Acts 10
“So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”
Acts 10:29
Put yourself in Peter’s place for a minute. You have faithfully upheld the laws and customs of your people, the Chosen people, the ones from whom Messiah came. And while you’ve had to adjust your ideas about the Messiah (turns out He was leading a spiritual revolution more than a political one), you have been faithful in proclaiming the good news of His resurrection to your people. You have been bold and your boldness has cost you. But you have rejoiced in your suffering and have remained faithful.
But now you’ve been called (summoned really) by this Roman Centurion who represents the oppression of your people. Sure he has a good reputation, but can you ever really trust someone who is part of a system that is so diametrically opposed to all that you have believed? Can God really be calling you to leave behind all that is familiar to you? To perhaps betray the traditions and expectations of your people to reach out to your enemy?
This is a crazy risk. Peter is risking his life, his reputation, and his personal identity to follow the call of the Lord. He’s already given up much to be a follower of Christ, and now he is being asked to give up even more. What a ridiculous gamble it must have seemed like to everyone else. Peter, the leader of the foundling Church is going to put himself in the care of a Roman centurion.
And Peter goes. With no objections, but he’s not entirely sure what to expect. Then God does something awesome. God redeems these un-Chosen people. He pours His Holy Spirit upon them and grafts them into the body of Christ. Peter knows that this is genuine. He’s seen it before and he knows what comes next. He baptizes them and then stays with them for several days. He is no longer a good Jew, a keeper of the Law. He has been part of something so radical that the new Church wrestles over it. Should these Gentiles also become Jewish? Are Jew and Gentile now equal in the sight of God?
Imagine what would have happened if Peter had objected to going. What if he had chosen his righteousness over following God’s call? What if he gave into his fear of the “other”? What if he decided that this group was too dangerous, the risk too great? Peter stepped out in faith and took a huge risk, without objection, and the impact of that choice has echoed down through the millennia.
So what keeps you from reaching out to your neighbor with the hand of friendship? Do you fear that following the outrageous calling God has put on you will sully your reputation as a “good person”? Is the risk too high? Are the people too undesirable or controversial? Might you see them as your enemy? What if God is calling you because He wants to do something incredible that will ripple through eternity? You don’t need to know everything, you can even be a little skeptical. The important thing is to be obedient. Will you?
