"Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?" And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days." (Acts 10:47-48)
Scripture indicates that Peter stayed with Cornelius "for a few days," during which time Peter, "ate with them," (Acts 11:3). From these passage and Peter’s previous vision, some in our CBS study suggest that Peter abandoned the dietary laws contained within the commandments. Scripture does not specifically state that fact, but many Christians like to draw this conclusion because it dovetails nicely into an overall belief that the commandments contained in the books of Moses no longer apply to any believers.
DIETARY OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO PETER
The primary argument for Peter abandoning the dietary laws is the belief that Cornelius would not have served kosher food to Peter during the few days they ate together. As "a devout man and one who feared God with all his household" (Acts 10:2), Cornelius would have been aware of the dietary restrictions that Jews maintained. As "one who feared God," Cornelius would not have imposed an action on Peter that made Peter violate the commandments or Peter’s conscious. Cornelius had a number of available options.
For example, Cornelius could have avoided all meats and served Peter seasonal vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Vegetables were not only a safe alternative to maintain the dietary laws, but vegetables were the staple of the average Jew. Everyone's Talmud tells us, "The bulk of the people must accordingly have lived mainly on the vegetarian diet, and the wholesomeness of vegetables is dilated." Further, it was stated in the Talmud, "A disciple of the Sages is not allowed to reside in a city where no vegetables are to be had. From this it is to be inferred that vegetables are wholesome."
When Daniel was carried off to Babylon, he did not lose his ability to maintain the dietary laws. Scripture tells us that,
"8 Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food…11 Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed…,
‘Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king's choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.’" (Dan 1:8-13)
The Babylonian overseer did serve Daniel and his friends only vegetables and then observed that the appearance of Daniel and his friends, "seemed better and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food," (Dan 1:15). From the obedience of Daniel and his friends, "God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams," (Dan 1:17).
Although not a detailed study by any stretch, I perceive that a common meal in first century Galilee was bread and fish, (Matt 14:17, 15:34). Fish was considered to be a very healthy option and bread was "literally the staff of life" with thirteen benefits attributed to eating bread. These options were readily available to Peter since Cornelius lived in Caesarea on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Peter could have gone to the market and bought fish and bread to eat. Apparently fish can be taken directly from the water and eaten. This understanding is given by the gospel story after the resurrection when Jesus appears on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and tells the disciples to "Bring some of the fish which you have now caught" (John 21:10), and "have breakfast."
By definition, bread is a clean food and often equated to the word of God and to Jesus, "I am the bread of life," (John 6:33). It is unclear what, if anything, can make bread unclean such as contacting an unclean item. I expect that touching a dead body would make bread unclean, but not touching the hands of an unclean person such as those of Cornelius’ servants. When addressing the concern that unclean hands could make food unclean, Jesus told His disciples, "There is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man," (Mark 7:15). This story teaches that uncleanness is defined by the commandments and reflected in the sin of men, but is not derived based on the Oral Traditions referred to as the "precepts of men," (Mark 7:7).
Finally, Peter often traveled throughout Israel, such as for the three annual feasts when Jews were commanded to appear before the LORD. Peter was accustomed to either carrying the food he needed for his journey or acquiring necessary provisions along the way. When the men from Cornelius came, Peter would have anticipated that the journey might take several days and would have planned accordingly to maintain the dietary laws.
The focus on Peter overlooks the knowledge that six men accompanied Peter to the home of Cornelius, (Acts 11:12). These men had not received the same vision as Peter and would have been reluctant to violate the commandments regarding clean and unclean foods. Neither in the original story, nor the subsequent retelling of the story to the men in Jerusalem, were Peter or his six companions accused of violating the dietary laws of the commandments. The accusation is that Peter "went to uncircumcised men and ate with them," (Acts 11:3).
The accusation against Peter does not deal with unclean foods, but with the intimate fellowship that comes from eating together with unrighteous men, "for what partnerships have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness," (2 Cor 6:14). This same accusation had been leveled against Jesus, "This man receives sinners and eats with them," (Luke 15:2). Again notice that the accusation is not that Jesus ate unclean food, but that he had fellowship with sinners. Paul only warned against eating with Gentiles when they eat food that has been sacrificed to idols.
"I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons." (1 Cor 10:20-21)
(To be continued - Scott)
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