“Bible places: Antioch”
Galatians 2:11-14
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus.
In his book, Caring Enough to Confront, author David Augsburger writes: “Your boss didn’t give you the credit for your excellent idea; your wife made a cutting remark two days ago, with no apology; your daughter didn’t thank you for the little gift that you bought her; your son forgot to put the tools back in their proper place in your shop. You’re feeling angry at all of them, at everything!”
And with that anger, he says, comes demands--I demand that you do it when I want it....I demand that you listen to me...I demand that you never criticize me...I demand that I have the last word and...I demand that you let me do it my way.
Sound familiar? It happens to all of us at one time or another.
So what to do? Augsburger writes: “Caring comes first; confrontation follows.” But how do we confront? He writes: “Confront caringly...Confront gently...Confront constructively...Confront respectfully and...Confront clearly.”
God confronted Adam and Eve when they ate from the tree in the center of the garden, and He confronted Cain when he murdered his brother, Abel. Esau confronted Jacob when he stole his birthright. And Joseph confronted his brothers when they sold him into slavery in Egypt.
Even Jesus confronted others too! He said to a rich man, who loved his wealth more than he loved God: “Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.” And He said to the scribes and Pharisees: “You hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead men’s bones.”
As Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.” And he wrote: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
So it was in the city of Antioch. Please turn in your Bible to page 1236, as I read the words of our text, where it says, “Paul Opposes Peter.” Galatians chapter 2, verse 11: “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, ‘If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?’”
Let’s step back for a moment to see what’s going on.
If you were here just a couple of weeks ago, you might remember something about Antioch. It’s where, the Bible says, many Greeks came to believe in Jesus. Then when the church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to check it out, to see what was really going on, it says he “was glad, and exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose.”
Antioch is also the place where disciples, both Jews and Greeks, were first called Christians.
But, as you can imagine, there was always a tension between them. You see, the Jews were the chosen people, the people of promise. Even Paul would write in his letter to the Romans: “To them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever.”
And the Greeks? Well, as Paul also wrote to the Romans, they were the “wild olive shoot” that was “grafted in.”
As far as the Jews were concerned, the Greeks, the Gentiles, were like a rude, crude, annoying kid brother with whom they never could quite get along.
With all that in mind, let’s look again at the text. Verse 12: “For before certain men came from James, he (that’s Cephas, better known as Peter), was eating with the Gentiles…”
“Eating with the Gentiles,” it says. So what’s the big deal? If you were a Jew, it was a big deal. You see, the Jews had certain rituals, customs, and rules, about what foods to eat and not to eat, about washing hands and even washing plates and utensils. To do anything less would be “unclean.” The Gentiles, on the other hand, couldn’t care less.
So for Peter to sit down and eat with Gentiles was a big deal. It was a sign that they were unified, that they were all one in Christ.
Let me say that again, because it’ll be very important in just a moment--eating together was a sign that they were unified, that they were one in Christ.
But as it says in verse 12, “certain men came from James,” in other words, more men, other men, those who weren’t so sympathetic to Greeks and Gentiles, also came all the way from Jerusalem, and showed up in Antioch.
Then what? It says, “But when they came he, (that’s Peter again), drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.”
Now if you can’t quite understand what’s going on, let me put it another way. Imagine you work for a company that has a dress code for all of its employees. The men who work there are required to have short hair, and to dress in a dark suit and tie. It’s been that way for as long as anyone can remember, and it probably won’t change anytime soon.
But then, one day, out of the blue, it does change. Suddenly, the boss says that any of his employees, if they wish, could now wear jeans and a t-shirt.
And in the weeks that follow, there are suddenly two groups of employees. Some are from the “old guard,” that liked things the way they were, that still cut their hair short, and wear dark suits and ties. But at the same time, others are leaning back in their chairs, with their feet up on the desk, wearing jeans and a t-shirt. And before long, tension starts to develop between the two groups. One group looks down on the other. One group is hurt by the other.
But one of them from the “old guard,” let’s call him, Peter, starts hanging out with the jeans group. And to make them feel a little more at ease, he even changes his clothes in the locker room, so he can better fit in.
And when some of his former friends, members of the “old guard,” see him sitting there wearing jeans and a t-shirt, they put a little pressure on him to follow the old dress code, or suffer the loss of fellowship.
What would Peter do?
Verse 12 tells us exactly what he did--”But when they came he drew back and separated himself.”
And if that wasn’t bad enough, look at verse 13: “And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.”
So, all of a sudden, what do we have? We have not one, but two churches--a Jewish church and a Gentile church. One looks down on the other. One is hurt by the other. And they are clearly not getting along.
But even bigger than that, even deeper, is the gospel. You see, what was at stake wasn’t simply Jewish customs, rituals, and laws. It wasn’t just about eating proper foods and washing hands and utensils. If truth be known, the very gospel was at stake.
For, in effect, the Jews said, if you truly want to be a Christian, a follower of Christ, then you had to observe Jewish customs and rituals. Yes, you believe in Jesus. That’s good! But, to be a true believer in Christ, there’s something else you have to do.
Do you see the problem? I hope you do, for the gospel plus anything is not the gospel at all!
That’s why Paul wrote in verse 11: “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.” And verse 14: “But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, ‘If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?’”
This was far more than just about rituals and rules. It was all about the gospel!
So what lessons can we draw from all of this?
First, let me say, the Bible is painfully honest. It tells of every human condition, from the past to the present, from the best to the worst.
Abraham lied. Moses murdered. David stole another man’s wife. And here in Galatians chapter 2, Peter, the one who once walked on water, who saw Jesus raise a little girl from the dead, who said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,” who was the first to step inside the empty tomb on Easter morning, to whom Jesus said, “Feed My lambs...Feed My sheep,” and who once preached on the festival of Pentecost so that three thousand people believed, lost sight of the gospel.
And if even Peter can fail, we can too.
Yet what did Paul do? He didn’t talk about him behind his back, and neither did he post anything on Facebook. He confronted him clearly and caringly, face-to-face.
And how thankful we are that he did! For as Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ...He has broken down the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace.”
And what is the gospel? It’s the clear, indisputable, and undeniable fact that every one of us is guilty before God. We cannot and will not ever please Him by the things we think, say, or do. No one is righteous. Not even one. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
But by the unimaginable, unfathomable, and incomprehensible grace of God, He saved us, not with gold or silver, but by the precious blood of His only Son--the sinless for the sinful, the powerful for the powerless, the rich for the destitute and poor.
And how do we respond? Paul wrote in verse 20: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
That’s the grace of God. And that’s what the gospel is all about.
In the words of a song: “The mystery of the cross I cannot comprehend, the agonies of Calvary. You the perfect Holy One, crushed Your Son, who drank the bitter cup reserved for me. Your blood has washed away my sin. Jesus, thank You. The Father’s wrath completely satisfied. Jesus, thank You. Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table. Jesus, thank You.”
We thank You, dear Father, for both Peter and Paul, men You once sent to guide and direct Your church. Help us to never lose sight of the gospel, for it is the power of God to all who believe. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen