Uncircumcised Gentile Dogs

PASSAGE OF THE DAY:
Acts 11 (click the link)


KEY VERSE:
So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.” (Acts 11:2-3, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
It is hard for us to grasp the animosity that existed in the first century between Jews and gentiles. The Jews’ prejudice came from a deep conviction that God preferred them over everyone else. By virtue of the Jews’ favored status, so their thinking went, they were superior to the gentiles. This type of bigotry, believed to be sanctioned by God, is similar to what you see today in the caste system in India. They believe you are born into your caste based on the favor you have achieved with God. So, when you look down upon or persecute someone from a lower class, you are simply showing the judgment and anger of God they deserve. It is a wicked system where condescension and animosity are believed to be condoned by God, which is the most dangerous form of prejudice there is.

Well, this was the environment of the first century. Jews routinely referred to gentiles as “dogs.” In fact, part of the daily prayer of a practicing Jew was to thank God they were not a gentile. As you see in Acts 10-11, it took a miraculous vision and manifestation from the Holy Spirit to convince the early church that the gospel was intended for the gentiles as well as the Jews.

Fast forward all the way to 2012 and I think it is still easy to engage in the same kind of prejudice as the first century Jews. If we believe we are on “God’s side” of an issue, we often give ourselves permission to disdain, judge, mock, ridicule, belittle, or hate the ones on “the other side.” Just listen to the vitriol and condescension that rises when people discuss those of differing political or theological perspectives.

Remember, what made Jesus so scandalous was his radical inclusion and love toward those considered outside of God’s grace because of their lifestyle, perspective, or background. I am ashamed at myself for the times I willingly and knowingly treat others with judgment and condescension because I believe that I am right and they are wrong. How immature of me! What made the early church so powerful was the grace that tore down the old walls of hostility and division. Christians became known for their radical love for one another and even for those who persecuted them (or simply disagreed with them!).

When we are tempted to have an attitude of superiority toward another, remember that Jesus gave His life for everyone, ourselves and the people we don’t like. And the very sin we dislike in others is no different than the sin we struggle with. As James reminds us, we are all “lawbreakers.”

Peter was actually surprised to find that God’s love and salvation extended to the gentiles, and that his prejudice toward them was actually the opposite of God’s heart. We can rest assured that we will never lock eyes with someone for whom Christ did not die and for whom His mercy and grace is not fully extended.


POINT OF ACTION:
If you dare, ask God to search your heart for any traces of prejudice, especially the kind of bigotry that we can fool ourselves into believing is sanctioned by God because “I am right” and “they are wrong.” This is an ugly side of ourselves that is sometimes hard to face. Remember that the gospel of God’s grace and reconciliation is most believable (and real) when we live it out, especially toward those we would rather shun.


PRAYER:
Father, thank you for the grace, forgiveness, and mercy I have in Jesus Christ. Forgive me when I have limited that very grace, mercy, and forgiveness in the ways I treat others, especially those I dislike or disagree with.


WHO AM I?
My name is Greg Bland, the proud father of four: Hailey (22), Jordan (18), Morgan (16), and Alexander (3); and the privileged husband of one: Leigh Anne (age undisclosed) J.

I am finding the rhythms of Lent to be very helpful this year, if not painful… the challenge of honest self-reflection coupled with the reminder of the grace, forgiveness, power, and freedom that awaits me on those issues that come into His light.

This is a sweet season for me. I am encountering the grace of God to be more beautiful than I imagined, His forgiveness to be more complete than I hoped, His kindness more tender than I expected, and His power more available than I knew. Just when I think I have come to know our wonderful magnificent heavenly Father, I am blown away by His goodness and mercy all over again!