"Restaurant Impossible"
EPISODE 132
See the Full Menu
Watch
Listen
Read
Whenever we're in search of a new restaurant, our family regularly visits Yelp for guidance. Scrolling through the photos and reviews, we'll usually make up our minds pretty quickly. Too many complaints in the comments and we tend to steer clear. But in Act 10, we find the apostle Peter offering some pretty standard restaurant feedback of his own.
The Food Took Too Long
"And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: "Rise, Peter; kill and eat"" (Acts 10:10-13).
Peter waited so long for dinner that he fell asleep! But during his dream he sees a curious sheet coming down from heaven, filled with a bunch of animals. Ever been so hungry you could eat a horse? That's basically what the voice told him to do, "Dig in, Peter!" Confused? Let's continue ...
Doesn't Fit My Dietary Restrictions
"But Peter said, "By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean." And the voice came to him again a second time, "What God has made clean, do not call common." This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven" (Acts 10:14-16).
While gluten-free, vegan, keto, and peanut-free restrictions seem to be all the rage today, the Jews were "picky eaters" long before (Lev. 11:2-47). Though Peter refuses these unclean foods, the voice in the vision directs him to the whole menu.
Peter doesn't get it, but he'd soon find out that God was opening salvation to the Gentiles — a people the Jews considered "unclean" (Acts 10:28-29). And he'd be the one to preach the gospel of Christ to them for the very first time.
There's Something in the Water
"... Then Peter declared, "Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. ..." (Acts 10:46-48).
After sharing the gospel with a Caesarean centurion named Cornelius, along with his family and friends, something truly amazing happened — the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard him (Acts 10:44). The Gentiles began speaking in tongues, just like Jews did on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4). And then they were all baptized in water in the name of Jesus. Praise God for extending salvation to everyone, including us today!
So let's find encouragement from Peter's opening words today, "... Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him" (Acts 10:34-35).
