Peter in the Wrong
"But when Cephas (Peter) came to Antioch, I protested and opposed him to his face [concerning his conduct there], for he was blameable and stood condemned. For up to the time that certain persons came from James, he ate his meals with the Gentile [converts]; but when the men [from Jerusalem] arrived, he withdrew and held himself aloof from the Gentiles and [ate] separately for fear of those of the circumcision [party]. And the rest of the Jews along with him also concealed their true convictions and acted insincerely, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy (their example of insincerity and pretense)." (Galatians 2:11-13 - Amplified Bible)
Since the book of Acts does not record this event, it is difficult to pinpoint when this occurred. Ancient Jewish writing did not always follow a strict chronological order. This is one reason why making a harmony of the Gospels is difficult. Some commentators believe that this event occurred before the Jerusalem council. They argue that Paul puts the events in this order because it fits the flow of his argument not because of when they occurred. This is possible and a strong argument can be made for this position.
On the other hand, it is also possible that events occurred in the order that Paul gives in Galatians. It is true, that this would mean that Peter’s sin in this matter occurred within a few months of the Jerusalem council, and at first this does seem strange. However, when we consider our own spiritual lives, we should quickly realize that a fall into sin does not always take a long time to occur. When this event occurred is not that important.
The circumstances were like this. Peter had come from Jerusalem to visit Antioch. While there, he had freely interacted with the Gentiles. Ignoring Jewish custom and law, he had eaten with the Gentile Christians. Sometime after Peter arrived in Antioch, a group of Jewish Christians arrived from Jerusalem. These men were legalists. They were seeking to make Gentile Christians Jewish.
For some unknown reason, Peter was afraid of the influence of these men. To keep their favor, he withdrew from the Gentiles and stopped eating with the Gentiles. The other Jewish Christians at Antioch, including Barnabas, followed his example. Paul, seeing what was happening, publicly rebuked Peter to his face. Paul was ready and willing to reprove even another Apostle publicly.
Since the book of Acts does not record this event, it is difficult to pinpoint when this occurred. Ancient Jewish writing did not always follow a strict chronological order. This is one reason why making a harmony of the Gospels is difficult. Some commentators believe that this event occurred before the Jerusalem council. They argue that Paul puts the events in this order because it fits the flow of his argument not because of when they occurred. This is possible and a strong argument can be made for this position.
On the other hand, it is also possible that events occurred in the order that Paul gives in Galatians. It is true, that this would mean that Peter’s sin in this matter occurred within a few months of the Jerusalem council, and at first this does seem strange. However, when we consider our own spiritual lives, we should quickly realize that a fall into sin does not always take a long time to occur. When this event occurred is not that important.
The circumstances were like this. Peter had come from Jerusalem to visit Antioch. While there, he had freely interacted with the Gentiles. Ignoring Jewish custom and law, he had eaten with the Gentile Christians. Sometime after Peter arrived in Antioch, a group of Jewish Christians arrived from Jerusalem. These men were legalists. They were seeking to make Gentile Christians Jewish.
For some unknown reason, Peter was afraid of the influence of these men. To keep their favor, he withdrew from the Gentiles and stopped eating with the Gentiles. The other Jewish Christians at Antioch, including Barnabas, followed his example. Paul, seeing what was happening, publicly rebuked Peter to his face. Paul was ready and willing to reprove even another Apostle publicly.
posted by David Frank Wilson | 5:13 PM
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