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And he said to them, “You know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come to one of another nation; but God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.- Acts 10:28
God had chosen the Hebrew lineage to bring forth the Messiah Jesus. For this reason, He took great care throughout the ages to keep them from being polluted by the pagan practices in the world around them. Because of this, the nation had developed a sense of superiority, a prejudice, against the Gentiles. They did not understand that their separation from the Gentiles was only meant to be until the Messiah was brought forth.
Jesus was ordained to bring all the Gentiles to God, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies (Isaiah 11:10, 42:6). It was God’s desire to make one nation out of the two, with One Shepherd, the Messiah. Jesus said, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd” (John 10:16).
It took the early church, which then was mostly comprised of Jewish believers, sometime before they realized that the barriers that had separated them from the Gentiles had to be removed.
The walls were smashed by the Gospel and the church welcomed the Gentiles and they were seen as one with the Jews. –
Romans 3:29 - Is He the God of the Jews only? is He not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
1Corinthians 12:13 - For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
Ephesians 2:14 - For He is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Galatians 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
The Apostle Paul realized this truth of the Gospel message, and as a devout, practicing Jew who had been formally steeped in the previous prejudices, confirmed that God had shown him, along with the Apostle Peter, that he was to call no man common or unclean.
Those who profess faith in Jesus, must also allow the Gospel to break down any walls of prejudice against anyone, especially the Jews. Without them, we would have no Messiah and no hope of eternal life. They were the womb that God chose to birth the Messiah and this is why they are called the “chosen people.”
Let us follow God’s commandment to honor our “mother,” and show gratitude for the Hebrew lineage of our faith in Jesus the Messiah; and most importantly, share with them the soul saving Gospel of our Savior Jesus, the Messiah. – For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. - John 3:16.
Copyright 2022 by H. D. Shively
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