Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. (Galatians 2:11-13)
In the previous lesson, Paul mentioned to the church in the region of Galatia that after fourteen years of preaching the gospel among the Gentiles, he, Barnabas and a Greek convert, Titus returned to Jerusalem to meet with the apostles and other leaders in the church. But when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter... they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do. (Galatians 2:7-10)
Now, Paul was referring to some occasion when Peter came to Antioch, and he was fine eating with the Gentiles; but when the other apostles came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. How sad that often times we all fear what our peers may think of us if we speak to or associate with certain people. Peer pressure is awful! And obviously no one is immune to it. Here is the great "rock" of the church, Peter behaving like a hypocrite. How disappointing because God had given him a vision, and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again. (Acts 10:11-16)
Shortly after that vision, Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, sent for Peter. He was ... divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.” Then he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him. (Acts 10:22-23) One of the first thing Peter said when he walked into the man's house was, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for." (Acts 10:28-29)
Peter knew right from wrong. God had revealed that to him in the vision of the animals on the sheet. God revealed that to him, and he willingly went into a Gentile's home. But for whatever reason, while in Antioch, he was fine once the other apostles weren't around, but when the apostles came, he behaved differently. Thank God that Paul withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed! Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear. (I Timothy 5:19-20) Well, Paul had more than two or three witnesses, and he rebuked him in the presence of all. When we see others, especially leaders in the church playing the hypocrites, we are to address it immediately and openly, not in the hope of embarrassing them, but in the hope of leading them to repentance.
But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! (Galatians 2:14-17)
Basically what Paul was saying was that prior to Christ coming in the flesh, the law wasn't able to save the Jews, and the way the Gentiles lived wasn't able to stop them from being able to be saved. All of us are saved by faith in Jesus Christ; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified! If the Jews also had to be saved through faith in Christ because they were also sinners, that wouldn't make Christ a minister of sin. In other words, they weren't any more special than the Gentiles. Remember what God said to them from their beginning as a nation, when He lead them out of Egypt: The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:7-8) Therefore understand that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people. (Deuteronomy 9:6)
God keeps his promises, and He swore to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Nothing He did for the Jews was because they deserved it but because the Lord loves you, not just them but all of us! 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) For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.” (Galatians 2:18-21) God forbid! Christ did not die in vain, and He died for ALL people! Therefore, "treat others the way you want to be treated", regardless of who they are!
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