Acts 10:10-16
Today we travel to Caesarea. Caesarea is a city that Herod the Great dedicated to Caesar Augustus more than 2,000 years ago. Today, it is one of Israel’s major tourist attractions and an increasingly popular place for Israel’s elite to make their homes. It’s an amazing stop full of rich Biblical History.
History
This city was built by Herod in the first century BC. Then it was repaired and expanded by the Romans. It provided water to the city from springs at the foot of Mt. Carmel.
Caesarea is an important site in Christian history.
- It was the place where Pontius Pilate governed during the time of Jesus.
- This was where Simon Peter converted the Roman, Cornelius, the first non-Jew to believe in Jesus.
- Paul was also imprisoned for two years in Caesarea.
The world today seems to be struggling with racism. People are murdering other people because they don’t like where they come from or who they worship. Oversees the different ethnic groups are fighting each other for cultural differences, land, and religious beliefs. We still experience terrier attacks, because of Hatred.
The church of God is Multicultural! People across multiethnic groups have been joined together by Jesus Christ. Yes, there are different challenges and blessings that come along when people work together.
God does not favor one group over another, because man does a good job of doing that. It’s important to note that just because we are raised in the United States does not mean that our values and our culture are better than others. For example, we value our time and our productivity, but people who live in Chile value hospitality. Therefore, telling a family in Chile that you’d rather spend time, waiting on the airplane at the airport; then putting them out by waiting with them in their home: would cause, hard feelings. Because the family would feel you’d rather spend time in an airport instead of spending time with their family.
I ask you which is better?- productivity or hospitality
God loves us all the same and he is not a respecter of persons. We generally judge people on the way they look and what they eat, but in the scripture, God addresses, the eating with Peter! Let’s read this section of scripture together, and see what the Holy Ghost means!
Now let’s turn to Acts 10:10–16 in our Bibles. Below I’ve included the King James Version for you!
10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending upon him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
We can infer from our reading today, that the apostles had a problem with accepting everyone God was wanting to accept from society. It is interesting that the disciples struggled with obedience after being with Jesus and seeing all of his miracles. If you find this, true, then it is perfectly reasonable to believe that we also have to deal with this issue. Individually, we must be humble enough to recognize that we have a little bit of an attitude problem. We need to check our assumptions!
A Roman centurion soldier was perhaps, the first Christian transformation recorded in biblical history. His culture and ethnic background were different from the disciples. Therefore, the problem of ethnic barriers had to be dealt with. God dealt with the issue, through the Holy Ghost, and through a trance or vision with Peter.
A couple things to note from the vision, first, is the four corners. The sheet is filled with all kinds of animals. The Holy Spirit tells me that what you’re thinking about is a pig. You think there’s a pig in the sheet. Well, that could be true!
I don’t know about you, but I like pork! And a pulled pork barbecue is the best. I like pork chops about any way you can cook them, but the Jews were taught not to eat pork. They were brought up as believing this was an unclean animal. God, in this vision to Peter is including all animals, clean, and unclean.
Peter never ate pork before and it doesn’t say in scripture if he was grossed out by it or if he just wanted to keep his status quo of being clean. I don’t know about you, but if someone asked me to eat a fried cricket or fried cockroach, I would say no thank you! Therefore, Peter probably didn’t long to eat pork. Because in every culture we are taught, there are things that we are not supposed to eat.
I can remember being told;
“People like us do not eat things like that!”
I also, remember being told,
“ Other people might eat things like that, but we do naught eat things like that!
This is because we think we are ethnically, ethnically, superior to others, but don’t fret other cultures feel the same way!
So, for Peter, when he is told by God: “Rise, kill, and eat!” Peter is beside himself. He could either be appalled or offended. He was condemning the other nations for eating what he considered to be unclean. So, being prepared for travel In Israel one needs to know that pork and shellfish are forbidden and meat. Also, meat and dairy products must not be cooked together or eaten at the same meal.
Do you know that you can offend someone by not eating what is put in front of you? Especially if you go to Israel or you go to Chile or you go to China. Not so much here in the United States, but elsewhere.
For example, Never cross your chopsticks on the table. Chinese people associate anything in an “x” symbol with denial. By putting your chopsticks in that formation, you’re essentially denying your company.
Peter says God I can’t do that! The Holy Spirit is telling me that Peter is not thanking I don’t care to eat that, or I don’t prefer to eat that. Peters’ reasons for not eating the unclean meat was because of his upbringing. He did not realize that Jesus was a game changer! He did not realize that Jesus came to fulfill the law and there was no reason for him not to eat certain things anymore.
God doesn’t want us to offend he wants us to unify.
He doesn’t want us to exclude. He wants us to include.
I can’t drive this point home enough! The Holy Spirit is telling me to inform you that he is not pleased especially when we have new people come into church and you roll your eyes, you are not to make faces, or cut them off when they speak! God is also not pleased when we are hatful to others! God wants to unite all of us! The Holy Ghost wants us to love one another and this includes being patient, kind and helpful. You treat everyone with the respect you show your Pastor. If you want to be called out on the this, then continue to be disobedient of the Holy Ghost! I do not want to have to confront anyone, but the Holy Ghost is instructing me that I must confront.
So, Peter is saying, Lord, I can’t eat this, because people like me do not eat this. I’m part of the chosen. I am a Jew. I am better then! This shows that he thought he was culturally superior to others.
Look at verse 14 again! “14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”
God corrected Peter three times. You know if it’s repeated in the word we better take heed.
A side note: Do you know why when something written twice was considered important? Because Ink and paper was expensive.
We know if the Lord instructs, we better do it in our deeds.
Peter feels that he is chosen, and he is clean. He feels that he is holy! He has been taught that you are to be clean and not eat foods like this; while, the unclean people can eat the unclean food, because they are unclean.
This Scripture is not an invitation by God to eat anything on the buffet that you prefer.
- This is not an invitation by God to do it like you want to do it.
- This is not an invitation by God to act the way you want to act.
- This is not an invitation by God to act the way that you’ve even been taught to act.
This is a command from God to you and I to behave in a manner that does not create a stumbling block for the unsaved or the unbeliever.
This is a command by God to behave in such a manner that includes and not excludes.
God is in frankly, commanding Peter and commanding us today that you will do these things. God said to Peter, you will rise, kill, and eat. This is nonnegotiable!
We must follow the commands of scripture; if, we want the blessing of God!
The Holy Ghost tells me that Peter was inwardly perplexed, and he also tells me that some of us will be inwardly perplexed.
Now, according to scripture, while, Peter was thanking about his vision from God, the Holy Spirit tells him to watch for three men who are coming. Then he gives him a direction to go down with them. God told him to do this, without hesitation, because God had sent him.
The Holy Spirit wants us to see that God is orchestrating our meeting today just like he was orchestrating the meeting between Cornelius and the Jews. He is in our midst, and he is in control. We must submit to his authority and obey his will.
This God’s idea! Here, in scripture, he was bringing Romans and Jews together. Today, at least here in America and in American churches, God is bringing all nationalities to himself. I like what it says in the book of Revelation, because the text speaks about the great throne room of God and how there will be all colors of the rainbow around the throne.
This means there will be people of all different nationalities, races, and genders.
He’s preparing us today for eternity.
Revelation 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
God is removing these walls, because he is trying to unite people. God is not concerned about what is on the table, but who is around the table.
Chapter Discussion Questions:
- So, who is at your table? It’s really easy to have family and like-minded people.
- Do you want who God wants at your table?
- How important is it to you and why is it important to you that walls fall between ethnic groups?
- How has this lesson impacted you or walk reply today?
- What changes did he instruct for you?
