Last week, we heard Paul describing how he came to know the truth of the Gospel of Jesus - especially by revelation from Christ Himself. Paul spent little time with the original apostles and then only with a few of them, and they affirmed what he said and “added nothing to it.” They did not require Titus, a non-Jew who visited Jerusalem with Paul, to be circumcised or to follow all the laws and rituals of the Old Testament (Galatians 1:18-2:10). (See especially 2:3-6 again.)
Paul and Barnabas then returned to Antioch and continued the ministry there. At some point, Cephas (Peter) came to Antioch to visit the churches there, and Paul had to confront him and oppose him for something he was doing (Galatians 2:11).
At first, Peter was very willing to have regular contact and fellowship with the Gentiles who had become Christians and to eat with them (Galatians 2:12). He had learned he was free to do this from revelations of Jesus and his contact with Cornelius, a Roman centurion, and his family and friends in Acts 10-11:18. Remember what Peter had said in Acts 10:28. Peter was free from the old Jewish law that said that any contact with a non-Jew would make him spiritually unclean.
However, when “certain men” also came from Jerusalem to visit the churches, Peter “drew back and separated himself” from the Gentile Christians because these visitors were part of “the circumcision party.” Members of the “circumcision party” had come to believe in Jesus, but also still thought that they needed to follow all the old Jewish laws and that Gentiles also needed to do the same, including being circumcised. According to this thinking, if the Gentile Christians had contact with the Jewish Christians, then everyone would become spiritually unclean. This also implied that salvation depended on faith in Jesus, but also upon still keeping all the Old Testament laws (Galatians 2:12).
Peter knew better than this, but he “feared” these people and did not want to get into conflict with them over this issue. He decided to avoid this by keeping a distance from Gentile Christians and especially by not eating with them.
Peter sometimes had this weakness in the past, when he was afraid of others and what they might think and do. Peter had said he would stand by Jesus always; but when Jesus was arrested, Peter (and the other disciples) ran away in fear. Jesus had warned Peter that he would deny his connection with Him. Peter was sure he would never do such a thing, yet he denied three times that he even knew Jesus, when he was confronted and feared what would happen to him. (See Mark 14:26-30, 43, 50, 66-72.)
What Peter did also set a very negative example for the rest of the Jewish Christians, who began to follow Peter and not associate with or eat with the Gentile Christians. Even Barnabas “was led astray” by this action of Peter. He must have “backed off” in some ways from the very Gentile Christians he had been sharing the faith with (Galatians 2:13).
Think about what these actions might have implied. Were the Gentile Christians inferior Christians? Were they “polluting" Jewish Christians just by being around them? Were they not even actually Christians, unless they were circumcised and started following all the Jewish rules?
Think of all the practical questions that these “hypocritical” actions also could raise for churches. Were separate churches needed for Jews and Gentiles, or at least separate places where Jew and Gentiles could sit without much contact with one another? We hear already in Acts 2, after 3,000 people were brought to faith in Jesus and were baptized at Pentecost, that the believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42).
“The breaking of bread” refers especially to receiving the gift of the Lord’s Supper together. But we know that the early Christians also began to have a fellowship meal before the worship and communion, as they met in peoples’ homes. This would be something like what we call a “potluck” or “carry-in” meal, where food would be shared with one another, including the poor and needy who had nothing to bring, before the worship.
How could that have happened if Jews and non-Jews could not even eat together? How could people even receive Communion together, which is a very special kind of eating and drinking together, if non-Jews were “polluting“ Jews, just by being there. (See 1 Corinthians 11:17-22. Maybe some of the “divisions” in the church at Corinth were not just over important doctrinal issues or “the rich vs. the poor,” but over Jewish and non-Jewish issues and other ethnic issues still creating problems.)
Paul knew very quickly that what Peter was doing in Antioch was a very serious matter and that Peter needed to be “condemned” for it. That is why Paul used such strong language, calling Peter and others “hypocrites” and “opposed him to his face” very directly (Galatians 2:11, 13). Paul realized that the conduct of Peter and the Jewish Christians “was not in step with the truth of the Gospel.”
The Good News of salvation earned entirely by Jesus’ saving work and received simply by faith through the gift of God’s grace was in grave danger if people were required also to do other works of their own, whatever they were, truly to be saved (Galatians 2:14). Paul spent almost all of the rest of this letter teaching what salvation by God’s grace alone through Christ really meant and what a joy it is.
Nothing more is mentioned of this incident in the Scriptures. Apparently Peter realized the wrong he had done and repented, and later on he defended the teaching of Paul in the Book of Acts. In 2 Peter 3:15-18. he spoke of his “beloved brother Paul” and his letters which were also “Scripture,” the very Word of God. Peter ended his letter with the same teaching and focus that Paul gave, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Peter was not perfect; nor was Paul, and neither are we. How often do we back down and not stand up for what we know is right, because we are afraid of what others will think or say of us? How good it is to know that we can be forgiven, too, by that amazing grace of God in Christ.
Next week, we will see more of what happened after the incident between Peter and Paul, leading up to the writing of this letter we are studying. God’s continued grace and blessings for you all.
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