an acts to grind

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Stories of Solidarity :: conclusion :: an Acts to grind.
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my desired outcome in the conclusion of the ‘stories of solidarity’ (available for free here) is neatly summed up in the words of my friend and former mentor brian mclaren :: ‘rather than being disappointed in less than complete agreement or understanding, i’ll be grateful for even small steps we can take together in challenging dangerous features of the status quo and opening up better possibilities for the future.’ 
by focusing on retold stories of scripture which have been previously (mis)interpreted with disastrous consequences, my hope is that we can paint a better picture of what is beautiful about the christian faith’s sacred text.

and while that’s true - in the meantime - i’ve got an Acts to grind.
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peter had just done the impossible.

he healed a paralyzed man simply by speaking the name of jesus. shortly thereafter he told a dead girl to wake up, and she did. everyone in town believed.

some thought peter himself was worthy of worship; yet he knew he was just a man. he also knew the words the Rabbi had spoken to him :: ‘tend to – feed – my sheep.‘

those words played in peter’s mind every single day. they carried a weight and responsibility that at times was as daunting as the promise – upon his foundational understanding of jesus the church would be built, and the gates of hell would not prevail. love would have the final word.

‘feed my sheep. tend to them.‘

peter daily searched the hebrew scriptures to see new ways his previous understanding of God had been deepened through the lens of knowing jesus and his teachings.

‘you’ve heard it said, but i say to you…’

‘it is written, but…’

the way jesus taught the scriptures – the way he expanded on and fulfilled them – was unlike anything peter had previously imagined. the understanding everyone had before jesus came was like a black and white sketch that needed to be shaded in with divinely vivid colors – like a skeleton, waiting for skin.

when jesus spoke, it was evident he really knew the heart of God. he explained the law and the prophets in terms that put meat on the bones of their skeletal understanding of YHWH.

and every morning since the spirit came – since pentecost  - peter poured over the scriptures to find more ‘meat.’

this particular morning his reading made peter’s head spin. leviticus. the abominations listed caused the apostle’s stomach to turn with disapproval; still, he was beginning to feel the pangs of hunger. it was almost lunchtime, and he still hadn’t eaten.

he went up on the roof to pray while his host, simon, prepared a kosher meal.

then all hell broke loose.

peter saw heaven torn open and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. on the sheet were all kinds of four-footed animals, along with reptiles and birds.

nearly all the animals were unclean, the types peter had just read about in the morning reading of the sacred texts. even the animals that weren’t forbidden were made unclean simply by being with the beasts that were forbidden. it was guilt by association.

a giant sheet descending from heaven, full of things detestable and unclean to the first century jew. by law. by the scriptures.

a voice told him, ‘get up, peter. kill and eat.’

peter thought it must have been a test. jesus had tested him before, too.

‘peter, do you love me?’ again. and again.

peter almost expected the voice to ask the question three times. God always seemed to do things in threes when he wanted to make a point.

‘nothing unclean has ever entered my lips,’ peter replied. ‘i won’t do it.‘ a test. just as he thought. he was planning on passing with flying colors. after all, he’d just read leviticus.
but the next part, peter did not expect.

‘do not call anything impure that God has made clean. what God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’

peter fell into a trance, confused. he refused to listen. the scriptures couldn’t be any more clear – it was forbidden. unclean. sinful. then God spoke again,

‘do not call anything impure that God has made clean. what God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’

predictably, this happened three times, and then the sheet was taken back to heaven.
peter was perplexed.

almost immediately after the sheet ascended with the forbidden meat, servants from a gentile household came asking for peter to come with them to stay and eat with their master. co-mingling with gentiles? also forbidden.

that’s when it clicked for the apostle.

you yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that i should not call any man unholy or unclean…for God is not one to show partiality.

what had been considered unclean, was now clean. what was once unlawful, was now lawful. what had previously been prohibited, now was permitted. this opened the door for those once considered ‘out’ to be invited into the kingdom of God.

so where does this leave us in today’s context? is it possible that in jesus all things are made new? are there divisions that still ought to exist, as outlined by the scriptures – or is there provision for all people through christ?

is this relevant to some theological conversations today?

what do you think?

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