Galatians 2:11-12 11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 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.
The apostles were human and imperfect like the rest of us and had a lot to learn and grow in. Paul now recounts one such experience for Peter. If the prior passage refers to the Jerusalem council of Acts 15, as is likely, then Peter had already had his vision of Acts 10 to go the Gentiles and experienced the conversion and filling of the Holy Spirit with Cornelius and his household. Yet, he was still stuck with old paradigms and needed to have his vision expanded even more. Paul may bring up this short story in this letter to challenge any Jewish Christians who were following Peter’s pattern of behavior. This type of behavior was not the way of the gospel.
After the meeting of Paul, Barnabas, and Titus with the pillars of the faith in Jerusalem (vv. 1-10), Peter at some point traveled north to Antioch, which was one of the key centers of early Christianity in the decades of the 40s and 50s. The purpose of this visit is not stated. He may have begun his travels to the “elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1 Peter 1:1). The problem was how Peter acted once he got to Antioch. Peter had changed his views about the Gentiles as was eating with them. Eating together has always been a key way to fellowship with others. Early Christians like Peter were no different. This was a time of intimate fellowship around a meal.
The problem, however, is that Peter did not live by his new convictions about fellowship with Gentiles. Some certain men came from James and confronted Peter about this. This statement implies that James was part of the problem. He may have been one who leaned towards a more formal or “legalistic” interpretation of Christianity, with a stress upon Jewish practices. James is the one who spoke up at the Jerusalem council in Acts 15 and gave his “judgment” (Acts 15:19) with the new regulation for Gentiles that they should stay away from “things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood” (Acts 15:20). Paul describes those who came from Jerusalem representing James as part of the circumcision party. These were the people who wanted Gentiles to be circumcised. This was the very issue the Galatians were facing. Had not the discussion in Jerusalem made any difference?
Now these representatives from James were in Antioch and checking on Peter. Was Peter keeping his side of this? Was he acting like a good Jew? He must have felt intimated by these men because Paul states that Peter drew back and separated himself from the Gentiles in fear. Peter let fear and intimidation keep him from ministry and fellowship. He felt more shame before his Jewish peers than he felt before Jesus who had called him to go to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). We should not blame Peter too much here because we all do the same thing. We need someone like Paul to call us on this and remind us of the core gospel of freedom in Christ.
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