Seeing As God Sees - Peter And Cornelius - The One Year Men of the Bible

Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean.”

Acts 10:28

As a young student, Mahatma Gandhi spent time reading the Gospels and seriously considered converting to Christianity. One Sunday, he walked to a nearby church, planning to attend the service and talk to the minister about becoming a Christian. When he entered the sanctuary, the usher refused to seat him and suggested that he worship with his “own people.”

Gandhi left the church and never returned.

Sadly, people are good at making distinctions about race, social status, religion, and other factors. The apostle Peter learned that those things mean nothing to God.

As Peter prayed one day before lunch, he saw a strange vision of a sheet holding all sorts of animals that were considered unclean according to Jewish law. Then came the voice: “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them” (Acts 10:13). As a devout Jew, Peter would have none of it, but the voice insisted: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean” (Acts 10:15). The vision repeated itself three times, and the sheet disappeared into heaven.

The vision left Peter scratching his head.

As Peter puzzled over what he had seen and heard, some men representing a Roman officer named Cornelius asked him to come with them to Caesarea and visit their commander, who had seen a strange vision of his own. By the time Peter arrived at Cornelius’s house the next day, something had clicked inside him.

Peter knew that it was unlawful for a Jew to enter a Gentile’s home. He also understood the message of his vision: “God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean” (Acts 10:28).

God doesn’t look at a person’s race, social standing, or anything else besides their need for a Savior. He sent Jesus to draw all men to himself.

Do you approach people of every race, color, national origin, and social class in the same way? God calls you to embrace them and welcome them as people Jesus came to save. He calls us to love everyone.