Forgiving by Faith
Last night, as is my custom, I read a bit of the Bible before heading to sleep. When I say a bit, it was a bit....like two sentences. I reserve most of my in-depth Bible reading to the morning, where I then blog about what I have read. I find writing about what I have learned to be a good way to remember and apply what I have read.
So, the evening reading is a nightcap as it were. One that norms my mind on spiritual things as I fall asleep. Never underestimate the power and effectiveness of even a little of God's word. Sometimes people get in the rut of thinking if they don't have a lot of time to read the Bible, they shouldn't do it all. A little in God's hands can be a lot.
By providential action and my intent to head back towards the 4 Gospels, I went from Galatians 2 where Paul called out Peter because of his addiction for approval from the Judaizers at the expense of dissing the Gentile converts (shows that even Peter could fall back into the sin of ethnocentric favoritism), to Acts 10 which details Peter's vision from God in Joppa to go to the Gentiles and preach the Gospel. I did not intend to wind up back at Acts 10.
In keeping with the current stream of reflection on Jonah and Peter (the similarities of their respective calls to "unclean" Gentiles) and how Jonah went the second mile West (and then some more) in disobedience from the town of Joppa, Peter goes North from Joppa to Caesarea to Cornelius's and his household, in obedience after the vision from the Lord.
Peter was brought from Joppa to Caesarea by two servants and one Roman soldier who knocked on Simon the Tanner's door. God wasted no time to test Peter's obedience here. Imagine putting yourself in Peter's sandals for a moment. God has called you to accept the Gentiles, and a few moments later who does He send to your door? A Roman soldier, the same type of soldier who put Jesus to death on a cruel cross.
Do you think it possible that Peter might have had some issues of animosity against Roman soldiers and their army? Maybe even some fear? No doubt, Peter needed faith to forgive and there was a lot of history indicating that forgiveness would be most difficult. Probably akin to a Jewish person forgiving a Nazi official for sending his best friend to the ovens of Auschwitz.
And Peter goes to Caesarea no less...the most Hellenized town in Israel, the Roman capital in Israel! A city imbued and intoxicated with Roman imperial might....which would be normally an anathema to any Jew worth his salt. I am thinking that godly Jews would have traditionally avoided weekending there for some rest and relaxation.
It is too easy to minimize the real human struggles of people like Peter. Even though the text does not details his internal world, it would be unlikely that he would not at least think about such things, and then marvel at God's grace in overcoming his own barriers of ethnic animosity.
Even though I only read a couple of verses, I did wind up thinking about forgiveness for quite some time last night. These thought are to follow in future blogs.
So, the evening reading is a nightcap as it were. One that norms my mind on spiritual things as I fall asleep. Never underestimate the power and effectiveness of even a little of God's word. Sometimes people get in the rut of thinking if they don't have a lot of time to read the Bible, they shouldn't do it all. A little in God's hands can be a lot.
By providential action and my intent to head back towards the 4 Gospels, I went from Galatians 2 where Paul called out Peter because of his addiction for approval from the Judaizers at the expense of dissing the Gentile converts (shows that even Peter could fall back into the sin of ethnocentric favoritism), to Acts 10 which details Peter's vision from God in Joppa to go to the Gentiles and preach the Gospel. I did not intend to wind up back at Acts 10.
In keeping with the current stream of reflection on Jonah and Peter (the similarities of their respective calls to "unclean" Gentiles) and how Jonah went the second mile West (and then some more) in disobedience from the town of Joppa, Peter goes North from Joppa to Caesarea to Cornelius's and his household, in obedience after the vision from the Lord.
Peter was brought from Joppa to Caesarea by two servants and one Roman soldier who knocked on Simon the Tanner's door. God wasted no time to test Peter's obedience here. Imagine putting yourself in Peter's sandals for a moment. God has called you to accept the Gentiles, and a few moments later who does He send to your door? A Roman soldier, the same type of soldier who put Jesus to death on a cruel cross.
Do you think it possible that Peter might have had some issues of animosity against Roman soldiers and their army? Maybe even some fear? No doubt, Peter needed faith to forgive and there was a lot of history indicating that forgiveness would be most difficult. Probably akin to a Jewish person forgiving a Nazi official for sending his best friend to the ovens of Auschwitz.
And Peter goes to Caesarea no less...the most Hellenized town in Israel, the Roman capital in Israel! A city imbued and intoxicated with Roman imperial might....which would be normally an anathema to any Jew worth his salt. I am thinking that godly Jews would have traditionally avoided weekending there for some rest and relaxation.
It is too easy to minimize the real human struggles of people like Peter. Even though the text does not details his internal world, it would be unlikely that he would not at least think about such things, and then marvel at God's grace in overcoming his own barriers of ethnic animosity.
Even though I only read a couple of verses, I did wind up thinking about forgiveness for quite some time last night. These thought are to follow in future blogs.
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