"R U sittin down?" - Momma (Acts 10)

Read Acts 10 before continuing.

Read Acts 10 online: Acts 10

Listen to Acts 10 online: Acts 10

I haven’t seen the horizon for weeks.

It was almost a reversed agoraphobia. Claustrophobia would probably be the correct term. Having lived in San Diego for a couple of years, I realized that I hadn’t seen the horizon for weeks. Even though I lived near the ocean, and had the Pacific to my west. I was surrounded by dorm rooms and high rises and navy bases (yes, plural). You have to understand, for most of my life I woke up to the sun beaming over the horizon of the Sierra Nevada’s, and falling on the horizon of the San Joaquin Valley. That day, I knoew I had to drive to the ocean, to the country, something where I could see the sun rest on the ground.

It was one of the moments of my life when I realized that we humans love walls. The more boxes the better. Borders and boundaries and hedges and fences keep us feel safe. Keep the good in and the bad out.

The revolution of grace came to abolish walls.

The Jewish religious leaders had distorted the law. The law was to communicate the holiness of God’s people. A holiness that should be attractive and draw others toward God. But the corrupted law only built up a dividing wall between gentile and Jew, which Jesus tore down in Ephesians 2:14. In fact, I think we would all be surprised to know that the true law commanded Israel to accept strangers as one of their own. Mi casa, su casa. Leviticus 19:33:

33“‘When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. 34The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

V1-8

Inviting a gentile to come over for lamb and kosher key lime pie as “one of their own” was a far cry from where the Jewish people were in Peter’s day. Yet, this was God’s plan all along. Cornelius is identified as a “God-fearer” (v1). Essentially, this means Cornelius worshiped Israel’s God, probably at one of their local synagogues. But there is an indication that Cornelius needs more, as we will see in Peter’s encounter. More so, the fact that God sends an angel to prepare Cornelius for a meeting with Peter. This is called preveneint grace by our arminian folk and common grace by our Calvinist folk (though these two theological camps don’t necessarily agree with each other. Yes. This is another wall we’ve created). Essentially, it means that God prepares a person to find Christ, even before they hear the message. In other words he softens them up. Now, all we need is a Christ-follower to be willing to cross the chasm and meet him. BTW – for the believer, this is not a “meet in the middle”, this is not “meet 2/3 of the way”. This is going all the way over to the God-seeker. This is the WAY OF JESUS. Wow, God’s got some real work to do with Peter…me too in fact.

V9-16

For Peter, there are several ways to sin. Eating the food of a gentile is on the top of the list. So, when God commands him to "rise, Peter; kill and eat", Peter hears in verse 12, “rise, Peter; kill and SIN”. For Peter, he heard right – at a certain time of history. It was considered sin to eat certain types of food - like snakes and bugs and pretty much anything on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. But of course, this is more than just food. God says to Peter, “What I have made clean, do not call common”. Jesus had given them freedom. He took down a wall that needed to be removed. If Peter was to have the chance encounter with Cornelius in the next section, Peter needed to enter Cornelius' house. And that couldn't be done if Peter still held to a law that God no longer commanded. The most fascinating part is that Peter is not aware of this freedom that Jesus gave at the cross. The church had been operating for at least 12 years by this point. How many years passed and did Peter not know the freedom he had? There was no wall.

What about me? Jesus died and rose again almost 2000 years.

I smile when I think about this. How many constructed walls are out there? I have been taught not to engage so many different types of people? Sometimes it is implied, sometimes its not.

There is no wall between me and the poor.There is no wall between me and my in-laws. There is no wall between me and a terrorist. There is no wall between the rich and the Hispanic worker. There is no wall between the Uptown and the homeless population. Don’t get me started on denominations. There is no wall.

There is only horizon. The smell of air and peach orchards.

V17-33

As our story continues, you will note that God orchestrates this encounter. In verse 19, “the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.” “Without hesitation” is such a powerful act. How many times has someone put their hand out to help you, but you saw the slight “hesitation” in their eyes. They still have a wall to push through.

But the best part of verse 20 is “for I have sent them.” Most of the time we put up walls because we think they please God. What pleases God is that he raises up God-seekers, and he sends you to them to share the message of the Son. He doesn’t want us to keep building walls. He wants us to scale them.

Peter does just that in verse 23. He moves from his “sacred dwelling” and walks to Joppa. And then he does something that would make momma text great aunt Marge right then and there:

R U sitting down?

He walked into a gentile’s home.

It was also forbidden for a Jew to enter into the home of a gentile. By doing so, Peter passed through not one wall, but two.

V34-47

The best line is here in verse 34:

So Peter opened his mouth and said: Truly I understand that God shows no partiality. But in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

Then Peter retells his encounter with the angel and the unclean food. By the end of the story, not only do they receive the Holy Spirit, but the baptism of water.

We are free. No walls. No boundaries. Only the Spirit and the revelation of God to guide us through the open valley of life. We are free to move toward those who are in darkness and show them a new light. Feel the grass at your feet and the sun on your face.

We are free.

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36

Peace

Kevin