WHEN GOD SAYS CLEAN
Acts 10:10-15 NKJV
10 Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance 11 and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 13 And a voice came to him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." 14 But Peter said, "Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean." 15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed you must not call common."
This is the story of how God began to reach the Gentiles. The term Gentiles was used to describe anyone outside of Jewish birth. And even though Jesus had commissioned the disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every person, for some reason, this directive went completely over their heads. At this point in time, some believe about ten years after the resurrection, the only people being presented with the news of Jesus were Jews, Samaritans, and people who had converted to Judaism.
Thankfully, God intervened by supernatural means to change the mindset of the Jewish believers. God sent an angel to speak to Cornelius, a Roman centurion who had converted to the God of the Hebrews. Cornelius was instructed to send for Peter, who would share important words. Evidently, angels do not preach the gospel. That job has been delegated to the church. As men are coming to find Peter, God prepares Peter by giving him a vision.
Peter saw a vision of a large sheet coming to the earth, and it was filled with all kinds of wild animals, creeping things, which may have been reptiles and birds. The creatures that were shown to Peter were those that were forbidden to be consumed under Jewish law. And yet the voice instructed a very hungry Peter to kill and eat. But Peter pushed back. He knew not to eat these kinds of animals. All these creatures were, to use a phrase, "not kosher." And Peter said he had never eaten anything common or unclean.
The word 'common' is not typically the way we use the word. This common could also be translated as impure, unholy, defiled, or unconsecrated. Unclean meant just that. Jewish law listed all foods that were considered unclean by Jewish standards. For example, pork was on the common and unclean list. Many of the foods considered unclean protected the Jewish people from disease. If pork goes bad, it can be extremely dangerous. In any case, all Jewish people knew there were things you simply did not eat. But God shocked Peter when He spoke that what God has cleansed or declared clean, you must not call common. But the issue was not food as much as it was about going to the Gentiles. The Jews called the Gentiles unclean. The Gentiles were outside of the covenant with God. The instructions under Jewish law were to limit contact with Gentiles. You could not go to their homes, and you could not marry them. As far as the average Jewish person was concerned, the Gentiles were "not kosher."
But God changed all that. When Jesus died and poured out His blood on the cross, it eliminated the sins of all mankind, not just those of Jewish heritage. God cleansed mankind with the blood of His Son. So now, whoever believes in Him has everlasting life.
Peter went to Cornelius' house and preached Jesus to this Roman centurion and his family and friends. And they believed Peter's words and were saved and baptized with the Holy Spirit. It took God moving in dramatic ways, but the door to the Gentiles was thrown open, and the effects of these events are still being felt today.
APPLICATION
One of the big takeaways for us today is to make sure we are in alignment with God. If He says clean, we say clean. If He says we are a new creation in Christ, we don't call ourselves dirty sinners. If He says we are loved and accepted in Christ, we don't say we are forgotten and rejected by God. If God calls us righteous in Christ, then we say the same thing. We want to agree with what God says, not so much how we feel or what our traditions have taught us.
PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for cleansing me by Your blood. Thank You for making the gospel available for me and for anyone who chooses to believe You.