Acts 10:9-16
About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely no, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
Reflection
If we look at this story from the perspective of a first century Jewish person or even a Jewish Christian this would be an astounding and mind blowing event. This amounted to God changing the rules. Jews had lived by a kosher diet for at least 1500 years or longer. Certain animals and birds were considered unclean to eat. If one ate of these animals then that person would become ritually unclean. A certain procedure and ritual would have to take place for that person to be designated clean once again.
However, God was doing a new thing. God was proclaiming that in the grace of Jesus Christ all of creation was restored and all things were now clean. This changed everything. Things that were previously off limits were now acceptable. This meant that the Jews who had become Christians could start doing things differently. They were no longer bound by the Jewish law.
Even though God frees us from rules and the form of religion we are so ready to become enslaved to the rules we have created. Why do we resist change in the church when that change will set us free to be able to reach people we could not reach before the change?
How does this particular story help us to be more open and accepting to God doing a new thing in our lives and in the life of the church?
