There was one overriding issue that dominated the hearts and minds of the early followers of Christ, and that was “the Gentile Question.” Could Gentiles be accepted into the household of God, the community of faith without converting to the Jewish customs and rituals, including circumcision and laws governing eating and table fellowship?
Gentiles had been accepted in the past into the Jewish worshipping community and were known as “God-fearers.” However, they were still looked upon as a separate group and not admitted without condition to the community of faith. Many early Jewish-Christian believers felt that Gentiles should be accepted under basically the same terms that “God-fearers” had been accepted in the synagogues by the Jews. But, revelations came to Peter and to Paul (see Acts, chapters 9 & 10 and following), and outpourings of the Holy Spirit on Gentiles occurred as well so that Peter could no longer deny the will of God to open the kingdom fully to Gentiles as well as Jews. And, Paul was commissioned as an Apostle with his primary mission to be to proclaim God’s grace in Christ to the Gentiles!
This was a radical social and religious position to take in 1st century Judea. It caused tremendous discomfort and drew attacks and persecution from the synagogue who felt such communities of faith that were blurring the differences between Jew and Gentile were violating the will of God and were polluting the very people of God and the worship of God. If you read Acts 15, you see there was a great council in Jerusalem with the Apostles to the Jews on one side, and the Apostle to the Gentiles (Paul accompanied by Barnabus) on the other side. An agreement was reached, but clearly it was not easy. Just read Galatians, Chapter 2 to see how volatile an issue this was, as Paul tells of a heated and public conflict between him and Peter over table fellowship between Jews and Gentiles!
All of this makes me think back on Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, and how his table fellowship with tax collectors and sinners (unclean, immoral Jews) provoked controversy about whether such practices could possibly be the will of God. And, Jesus also had some close dealings with Samaritans as well, who were thought unclean by Jews, and Jesus also praised the faith of some Gentiles as well, and even emphasized how God had reached out through the prophets of old to heal Gentiles who were lepers when there were plenty of lepers in Israel who were not healed.
The movement of the Gospel of God in Jesus is a movement that provokes controversy because it brings people into a place of fellowship that challenges the barriers of social privilege, custom, and religious tradition. If we follow Jesus, we will come to a place where our time-tested opinions and ways will be shaken. And, most of us run from that type of challenge. Life is hard enough anyway, who wants to be shaken and challenged, even disturbed at religious gatherings or fellowships?
If I as a white person become part of a community of believers that has black persons as well, I will have to deal at many levels with the social prejudice I have absorbed as a member of this society. And, I assume that black persons who become a part of a community of faith that has white persons will have to come to terms with issues as well that aren’t that comfortable to deal with. Sure, black people have always had to get along with white people in this society to survive, but it is another thing to become united in a true fellowship of faith.
The early church went through struggles to overcome barriers set up by centuries and centuries of social influence, and the influence of religious/ethnic traditions. Though we live in a more enlightened society in some ways, we still bear within our souls the sin of a society that produces division and hostility from diversity instead of producing a “Rainbow People” that Bishop Desmond Tutu proclaimed and in some measure helped begin in South Africa. We would do well to read the New Testament with an eye to this issue of reconciliation between Jew and Gentile that Paul emphasized so strongly and experienced so wonderfully.
Gentiles had been accepted in the past into the Jewish worshipping community and were known as “God-fearers.” However, they were still looked upon as a separate group and not admitted without condition to the community of faith. Many early Jewish-Christian believers felt that Gentiles should be accepted under basically the same terms that “God-fearers” had been accepted in the synagogues by the Jews. But, revelations came to Peter and to Paul (see Acts, chapters 9 & 10 and following), and outpourings of the Holy Spirit on Gentiles occurred as well so that Peter could no longer deny the will of God to open the kingdom fully to Gentiles as well as Jews. And, Paul was commissioned as an Apostle with his primary mission to be to proclaim God’s grace in Christ to the Gentiles!
This was a radical social and religious position to take in 1st century Judea. It caused tremendous discomfort and drew attacks and persecution from the synagogue who felt such communities of faith that were blurring the differences between Jew and Gentile were violating the will of God and were polluting the very people of God and the worship of God. If you read Acts 15, you see there was a great council in Jerusalem with the Apostles to the Jews on one side, and the Apostle to the Gentiles (Paul accompanied by Barnabus) on the other side. An agreement was reached, but clearly it was not easy. Just read Galatians, Chapter 2 to see how volatile an issue this was, as Paul tells of a heated and public conflict between him and Peter over table fellowship between Jews and Gentiles!
All of this makes me think back on Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, and how his table fellowship with tax collectors and sinners (unclean, immoral Jews) provoked controversy about whether such practices could possibly be the will of God. And, Jesus also had some close dealings with Samaritans as well, who were thought unclean by Jews, and Jesus also praised the faith of some Gentiles as well, and even emphasized how God had reached out through the prophets of old to heal Gentiles who were lepers when there were plenty of lepers in Israel who were not healed.
The movement of the Gospel of God in Jesus is a movement that provokes controversy because it brings people into a place of fellowship that challenges the barriers of social privilege, custom, and religious tradition. If we follow Jesus, we will come to a place where our time-tested opinions and ways will be shaken. And, most of us run from that type of challenge. Life is hard enough anyway, who wants to be shaken and challenged, even disturbed at religious gatherings or fellowships?
If I as a white person become part of a community of believers that has black persons as well, I will have to deal at many levels with the social prejudice I have absorbed as a member of this society. And, I assume that black persons who become a part of a community of faith that has white persons will have to come to terms with issues as well that aren’t that comfortable to deal with. Sure, black people have always had to get along with white people in this society to survive, but it is another thing to become united in a true fellowship of faith.
The early church went through struggles to overcome barriers set up by centuries and centuries of social influence, and the influence of religious/ethnic traditions. Though we live in a more enlightened society in some ways, we still bear within our souls the sin of a society that produces division and hostility from diversity instead of producing a “Rainbow People” that Bishop Desmond Tutu proclaimed and in some measure helped begin in South Africa. We would do well to read the New Testament with an eye to this issue of reconciliation between Jew and Gentile that Paul emphasized so strongly and experienced so wonderfully.
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