Acts 11:1-18 “Who was I that I could withstand God?”
Now the apostles and the brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, 3 saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” 4 But Peter began and explained to them in order: 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, something descending, like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came down to me. 6 Looking at it closely I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. 7 And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 But I said, ‘No, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’ 10 This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. 11 At that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesare′a. 12 And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brethren also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 And he told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon called Peter; 14 he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ 15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?” 18 When they heard this they were silenced. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance unto life.”
It’s a bit misleading to use the phrase “circumcision party” here to describe Peter’s opponents. The Greek text—written a couple decades later when non-Jews were already well established in the Church—says “those of the circumcision,” meaning simply Jewish followers of Christ. In retrospect we might call them traditionalists, but that’s not quite accurate either and sounds pejorative. Keep in mind that they had taken the bold step of accepting Jesus as the Messiah, and so were viewed by fellow Jews as innovators and sectarians. But these Jewish Christians, while accepting Jesus, still considered themselves faithful to Jewish Tradition. And so they were critical of Peter breaking the Law and consorting and eating with Gentiles. Perhaps the bad habits of religion had taken over as well and they had forgotten that Jesus Himself had been criticized for associating with the wrong sorts of people—Samaritans, harlots, tax-collectors and sinners of all kinds.
Peter must have hoped that his opponents would “rejoice with them that rejoice” when he reported this news about Cornelius. But despite their frigidity, Peter treats them with respect, recognizing that they are raising a crucial question that must be answered. After all, they hadn’t experienced what Peter had seen and heard with Cornelius. And Peter himself had been troubled by the prospects of eating “unclean” food and mixing with “unclean” people. His experience with Cornelius and his household had clearly taken him out of his comfort zone. So he understood the objections from his fellow Jewish Christians. Still, this was not about Peter: it was about God pointing all of them in a new direction, toward the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies about the inclusion of all peoples of the earth in the Kingdom of God. And in the end, Peter’s opponents agreed.
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Saint John Chrysostom is less charitable than I am to Peter’s opponents and considers that they were simply petty, more concerned about rules than about the substance of faith. But Peter patiently demonstrates to them that God—not Peter—was the instigator of this new welcome to the Gentiles.
And see what they allege. They do not say, “Why did you preach?” but, “Why did you eat with them?” But Peter, not stopping to notice this frigid objection—for frigid indeed it is—takes his stand on that great argument, “If they had the Spirit Itself given them, how could one refuse to give them the baptism?”...
Do you remark how they were not kindly disposed towards him? Saying “You went in to meet with uncircumcised men, and ate with them.” Do you note what zeal they had for the Law? Not Peter’s authority abashed them, not the signs which had taken place, not the success achieved, what a thing it was, the Gentiles having “received the word:” but they contended about those petty things.
For if none of those signs had taken place, was not the success itself enough? But not so does Peter frame his defense: for he was wise, or rather it was not his wisdom, but the Spirit that spoke the words. And by the matter of his defense, he shows that in no one point was he the author, but in every point God, and upon Him he casts the whole.
“The trance,” he says—“it was He that caused me to fall into it, for “I was in Joppa,” etc.: the vessel—it was He that showed it; I objected: again, He spoke, and even then I did not hear: the Spirit commanded me to go, and even then though I went, I did not run: I told that God had sent me, and after these things, even then I did not baptize, but again God did the whole. God baptized them, not I.” And he does not say, “Was it not right then to add the water?” But, implying that nothing was lacking, “What was I, that I should withstand God?” What a defense is here! For he does not say, “Then knowing these things, hold your peace.” Instead, he stands their attack, and to their impeachment he pleads—“What was I, to be able to hinder God?” It was not possible for me to hinder—a forcible plea indeed, and such as might well put them to shame. Whence being at last afraid, “they held their peace and glorified God.”
Saint John Chrysostom, On Acts, Homily XXIV
Blizzard on Long Island
Heavy snowfalls are keeping the Chancery closed today. Metropolitan Tikhon arrived home safely from California (Bishop Daniel’s ordination) late yesterday evening not long before all the New York City airports were shut down.