Peter Called On The Carpet

Hearing that Peter had baptized Gentiles
Brought charges from brethren in the church
That he had eaten with those that defiles
And the cause of the Savior did besmirch!
He stood before them in his own defense,
And told them of the vision that occurred;
Gaining God’s Spirit was strong evidence
That gospel for Gentiles Jesus concurred!
This convinced them, and in surprised wonder,
They praised God, that He offered salvation
To Gentiles, who Jews had always thought under
Themselves, in the Lord’s consideration!
However, the battle was far from o’er,
As, at Antioch, Peter showed once more!

“he apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had recTeived the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, ‘You went into the house of uncircumcized men and ate with them.’ Peter began and explained everything to them precisely as it had happened. … ‘These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: So if God gave them the same gift he gave to us, who was I to oppose God?’ When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, ‘So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.’ “ (Acts 11:1-4;,12-18) [Brackets added]

“Even the Gentiles”? What a cruel blow! It is hard for me to realize just how poorly the Jews understood their own Bible (the Old Testament) or the words of Jesus. Nothing was ever said to them implying that Gentiles (which means all of us that are not Jewish) were not included in salvation, but here they are, years after Jesus died and went to heaven, surprised that the message Jesus told them to carry throughout the earth was meant for any other than Jews! This scripture speaks volumes to explain how Jews’ understanding of God’s words to them was misguided from the very beginning. And don’t think for a minute that Peter’s explanation of the Cornelius incident caused them to drop their prejudices toward Christian Gentiles. Many held on to the practices of Judaism and prejudices until they died. I wonder what modern-day (2010) Jews think about non-Jews. I do know there is a belief among them that all Jews will be saved. The Bible does predict that Jesus will pour out on Israel a new spirit of grace on His Second Coming (See Zechariah 12), and many will be saved. This is expected to take place after Christ destroys the armies besieging Jerusalem at Armageddon.