Us vs Them

Daily Reading: Exodus 5, Psalm 55, Acts 11, Proverbs 24

The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 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.”

Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’

“I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’

“The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.

“Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.’

“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”

When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

Acts 11:1-18

Now that we are 2,000+ years removed from the early formation of the Christian church, it is easy to forget that the initial followers of Jesus believed that he had come strictly for the Jewish people.

They were shocked that Peter would even consider going into the house of a Gentile, eating with them, and sharing the good news of Jesus. Society was simply not set up that way. The Jewish people had a very specific set of laws and customs, and following these were the cornerstone of their faith and culture.

God called Peter to bring the good news of Jesus to everyone.

This morning, as I was reading this passage in Acts, it made me reflect on the current state of our world today. It feels like over the last 10-15 years we have seen a rise in this type of tribalism all over the world. 

In all corners of the globe there has been rising up a nationalistic fervor, with leaders from various political parties throughout most countries coming with a message of “us vs them”.

Fear always sells.

There are so many things that have radically changed in our world since the time of Jesus, and yet there are a lot of things that stay the same. Human beings have always felt more comfortable in a tribe. We have always wanted to know that we belong to a certain group that, for the most part, shares our values, outlook on life, and traditions.

Jews vs Gentiles

I would love to say that churches throughout the world have collectively been a force for good in our modern world, pushing back against anyone that would come with a message of fear and hate, and in many cases, they have.

There are so many churches that are still bringing the radical, all encompassing, unconditional love of Jesus to this broken and fallen world.

Regardless of where you came from, what race you are, your sexual orientation, your immigration status, and the list goes on.

Jesus loves you and wants you as part of his family.

That is the message.

Unfortunately there have also been many churches where we see the opposite. There have been many churches behaving like the Pharisees and Sadducees of old, more concerned about a set of rules, than sharing the good news of Jesus to anyone that will hear it.

We do not have to agree with every life decision other people make. It is ok to have different political beliefs on how different countries should handle various challenges their country faces.

The question is, through the way we approach these items, are we creating an “in group” and “out group” through our words and actions? Are we creating a divide between “Jews” and “Gentiles” and more worried about following every custom and belief of our “tribe” at the expense of the greatest two commandments?

Love God.

Love others.

The Pharisees and Sadducees were appalled by Jesus. He was a radical departure from their traditions and way of life.

The early church, that were already followers of Jesus, were shocked by Peter going to the Gentiles.

Jesus came with a message that every could have a relationship with God, if they would believe in him and turn their life over.

We are called to spread the good news, regardless of where someone else is at in their life.

We are called to love others, as ourselves, independent of any qualifiers.

God can handle judgment when the time comes. Our role is to bring the love of Christ, and remove the plank from our own eye.

There are no tribes in the Kingdom of God. There are no lines on a map. There is not an “in crowd” and “out crowd”. 

God sent his only son so that all might be saved.

This is great news.

Let’s go live it out this year.

Daily Reflection & Dialogue

Is there a group of “Gentiles” in your own life that you struggle with? Even if you feel your heart is 99% where God would want it, is there still that one blind spot where you have a hard time leading with love and acceptance, as opposed to judgment for one reason or another?