“He said to them: ‘You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.’” Acts 10:28.
Upon his arrival, Peter announces that he really should not even be there. After all, he was a Jew and the people he was visiting were not, and according to Jewish law, he was not to “associate” with them. But Peter now understood God’s purpose in bringing him to that place. God had shown Peter that no one was to be considered “impure or unclean.” In other words, the barrier that was in place between Jews and all other people was now to be broken down, and all people were to be accepted as the same.
While I know intellectually that all people are equal and that I am called to love all people equally, I still know that I struggle “associating” with some people. For instance, I am not so sure I could ever associate with anyone who was from the rival of my old high school! Okay, I’m kidding. I am actually married to someone from the rival high school! In all seriousness, each one of us could most likely name some people, or groups of people, that we would not like to associate with. We have barriers, in ways similar to Peter, that keep us away from “loving our neighbors”, as Jesus commanded.
Questions to consider: Who do you wish not to “associate” with? What does God have to say about that? Like with Peter, have there been times when you’ve been confronted with this type of barrier and you sensed God nudging you to deal with it? Who is your neighbor?
Prayer: Father, help me to notice when You are directing me to deal with who my neighbor truly is. Help me to love as You have called me to love; to love the unlovable, remembering how unlovable I was and still am, at times. Amen.
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