Good Morning Friends,
“When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to
his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from
James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to
draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those
who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his
hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. When I saw
that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter
in front of them all, ‘You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like
a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?’”
(Galatians 2:11-14)
The passage today is an interesting one that
deals with two important issues.
First, it deals with the question “who do you
follow?” Peter would have been quick to say that he followed the Lord. He would
have been proud of that fact and willing to state it with absolute assurance. That
was the kind of person Peter was. But the reality wasn’t quite so certain! When
put to the test, like he did earlier when he denied the Lord, Peter failed it. Peter
allowed the opinions of others to influence how he followed the Lord. He knew
what was right, but gave in to what he knew was the will of those who came from
James. How often are you like Peter in that way? You know what is right, you’ve
been convicted of it by the Lord, but you let the opinion of others influence
you anyway. Who do you follow?
Second, it deals with the issue of
confrontation. Confrontation is never fun, but sometimes it is necessary for
the good of the individual being confronted and also good for the larger body
of believers. Peter was the recognized leader among the apostles, the most
outspoken and headstrong. Paul was the newcomer. Yet, Paul confronted Peter
because it needed to be done. Peter needed it. And so did the church at
Galatia. I wonder if we miss the mark sometimes because of our fear, our
unwillingness to confront when the Lord would have us to. Confrontation
shouldn’t be the characteristic of our lives, but when called upon, we should
be willing to do it.
His, by Grace,
Steve
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