Galatians 2:11-14: When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
Poor Peter (aka Cephas). We thought he “got it.” Just the other day, in was in the house of Cornelius, proclaiming “I finally understand. God accepts Gentiles!” And he even defended the full inclusion of Gentiles just as they were (uncircumcised) before the first Church Council recorded in Acts 15 based on the fact that the Holy Spirit had been evident in Cornelius and his family. And now, Peter is in Galatia, pulling back from Gentiles because “certain people” were watching. And because Peter pulled back, so did a lot of other believers. Thank God, Paul didn’t remain silent.
When you think about this passage, where do you see yourself? How do you think the Gentiles felt when they watched Peter and the others excuse themselves from the dinner table? When have you experienced peer pressure to reject people because of their differences? How did you handle it? What does this have to do with the “truth of the gospel?”
Prayer: Help, God! We know the truth of the gospel, but sometimes our actions betray the truth. We know what is right and just, but the pressure to join in the hypocrisy is strong. We are faced every day with choices and we often take the path back to our comfort zones, forgetting that doing so leaves those we are called to love behind. Forgive us. We need the power of your Spirit every day so we resist being conformed to the old patterns. And gift us with friends who will call us out and correct us so we can get back on the journey toward reconciliation and healing. Amen.
Tongue on Fire 