The Holy Apostle James, Brother of Saint John the Theologian. Polyeleos Feast.
Acts 10:34-43; Acts 12:1-11; John 8:12-20; Luke 5:1-11.
Read Acts 10:34-43
There is a sentence spoken by Peter in Acts 10:28 to the Roman Centurion Cornelius that is so central to understanding the entire movement of spirit in the early church and key to understanding the gravity of some of the first very serious challenges they encountered as followers of Jesus. Peter said to Cornelius and all those that came to listen to him speak, “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.” This statement reveals such a deep and significant change in understanding that the lives of these transformed Jews were put on paths in ways that were completely unimaginable.
How did Peter come to that huge shift as a devout fervent Jewish man? Through the mystical vision in which he fell into a “trance”. In that state he saw common and unclean creatures, in which as a Jew he was forbidden to eat, “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.’”
In similar manner Cornelius, while in prayer, “saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him … Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.” (Acts 10:3,4) That angel instructed Cornelius to send men from Joppa, Gentiles, to bring Peter to come and see them and he will “explain all things to them…” (Acts 10:7,8)
Now read todays reading of Acts 10:34-43 and how it is a short summary exposing Peter’s own deep conversion from being a fervent Jew which his entire life knew to stay away from the gentiles to now as fervent Jew through his understanding of Jesus, one who welcomes and whole heartedly goes to be with the Gentiles when summoned. (Acts 10:29)
This, my brothers and sister is absolutely no small matter. Peter, in his fear, who denied ever knowing Jesus to the Jews during His passion and crucifixion, has completely renounced a fundamental tenant of Judaism in how they understood themselves in relationship to the Gentiles.
The disciple Paul’s mystical encounter with the risen Lord lead to a conversion that put him on the same path as what we see in Peter. This Way is completely new. It destroyed the foundations that were once stood on by Peter and Paul and were completely replaced by the foundation of Christ. And so the trajectory of the great adventure of following Jesus “takes off” glory to God, as seen by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon those listening to Peter even as he was speaking so that, “those of the circumcision who believed were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.” (Acts 10:44,45)