Call No One Unclean!
God’s Shocking Reminder About the People You Don’t Like
Clean Vs. Unclean
I wonder if the Pharisees referenced in the Bible had any idea how modern preachers would speak of them? I hope not. I cannot remember hearing a sermon that praised or honored the Pharisees. Most preachers vilify these religious leaders as examples of what not to do, and this is unfortunate. The Pharisees during Jesus’ life were teachers of the law, and their goal was to know the Scriptures, know God, and teach others to do the same. In pursuit of this goal, they built structures and rules to avoid evil and pursue good. It was an admirable and praiseworthy motivation. They were probably doing the best they knew to do, even though their approach was flawed.
The Pharisees believed that some things were clean, and some were not. This idea mattered because they thought if something clean came into contact with something unclean, then both were unclean. These religious leaders went to great effort to determine what was clean, remain pure, and stay in a relationship with God.
Jesus Was Different
This is one of the reasons why the Pharisees clashed with Jesus. Jesus was not afraid of interacting with those deemed unclean by religion and seemed to have no worries about their impact on his status with God. He went out of his way to connect with those considered impure. The religious leaders attempted to insult Jesus when they said he was the friend of sinners, but it did not deter him. The Pharisees believed that Jesus’ friendship with sinners was a barrier to the Divine, but Jesus was oblivious to this concern. For Jesus, the concept of clean and unclean was a false distinction for people.
Judging Is Easy
Growing up in a Christian family and attending church, I saw firsthand that Christians love to judge and classify everyone, just like the Pharisees. I became very adept at making these distinctions based on the club rules. Sadly, I find it easy to judge others. I long to know that I am okay, and I want to use other’s weaknesses to justify my identity. Recognizing the faults or perceived differences in another person helps us think we are superior and different from them. If we convince ourselves that they are different from us and are not okay with God, maybe we are in good standing with the Divine.
2000+ Years of Struggle
The early church struggled with the same temptation to judge and create unhealthy divisions. It was against Jewish custom for a Jew to associate with a non-Jew. However, God prompted an Italian man named Cornelius to seek a meeting with Peter (Acts 10), who was one of Jesus’ followers and a leader in the church. Peter was Jewish, and Cornelius was not, so Peter should have refused this meeting.
Before the meeting request arrived, God gave Peter a vision that confronted the invalid separation between Jews and non-Jews, calling out the false dichotomy of clean versus unclean. After the vision, Peter said, “God has shown me that I should not call ANYONE impure or unclean.” (Acts 10:28) As a result, Peter met with Cornelius and his family. Afterward, Peter had to defend his actions before the other leaders of the church. Peter referenced the vision from God and said, “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’” (Acts 11:9)
After this, Peter still struggled with creating divisions around the myth of clean versus unclean. On a trip to Antioch, Peter spent time with his non-Jewish companions until other Jewish leaders arrived, and then he withdrew and would no longer associate with the non-Jews. Another Jewish man named Paul saw this happening and confronted Peter on his hypocrisy.
Later, when Peter came to Antioch, I had a face-to-face confrontation with him because he was clearly out of line. Here’s the situation. Earlier, before certain persons had come from James, Peter regularly ate with the non-Jews. But when that conservative group came from Jerusalem, he cautiously pulled back and put as much distance as he could manage between himself and his non-Jewish friends. That’s how fearful he was of the conservative Jewish clique that’s been pushing the old system of circumcision. Unfortunately, the rest of the Jews in the Antioch church joined in that hypocrisy so that even Barnabas was swept along in the charade. — Paul (Galatians 2:11–13)
We All Need Reminders
Peter quickly forgot the lesson from his vision and needed a reminder: God has shown me that I should not call ANYONE impure or unclean. Here we are, 2000 years later, and many of us need the same reminder. It feels ironic and a little sad that we have missed one of the first lessons of the early church and so easily dismiss Jesus’ emphasis on loving one another.
Jesus said to his followers, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John.13:34–35)
Anyone!
Notice that Peter uses the word ‘anyone.’ Anyone is all-encompassing and an inclusive term that means all persons — no exceptions or exclusions. Do not call any person impure or unclean.
- People I don’t like? — Yes! They are in the group of anyone.
- Other denominations? — Yes! These also qualify as anyone.
- Other religions, like Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam? — Yes! Anyone.
- The LGBTQ community? — Yes! They are included in anyone.
- Immigrants and all ethnic groups? — Yes! They are a part of the definition for anyone.
Anyone means ANYONE! Every person is the creation of God and the image of the Divine. If you want to know how well you love God or what you think of the Divine, then look at how you treat those around you.
May we learn what it means to embrace Peter’s words: God has shown me that I should not call ANYONE impure or unclean. (Acts 10:28)
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