For Jewish eyes only?

Acts 10:21-35

          From the beginning Jesus was preaching to the Jewish community. But does this surprise you? Jesus was born into a good Jewish  family. As a real human, his life centered around his faith. He was indoctrinated if you will.  I'm not sure if Jesus was fully aware of his divine nature his whole life or not, but no matter what, I am sure his ministry was geared towards the Jewish community.  And yet, as his ministry progressed he began to reach out to those who were not Jewish, who were marginalized. He reached out to women, spoke to them, had women as friends and reached out to the Roman Centurion to name a few. There are many other examples. What happened?

             It is quite possible that as Jesus became aware of his divine nature, he could not keep his love for creation limited to people of the Jewish faith. God created us all and Jesus' love could not be contained.

          It is similar to a person who is raised in almost any faith, when they are exposed only to that faith. When the person gets older and experiences the world, sees other faiths, other views, they begin to modify their views because they see there are many other people, equally loved by God, searching for the same things they are, albeit by a different set of beliefs.

           How could God contain his love for all of humanity?  And so we hear in this passage that Peter is going to the house of a Centurion and reaching out to those who are not Jewish, the pagans.  Peter reaching out is an outgrowth of the love that Jesus preached and practiced. Jesus reached out to everyone. Paul will take this even further still and the momentous shift in Christianity is that it is open to everyone. Is this a stretch from what Jesus preached? Not really, Jesus himself seems to have grown or expanded his ministry to all those who had faith (in the father).

            Our love should not be limited either. One of the reasons the great monk Thomas Merton was so universally liked and loved was that he could connect with people of many different faiths on a core level. Merton was able to strip away the dogma's and human creations of religion and connect to the fundamental of Christianity (if not all religions) which is the love of God, our significance and purpose which also is to love. Merton was somewhat of a modern Jesus in his ability to reach out to everyone.

             We are all called to reach beyond familiar borders and to be inclusive as Jesus is. The message of love, the power of love, is universal.

         

           

So Peter went down to the men and said, ‘I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for your coming?’ They answered, ‘Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.’ So Peter invited them in and gave them lodging.

The next day he got up and went with them, and some of the believers^* from Joppa accompanied him. The following day they came to Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. On Peter’s arrival Cornelius met him, and falling at his feet, worshipped him. But Peter made him get up, saying, ‘Stand up; I am only a mortal.’ And as he talked with him, he went in and found that many had assembled; and he said to them, ‘You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile; but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. Now may I ask why you sent for me?’

Cornelius replied, ‘Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock, I was praying in my house when suddenly a man in dazzling clothes stood before me. He said, “Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon, who is called Peter; he is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.” Therefore I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. So now all of us are here in the presence of God to listen to all that the Lord has commanded you to say.’

Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.