Ritual or Convictions part 2
Posted by admin on May 26th, 2008 filed in Faith, prayer, TorahI know a lot of people are asking what about Peters vision in Acts. Peter went through this 3 times with G-d, but G-d wasn’t talking about food it was a symbolism of peoples.
Acts 10: 9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. 13Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” 14″Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” 15The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” 16This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
We need to realize back in the first century Peter would have consider a gentile someone to be unclean, because that is what most of his Jewish Faith would had believed.
What we need to do is look at the first part of Chapter 10 when the Angel of the L-rd is speaking with Cornelius, he would soon be meeting Peter. Cornelius was a Roman army officer in what was called the Italian Regiment. He was faithful to G-d and G-d had heard his prayers. When the men Cornelius sent to Peter showed up Peter would have understood that he wasn’t to call these men unclean that he was to allow them in and treat them well.
This scripture here makes it clear to me that in Matthew 15, Yeshua was not talking about food because why would Peter tell G-d no, when he lowered down the sheet and told him kill and eat. If Yeshua had them eating uncleaned meats, wouldn’t Peter simply get up and take and eat. I don’t think this vision could have been about it now suddenly okay to eat unclean foods, but that it is okay to minister and witness to the Gentile believer they where not unclean in G-ds eyes.
Later Peter says the chapter 27Talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. 29So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”
Peter never said anything about food but about men that G-d considered clean. Peter must of felt like he was on a treadmill for part of this time. G-d had showed him something, that no one before him experienced except maybe Yeshua. Yeshua was seen with man unlikely people. G-d had poured out his Holy Spirit on the people who where with Cornelius and the people who came with Peter where shocked. Later they where baptized with water and Peter stayed for a few days with them.
I don’t believe Cornelius would have tried to feed them pig or shell fish because I believe that G-d wrote his Torah on his heart and he would know the difference between clean and unclean.
G-d was trying to show Peter that Cornelius was okay to be with, yes his Jewish counterparts might not like it but G-d was okay with it.

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