The Objection
Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance; and he *saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. A voice came to him, "Get up, Peter, kill and eat!" But Peter said, "By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean." Again a voice came to him a second time, "What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy." (Acts 10:9-15)
Here is the evidence that Jesus abolished the food laws as an example of His work to end the need for the Law of Moses.
The Response
This passage's events are not as clear-cut as some would like us to believe. Just two verses later, it says, "Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be..." (Acts 10:17)
Peter—a great man among the disciples, author of a portion of the New Testament—was confused about the vision? How can we assume that 2,000 years later, we have the correct understanding of this vision unless Scripture explains it?
Not surprisingly, Scripture does provide the answer in the middle of the very same chapter:
On the following day he [Peter] entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter raised him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am just a man." As he talked with him, he entered and *found many people assembled. And he said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful [by rabbinic ruling] it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean. That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask for what reason you have sent for me." (Acts 10:24-29)
Peter says that God gave him the interpretation of the vision and showed him that he was to call no man unclean, specifically a gentile man. This vision wasn't about food.
For more on this particular chapter of Acts, check out my topical study that reveals what scripture says about food.
Scripture says...
Objection overruled.
If you still have questions, check out our definitions and assumptions page. If you still have questions or concerns after reading that, please contact us. We would love the opportunity to understand and respond to those concerns!
