Good morning, friends. This morning’s scripture reading comes from Galatians 2:11-14. (The Message Translation)
“Later, when Peter came to Antioch, I had a face-to-face confrontation with him because he was clearly out of line. Here’s the situation: Earlier, before certain persons had come from James, Peter regularly ate with the non-Jews. But when that conservative group came from Jerusalem, he cautiously pulled back and put as much distance as he could manage between himself and his non-Jewish friends. That’s how fearful he was of the conservative Jewish clique that’s been pushing the old system of circumcision. Unfortunately, the rest of the Jews in the Antioch church joined in that hypocrisy so that even Barnabas was swept along in the charade.
“But when I saw that they were not maintaining a steady, straight course according to the Message, I spoke up to Peter in front of them all: “If you, a Jew, live like a non-Jew when you’re not being observed by the watchdogs from Jerusalem, what right do you have to require non-Jews to conform to Jewish customs just to make a favorable impression on your old Jerusalem buddies?”
In this passage, Paul confronts Peter because Peter had given into the pressure of some Jewish Christians who wanted to impose certain Jewish practices on the Gentile Christians (namely kosher dietary laws and circumcision). Peter, who had previously shared meals and fellowship with the Gentiles, withdrew from them when these Jewish Christians arrived on the scene. Paul reminds Peter that our freedom in Christ is not based on observing certain laws or customs, but on faith in Jesus Christ alone.
Paul’s response to Peter reminds us that even mature Christians can be led astray by external pressures and cultural expectations. It’s easy to fall into the trap of legalism and judgment, and neglecting the simple message of the gospel – that we are saved by grace through faith alone.
Unfortunately we don’t have to look very hard to see a similar cultural divide growing wider and wider in the modern Church today. This church welcomes these people, that church welcomes those people. This church supports this social issue, and that church is completely intolerant. Sadly, church today has become more of a place to identify with a cultural movement than a place to discover the identity of Christ and learning how to live like him.
Let us pray this morning that we stay focused on the simple Gospel of Christ and not be led astray by the opinions of others or the expectations of our culture. May we hold firm to the truth of the gospel and live our lives according to it, relying on God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit to guide us. Amen.
Former Blackout Artist 