One of the banes of the fallen human psyche is the urge to divide the world into two categories: “us versus them.”
For Greeks, it was the “cultured” (i.e., Greeks) vs. “barbarians” (literally, “foreigners”). For Romans, it was “citizens” of the Empire vs. “non-citizens.” For Israelites, it was “Jews” vs. “Gentiles.” For the Islamic world, it remains “Muslims” vs. “kuffar” (disbelievers).
Today we see the same destructive tendency in the USA through the Black Lives Matter movement, which, in its desire to decry chronic inequalities suffered by the black population in America, now condones unequal treatment for all groups other than those with dark skin. Impermissible today are slogans like: All lives matter; unborn lives matter; blue lives matter; Asian lives matter; Hispanic lives matter; old lives matter; etc. Only black lives matter, apparently, in our present political climate. To say anything different is to cause deep offense leading to social ostracization, if not worse.
The Judaism of Jesus’ day was not that much different at heart from the BLM movement. For them the slogan “Jewish lives matter” might as well have been chiseled over every synagogue entrance. The Jerusalem Temple's architecture made it clear that Gentiles were furthest removed from the presence of God found in the Holy of Holies. For the Jews, Gentiles were unholy, unclean, and inferior, commonly referred to in Jewish parlance as “dogs.” To say that “Jewish lives matter” was to say equally that “Gentile lives don’t.” In Jewish eschatology, the Gentiles would become kindling for the fires of hell.
But when Jesus appears, God’s heart of love for all humanity is fully revealed, and the evil of tribal/ethnic supremacy is exposed for the diabolic folly it truly is. In Acts 10, we are introduced to the Gentile Cornelius. He is officially a pagan, a Roman citizen living in Caesarea, and a centurion of the Roman army – Israel’s conqueror and occupying enemy. Yet he is a good and pious man, to which the local Jews testify. He gives liberally to the poor and prays sincerely to the God of Israel, but as yet is ignorant of the message of the gospel. One day as he prays, an angel visits him with the command that he must send men to Joppa (36 miles away) to find a man named Simon Peter and escort him back to Caesarea where he will proclaim the message God wants Cornelius to hear. This the centurion does with no delay.
Meanwhile, Peter is on the rooftop of the home where he is staying, and while waiting for lunch he falls into a trance. He sees the same vision repeated three times – a tarp is lowered from heaven in which are found all manner of unclean animals (prohibited for consumption by Jews), and a voice commands him, “Rise, Peter, kill and eat.” His response as a good Jew is, “No, Lord, I have never eaten anything profane or unclean.” The voice from heaven answers, “What God has cleansed, you must not call profane.” Peter doesn’t yet understand that God is working to break down his Jewish anti-Gentile prejudice, but at that precise moment the messengers of Cornelius arrive, and the Holy Spirit informs Peter that he is to go with them to Caesarea “without hesitation.”
Two days later, when they arrive, Cornelius greets them and escorts Peter into his home where family and friends have gathered to hear the gospel. Peter begins by sharing first the truth he has just learned loud and clear, the message which allowed him as a Jew to enter the home of Gentiles and fellowship with them: “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation; but God has shown me that I should not call any man profane or unclean” (v.28). He proceeds to share the gospel with them, and as he is still speaking the Holy Spirit falls upon all the Gentiles in the house. Peter and the Jewish believers with him rightly conclude from this that Gentiles are equally as welcome to salvation in Christ as Jews are, and these converts are immediately baptized.
Here a few lessons we learn from this crucial text:
1) God is able and willing to hear the sincere prayers of seekers, and to direct them to Jesus, their Savior;
2) Christians are not immune from worldly prejudices, but God is able to break through our barriers and use us to reach those we thought were unreachable;
3) God welcomes people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation who come in brokenness and repentance before His throne of grace.
4) In the love of Jesus Christ, human beings from diverse backgrounds are united as one family.
The Word teaches us that “All lives matter,” and that God beckons all, whether black, white, yellow or brown, whether young or old, male or female, rich or poor, liberal or conservative, slave or free, to find their worth, salvation and unity in the person of Jesus Christ.