“Therefore if God gave them the same gift as He also gave to us after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way? When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, Well then, God has also granted to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”
—Acts 11:17-18, NASB

Reflection:
Unfortunately the Jewish people often disobeyed God’s commandments, intermarried with idol-worshiping peoples, integrated into their societies, and adapted the worst parts of their cultures. Throughout the Old Testament this routinely led to the fall of the Jewish people. During Jesus’ time they suffered some of the consequences of this, living as a nationless people under the oppression of the Roman Empire.

Still, they were allowed to keep their Jewish culture, including their religious customs. As a result, most adhered to the idea of living secluded from the rest of the unclean Gentile world. On a daily basis, the average Jew tried not to associate with anyone who was not Jewish. At times this was unavoidable, such as when they were forced to interact with Roman authorities or visiting foreigners. But for the most part, to be a Jew meant your entire world was insulated from Gentile defilement.

Then suddenly, with one rooftop vision, Peter received the divine revelation that God no longer considered a Gentile unclean just because he or she was not Jewish. Because of the sacrifice of His Son, Yeshua HaMashiach, God opened the gates of His kingdom to now include Gentiles as well. He was the only One with the right to do this. Through the ultimate fulfillment, Jesus, of His own Law, He had made the unclean clean.

Not every Jewish follower of Jesus took to this right away. When Peter returned to the believers in Jerusalem, they immediately scolded him: You went in and ate with uncircumcised men. The idea of mingling with unclean Gentiles went against everything the Jewish nation stood for, all their moral standards, theologies, and daily codes of living. So what Peter told them was truly revolutionary.

God knew how difficult this would be for them to accept. He knew it would take something undeniable, something supernatural, to prove to the Jewish believers that what Peter was submitting was truth from God. That is why the Lord also sent His Holy Spirit to Cornelius and his household.

Peter had no choice but to tell them what had surprised him as well: not only had these Gentiles been deemed clean by the Lord, but they had also been baptized in the Holy Spirit. God’s gift of the Holy Spirit had now been given beyond what they had known. The original church was 100 percent Jewish. In the mind of every church member, to follow Jesus meant you had to be Jewish.

But when the church in Jerusalem heard Peter’s report, Scripture says they responded with total silence. They were literally left speechless because they could not come up with any more arguments against God’s decision. Peter said it best: If God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?

Truly, we cannot stop God’s purposes. When He wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, He will have His way. That means all classes of people, all races, all people groups, and people from every nation, tribe, and tongue. And thankfully, His ways are infinitely higher and better than ours. Hallelujah.

Application:

• Ask the Lord to expose any place where you may be resisting what He has already made clean.
• Surrender again to God’s purposes, trusting that no human argument can hinder His mercy.

Prayer:
Father, thank You that through the sacrifice of Your Son, Yeshua HaMashiach, You opened the gates of Your kingdom. Forgive me for the places where my heart has resisted Your purposes or limited Your mercy. Teach me to recognize what You have made clean. Let me never stand in Your way when You are moving by Your Holy Spirit. I surrender to Your ways, knowing they are infinitely higher and better than mine. Hallelujah.