I typically do not post an article I did not write myself-but today is different. I am in a Bible study with men in Europe and my friend Tom wrote such an excelllent article, I wanted to share it with all of you. It challenged and blessed me, and I hope it does the same for you as we wrap up the year and head into the New Year. Blessings-Steven
GOD PREPARES HIS PEOPLE FOR WHAT LIES AHEAD Acts 10:9-16
About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven._
*BACKGROUND*
Following Jesus three years of His ministry life, Peter was one of Jesus' closest disciples, and the clear leader of the apostles (although James, the half-brother of Jesus, served as the leader of the church in Jerusalem). Following Jesus' example, Peter and the early church had active prayer lives (Acts 2:42), a spiritual discipline critical to looking at the many challenges from God's perspective, and enriching the development of mature disciples of Christ. Just as Jesus frequently _"would withdraw to desolate places and pray"_ (Luke 5:16), Peter ascended onto the rooftop of Simon, the tanner´s house to escape the lively activity associated with meal preparation and instead commune with God. As we studied in Acts 6:4 when the apostles realized they needed to delegate practical tasks so that they could _"devote [themselves] to prayer and to the ministry of the word,"_ this time of prayer was especially important as Peter was yet unaware that Cornelius' trusted servants and a devout soldier were enroute to his location with a mission to fulfill the command the angel provided him to fetch Peter from Joppa and bring him (back) to Caesarea Maritima.
*TAKE THE TIME TO COMMUNE WITH GOD*
_About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance._
At around the noon hour, Peter went to the rooftop to pray to communicate with God despite the impending lunch hour. On this particular occasion, God used his hunger to teach him about Gentiles. Although he became hungry, he sat quietly and fell into a trance, a state where one's vision becomes hyper focused on a particular issue/thing while awake (as with Paul, in Acts 22:17–18), whereas a "dream" happens when the person is asleep.
*SMALLER CHALLENGES PREPARE US FOR BIGGER DECISIONS*
_He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”_
Although God is present everywhere in His creation (John 4:24) and He doesn't live in the sky (like some sort of satellite), He often uses the image of clouds parting and the sky opening as a metaphor for revealing something previously hidden/obscure to mankind on earth (as in Ezekiel 1:1; Matthew 3:16; Acts 7:56). At other times, God gathers clouds to hide His presence from His fragile creation (as in Exodus 19:16; Mark 9:7). In this case, the skies open to reveal God's message.
The four corners of the sheet may represent the "four corners" of the world. In the sheet are _"all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds"_ representing the full array of animals described in Deuteronomy 14 as food fit to eat (like sheep, goat, ox, deer, antelope, gazelle, and finfish) and those restricted in the Mosaic Law, such as birds of prey, reptiles, camels, rabbits, pigs, scavangers, and winged insects. A voice tells Peter to kill and eat the animals, an action which would contravene the Mosaic law. Unaware that the animals represented the people of the world who have been elected by God — some devout Jews and some Gentiles, Peter would have been confronted by such a strange order but once he understood what God was telling him metaphorically, it would make sense when Cornelius' messengers finally arrived.
*RECOGNIZING WHEN IT IS GOD WHO SPEAKS*
_“Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven._
Peter may be a Jesus-follower, but he was also a devout Jew. He was not going to eat animals forbidden by the Mosaic law without a major realignment of his understanding even though Jesus had already declared all foods clean in Mark 7:15, saying, _"Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean' "_ explaining in verse 19, _"For it doesn't go into his heart, but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (in saying this, Jesus declared all foods 'clean')._ Yet Peter failed to internalize His explanation that what makes people defiled is when something unclean resides in their heart, like evil thoughts that lead to sin (Mark 7:16–23). It's not the literal, physical touch of certain foods that's a problem, it's when someone knows God has told them not to eat it and they do so, anyway (Matthew 15:10–11).
But as a Jew, Peter understood the animals on the restricted list as "unclean food".This concept of "clean" and "unclean" is a little confusing. If something is "unclean," it doesn't necessarily mean it's bad or sinful. In some cases, it means it's not fit for the worship of God — like a sacrificial animal with a blemish or a person with a particular type of wound. The differentiation existed to remind the Jews to separate themselves from the pagan nations around them; if they could do so with the foods they ate, they'd remember to do so with the gods they worshipped.
Ironically, Peter was staying with a man who was perennially unclean for the tanner, Simon, would regularly touch the carcasses of unclean animals in order to treat the leather.God was teaching Peter about people. Because Gentiles were considered unclean because they did not follow the Mosaic law, eating with them would be to tacitly approving of their non-Jewish lifestyle. This flew in the face of what Jesus had already explained in Peter's hearing: that the purpose for unclean food laws had been fulfilled and the literal substance was not the issue, but the heart of the person eating (Matthew 15:10–11).
Mark´s line of logic in Mark 7:1–23 went from unclean hands, to unclean hearts, to an understanding that the kosher dietary laws were fulfilled and no longer in force. Peter's vision and application goes from unclean foods, to unclean dinner mates, to salvation to the Gentiles. The food the Jews ate was part of the deeply cultural tradition of the meal and to share a meal with someone was to publicly declare your allegiance with them. This is why the Pharisees were so offended when Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners (Mark 2:13–17).
The kosher laws were designed to show the neighboring nations that the Israelites were different. The worship of Yahweh was largely hidden from Gentile eyes, but eating was more obvious. If someone tried to sell a Jew pork, the Jew could refuse, explaining his God forbade it. As time went on, this prohibition grew into a general rule against eating with anyone who wasn't Jewish, including Gentiles who worshiped the Jewish God but were not circumcised and proselytes, such as Cornelius.
The number of times Peter saw the vision of the animals descending on the sheet and heard God's words (three) were especially significant for Peter because that it helped him recognize the vision was a message from Jesus. While Jesus was on trial before the Sanhedrin, Peter denied knowing Him three times (Mark 14:66–72). After Jesus had risen from the dead, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him, and told Peter to take care of Jesus' followers (John 21:15–17). It certainly allowed him to link the vision of the animals on the sheet and assertion not to call anything God made clean as impure with Peter's responsibility to proclaim Jesus' message and care for His followers to the three messengers coming to bring Peter to a Roman centurion to share the gospel with the Gentiles!
*APPLICATION*
Brothers, today's passage provides us assurance that God continues to equip those who follow Him for the challenges, decisions and opportunities ahead. As children of God, we can expect Him to discipline, guide, and lovingly hear our heart's concerns. It also reminds us that not only do we have access to His “throne of grace” through prayer -- at any time and from any place, it is critical that we make the time each day (and frequently) to hear what God has to say to us. When we meditate on His Word and listen, we will realize His promise that _“we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need”_ (Hebrews 4:16), no matter what situation comes our way. God is faithful and He knows exactly what we need for what He knows is coming ahead. The question we have today, is: "Are we listening to Him?"
We can trust our Heavenly Father to supply all our needs (not wants!!!) _“according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19) and we can be confident that our _“Father in Heaven [will] give good gifts to those who ask Him! (Matthew 7:11). Oftentimes we fail to see how the Holy Spirit has transformed (is transforming) us to develop the sufficient character, spiritual backbone, and hone our discernment to respond in a way that our testimony points the way for non-believers to Christ.
Our eternity in Heaven is guaranteed by God (Ephesians 1:13–14; John 3:16–18) for Jesus has already paid the entry fee for every person who trusts in His death and resurrection. And as we go about our lives, eager to do good works (Titus 2:14) may we fulfill His purpose for us in the hope of seeing Jesus face to face and worshipping God as one, united as a family from _“every nation, tribe, and tongue”_ (Revelation 7:9; 14:6) when God finally calls us to our eternal home. But until then may we wisely commune with God in prayer and recognize the good work the Holy Spirit is doing in us as we apply what God has told us to do!
