argued with God, "Not so, Lord!" Just like back
in the gospels when Jesus told him about the crucifixion. "No,
Lord, may it never happen to you." Or when Jesus tried to wash
Peter's feet. "No, Lord. Let me wash your feet." Peter's problem
is that his idea of God is not the same as God's idea of God. Who do
you think is right?
We often fall into the same trap. We think that God only does things
a certain way, only to be surprised again and again by the creativity
of God. Folks, God is the Creator. The One who made the universe. No
one is more creative than God. Do you think that God is happy with churches
where everything is hundreds of years old. The hymns, the sermons, the
order of worship? God says through David, "Sing to the Lord a new
song." God was speaking to Peter. "Peter, I am going to do
something new."
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. 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. And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there. While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are seeking you. Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them." Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, "Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?" And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you." Then he invited them in and lodged them.
What an interesting group in Joppa that evening. God speaks to Peter, saying "I have sent them" and Peter has to take it on faith. You see, the Jews were an extremely prejudiced people. It was against all of the taboos of Jewish society for a Jewish man to keep company with people from other countries. The reason for this was because foreigners did not keep the same dietary laws and ritual cleansing laws that the Jews did and therefore just by touching an unclean person you could become unclean. But this became more than just a law, it was a deep-seated belief in the Jews that other races were inferior. That they were dirty and less human because they were not Jewish. So here is Peter, spending the night with three foreigners. Now, I am sure that Peter did not think that he was prejudiced. After all he was already staying in the house of a tanner. A tanner was the man who made leather out of the skins of animals, and therefore he was shunned by other Jews because he touched the dead carcasses. This is quite similar to the prejudice against leather workers in Japan as well. But Peter had no problem staying with this man because of the power of Jesus Christ over death. But God wanted to take Peter one step further.
On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him. And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshipped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I myself am also a man." And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. Then he said to them, "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. Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?"
Peter has learned the lesson that God wanted to teach him through the vision of the sheet. Not only has God cleansed all foods through Jesus Christ but He has also cleansed all people. Do you know that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world? The entire world. We call this redemption. Every person in the world has been redeemed. The price has been paid in full for every man and woman and child. Although every person has sinned and rejected God, Jesus paid the price for their sin on the cross. This does not mean that every person is saved though. Listen to the words of Peter to Cornelius, in verse 43, "Everyone who believes in Him will receive remission of sins." You see we all stand on level ground at the foot of the cross. Here is an American, a sinner whose price has been paid by Jesus Christ. All he needs to do is believe to receive salvation. Here is a Japanese, a sinner whose price has been paid by Jesus Christ. All she needs to do is believe to receive salvation. Here is the president of a company. Here is a lowly day-laborer. Both are sinners whose price has been payed by Jesus Christ who can believe and receive salvation.
Recently my wife and I have been touched by prejudice.
As we looked for an apartment to move into we were shocked by a real
estate broker who after finding out that I was a foreigner refused to
help us. And even now as we are making arrangements to move into a place
that we found, there are many more questions and fears on the part of
the landlords than if I were Japanese. Honestly, my feeling is as if
I am lower than other people. As if I should be ashamed because I am
not Japanese. As we went to look at one place, I stayed in the car and
let my wife go first. How humiliating. I am sure many of you have had
similar experiences. And I even found myself reacting back with a prejudice
of my own. Judging these Japanese for being so prejudiced.
In Christ there is no prejudice. Peter spoke these great words to Cornelius.
"In truth, I perceive that God shows no partiality." The word
"prejudice" means to judge beforehand. When the realtor makes
his decision not to rent to me before he has met me based on the color
of my skin or my language or nationality, that is prejudice. In verse
42 Peter testifies that Jesus is the Judge of the living and the dead.
Only Jesus can see to the heart, only Jesus is wise enough, only Jesus
can truly discern who a man is. Judge no one, before Christ does. Instead,
as Christ, look at each one as redeemed. Each one, no matter how sinful,
how rebellious, how bitter, how prejudiced, how prideful has been redeemed
by the blood of Christ on the cross. And each one needs to come to the
foot of the cross and believe. I believe that like Peter, God would
call us past our own prejudice, to see people as God sees them. I received
this paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13 from a friend the other day. Listen
to this playful change of a familiar passage,
If I speak with the tongue of a Japanese, but have not love, I am
only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I wear Japanese fashion and understand the culture
and all
forms of etiquette, and if I copy all mannerisms so that I could pass
for a Japanese but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor, and if I spend my
energy
without reserve, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love endures long hours of language study, and is kind
to those
who mock his accent; love does not envy those who stayed home; love
does not exalt his home culture, is not proud of his national superiority,
Does not boast about the way we do it back home, does not seek his
own ways, is not easily provoked into telling about the beauty of his
home country, does not think evil about this culture;
Love bears all criticism about his home culture, believes all good
things about this new culture, confidently anticipates being at home
in this place, endures all inconveniences.
Let us pray.
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