Scripture
But the voice spoke again, “Do not call anything unclean if God has made it clean.”
Observation
A devout, God- fearing man called Cornelius, a Gentile, has a vision in which he sees an angel. The angel tells him to send some men to Joppa to find Peter. As soon as the angel leaves, Cornelius sends some servants and a soldier.
As Cornelius’ messengers are approaching Joppa, Peter goes to the roof of the house where he is staying in order to pray. He falls into a trance and has a vision of a large sheet being lowered from heaven. The sheet has all kinds of animals on it, and a voice tells him to kill and eat. Peter refuses, saying that the animals are unclean. The voice rebukes Peter for calling unclean what God has called clean. The vision is repeated three times.
Application
I am often amazed at Peter’s boldness. In this passage he is not afraid to tell God that He is messed up with His command to eat unclean food.
The Lord had to make it clear to Peter that it was a new era now. God was working with the Gentiles, not just the Jews. It was time to adjust his thinking about what and who is clean, and what and who is unclean.
There are many christians who carry a similar, religious point of view. There are aspects of culture that they declare are sinful, even though the Bible is silent on the issue. Many have looked down on people who like contemporary music, dancing, playing cards, alcohol or whatever. They ask, “How can you be a christian and do that?”
Some aspects of our culture are misused, twisted by sin. But not all of them are.
As christians we must not fall into the trap of thinking that if I don’t like something, then it is not of the Lord; if one song is overly sexualised then it condemns a whole genre of music.
There are many things that God has declared to be good, which we might in our zeal to be holy, declare to be unclean.
Prayer
Lord, please help me to be slow to judge and quick to accept others. Help me to discern what you call clean or unclean, and to walk in humility with you. Amen.
