Peter is asked by the Jewish Christians why he would be eating and spending time in the home of “uncircumcised” men, meaning Gentiles. And so, Peter is given the opportunity to explain how it all came about. At this time the Christian movement had come out of the Jewish religion and tradition and so there were many who felt one needed to become Jewish first, which meant for the men… circumcision, and then you could become Christian. When people’s practices and traditions are challenged, there is often opposition. Peter is able to explain the power of the Holy Spirit working even among the Gentiles and it appears that they accepted the explanation. Although this issue is not completely over. We will hear more about it in the days ahead. It often takes people time to change their opinion/beliefs about something. We have faced many disagreements throughout church history and unfortunately the church has split too many times over legalistic issues. We must be very careful that we don’t stray from what the Holy Spirit is telling us, as well as, what the scriptures have to say.
We also see that in this reading how Luke is setting the stage for the Christian movement to be taken to the Gentiles. Much of what the book of Acts is based on is how Christianity moves from Jerusalem into all the world.
So in the next section we see how the story of the Christian Way is being taken into other areas. Because of the persecution of the church it has now traveled to the coastal areas. Luke brings back into the story, Barnabas. Barnabas is sent by the Jerusalem church to Antioch, to see how they are doing, Is the church growing in these Gentile areas? Of course, Barnabas is very pleased to see the Holy Spirit working in their church and he is able to “encourage them to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.” (vs 23)
He then is sent on to Tarsus, where presumably Paul has been since his escape from the conspiracy to kill him (Acts 9:23-25). And from there they go to Antioch where they stay for a year. While they are in Antioch, the prophet Agabus arrives (we will read about him again in chapter 21) and announces a terrible famine will take place. The apostles took this warning as an opportunity for ministry. An offering is collected and sent to Judea.
Many times in the church we are given these opportunities to minister to those in need. From tragedy can come good and it is all based on how we respond.
One other little interesting thing that Luke writes in this chapter is that this is the first time the early church is called Christians. Up to this point they were referred to as “the Way”. What’s amusing about the term “Christian” was that it was used by outsiders to make fun of them. Similarly, the term “Methodist” was used as a derogatory name for John Wesley’s group “the Holy Club”. They were making fun of the methodical way they lived.
Which makes me think about bullying. When someone is bullying you or making fun of you, it would seem the best way to combat it, is by refusing to let it bother you. I heard a comedian say one time that whenever anyone made fun of him growing up, he would just say the word “so”. If you think about it, what are bullies trying to do? They are trying to get a reaction out of you. If they don’t get the reaction they want, most of the time they will stop.
I know that there are a lot more issues surrounding bullying and this is a simplistic answer to a complex problem, but I do feel that how one responds will make a difference.
The thing that we have to remember most when we feel like we are being bullied is to know that Jesus loves us unconditionally. We are His and He cares about us and He sees us as something of great value. Great enough to give up His life for us.
Blessings and peace!
Pastor Kathy