Overcoming Prejudice Series

One of the most common themes in the book of Acts is the inclusion of all people groups. It is wonderful news that the Gospel is spreading beyond the Jews to include the entire world but not everyone would be excited right away. The people of God were very exclusively Jewish to this point. Not long before this the dirty Samaritans were let in to the kingdom which would have been hard for some of the Jewish converts to Christianity to accept. At least with Samaritans however they are half Jewish. There is at least some good blood in them. With Gentiles there is nothing. Let’s look at the text:

Ac 10:9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. Ac 10:10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. Ac 10:11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. Ac 10:12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Ac 10:13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” Ac 10:14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” Ac 10:15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” Ac 10:16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

This is one of the most important passages in the book of Acts and perhaps one of the most important events in history. This passage records the salvation of the gentiles and their inclusion into the kingdom of God. We do not have to become Jews to be saved. We don’t have to find salvation in their law. Now salvation comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ and the invitation is available to everyone everywhere. There is no difference. What God is saying here is that it is not the Jews were clean and the Gentiles were unclean. They were all unclean before God. They are all sinners. They had all fallen short. They were all unclean until they were washed by the blood of the Lamb of God. Jesus is the savior of them all. The Holy Spirit does not discriminate. God doesn’t love one group of people more than another so there is not place for separation no acceptable prejudice in which we can hold onto.

Peter had been holding onto this prejudice he had as a Jew. So here is Peter. He gets this vision from God three times where this sheet full of animals that were considered unclean Peter responds with a culturally appropriate ‘YUCK no thank you’. His understanding of what God was going to do had not yet matured. God gave Peter this vision and challenged his prejudices because Peter’s thoughts on gentiles were not the same as God’s thoughts and Peter’s feelings towards them were hindering the progression of the Gospel to all the world. Prejudice is a hindrance to the Gospel and it is inappropriate in the lives of Christians. Just look at how these events shaped Peter’s attitude in Cornelius house. In verse 34 we start to see the change: