John 13:31-35; Psalm 148, and Acts 11:1-18
As we read the passage from the Acts today, we learn about Jewish Christians’ relationship with Gentiles. Here are three groups from the 1st century AD. One group is Orthodox Jews. Another group is Jewish Christians who have just begun to believe in Jesus. Finally, there are foreigners from outside Israel. We learn from verses 2 and 3 that there was tension between them. “2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3 and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
We see disciples judging others by the standards they think are right. They even harshly criticized Peter, a disciple and apostle of Jesus. They kept the law well and believed in Jesus as the Messiah, but at the same time, they still considered the law important. So, uncircumcised Gentiles are still second-class citizens to them. Perhaps they thought that they would not be saved, because from the Jewish point of view, they were unclean people who did not keep the law. Orthodox Jews criticize them for not keeping the law correctly. But now they criticize other people by the same standards. The laws of purity were still important to them, and they could not sit at the same table as the uncircumcised. Even though Jesus completed the imperfect provisions of this law on the cross, they are still slaves to the law. They have been living a religious life not independent of existing Judaism.
We can see that the gospel has crossed Jerusalem’s threshold. It breaks out of Jerusalem’s limited geographical framework and begins to expand throughout Palestine and beyond. Today’s message records that this mission was officially recognized by the Jerusalem church. In this way, the gospel is alive and expanding for the salvation of humankind.
There is some debate about sharing the gospel through eating and socializing with strangers. Peter tells the apostles and disciples in Judea about the vision he had seen. He heard a voice from heaven saying: ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ He also saw the Holy Spirit descending on the Gentiles. They also received the same gifts and words of the Holy Spirit that the disciples, including Peter, had received. So the leaders of the church in Jerusalem also realized that they had received life-giving repentance.
The disciples go beyond the law. The gospel goes beyond the specific region and people of Jerusalem and Israel. At the same time, through the Gospel of John, we see that Jesus gave us a new commandment. 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Jesus died to save us, even at the cost of his own life. The depth of that love is great and deep. The path of love Jesus showed us is not easy because He loved us so much. Is there someone you would like to protect even at the cost of your life? Jesus commands us to love as He has loved us. This is a very challenging statement. But this commandment is the fulfillment of all the previous laws. Why is that? Because when you love, you understand, and when you know, you can embrace that person.
Today, many churches, regardless of the number of members, are experiencing conflict. There is no church without problems. There is no church without wounds because we are all different beings. Because we are diverse beings. To understand that person, you must try to tune in to that person completely, like tuning into a radio frequency. To understand the church, we must focus on its members. We need to look at their lives. We must try to learn about their culture. Still, it is difficult for us to know everything. Even though they are immigrants, their backgrounds are different. They say that the tendencies are different depending on the area where they settle. For example, immigrants who settled in Vancouver, immigrants who settled in Toronto, and immigrants who settled in Alberta have very different personalities. When looking at Korean immigrants, those who settled in Alberta or Ontario are evaluated as more independent than those who settled in British Columbia.
Peter and several disciples are carrying on Jesus’ ministry. And we practice the life of a disciple by obeying Jesus’ command. Love is sometimes easy, but sometimes it’s tough. When Jesus emphasized this was a new commandment, Jewish believers took it very seriously. Because we all know the history of Israel, where they were judged and suffered when they broke the commandments recorded in the Old Testament. When someone breaks a commandment, some lose their life. For the disciples who knew this well, Jesus’ words, “Love one another,” had the status of a law that took precedence over any other commandment.
So let us make our way clear. Through the disciples’ actions today, we can clearly see our path. It is the way to go beyond the law and perfect it. It is the work of spreading the gospel and practicing love. It is about repentance that leads to life, and inviting my neighbors to do the same. Can I forgive someone who hurt me? It is not easy, but it is the path we must walk. This is the way Jesus commanded. Because it was difficult for us to do so, God sent the Holy Spirit to be with us. Let us begin this work together with the Holy Spirit in the community where we live. I believe that God, who has great and strong arms, will accomplish all these things thoroughly and perfectly, even though I am lacking and sometimes weak. I hope we are used as precious disciples in the Lord’s ministry. Amen.