‘Do we need to fall into a trance like Peter?’ by Owen Lynch, 9 June 2024

What does God need to do to change our minds? Owen Lynch follows the story of the first believers in “The Way” of Jesus and sees how his call for them to adopt a new perspective - what is often translated “repent” in our Bibles - might happen more than once, and could take dramatic forms. Peter had a vision from God which not only changed his mind but changed how people were accepted into faith and community, opening this to everyone. Have we now learned everything we need to know about this, or are we open to God changing our minds too?

Transcript

I am making the case that what we call Christianity is derived from a revolution amongst the Jewish community of Palestine and across the Roman Empire.

It is a revolution that started with Jesus of Nazareth, who was killed by the religious authorities for being a heretic, but continued with people who were motivated and encouraged by ten appearances of the resurrected Jesus after his death.

What we are reading in Acts is the story of how a group of Jews created a sub group, denomination or sect of Judaism.

There were already many subgroups or sects of Judaism during the time of Jesus - there were Pharisees, Essenes, Sadducees and Zealots. They were all Jews, but had their own little groups.

The Jewish sect we are reading about in Acts was called ‘hodos’ which is greek for “the way”, or ‘the journey”.

It’s not entirely clear why this Jewish sect was called “the way”, however it maybe associated with Jesus statement “I am the way, the truth and the light”. It maybe that it referred to a way of living as a Jew that embraced Jesus as true King of their nation.

Whatever the reason, we are certain that this group was considered a sect of Judaism. Look at Acts 24, where the apostle Paul himself describes his group as a sect of Judaism.

You might wonder why Judaism was splintering into all these sects or subgroups. Scholars think that Judaism was compressed by the enormous political and military weight of the Roman Empire and was fracturing and splitting into smaller groups as a result.

Back then, “the way” was one of those sub groups. It was initially very small, but quickly gathered momentum.

Now the order of how Acts is laid out can be a bit confusing for us at this point. In chapter 8 we read about how all of the Jews who identified with the Way had fled the violent response of the religious authorities in Jerusalem. All it seems except the Judean Jews.

I make the distinction between those Jews who were from Judea and those who were from all over the known world, but were visiting Jerusalem for the festival of Pentecost.

It was predominantly the foreign Jews who scattered; the local Judean Jews who had created “the Way” stayed in Jerusalem.

Why is this important? Well in episode 6 I described how a Greek Jew called Philip fled to Samaria and had the imagination to invite the Samaritans who were not Jews to join “the way”, then he invites a black, African, Non Binary person who was also not a Jew to join “the way”!

It seems that Philip - the greek Jew had this idea that anyone could become part of this Jewish sect and by definition become a Jew!

As we will see today, Philip’s idea of inviting non Jews to join the Way, would have been an outrage to the Judean Jews such as Peter. They believed that it was not appropriate for Jews to mix with non Jews. I think that if Peter had known what Philip was doing, he would have been very angry!

Maybe, the difference between Philip and Peter was personal? Maybe Philip who was raised in Greece was more open minded that Peter who had never left Judea and Galilee?

By the time I was 25 I had travelled to India, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. Those experiences affected me profoundly and gave me an insight into cultures and religions that were so different to anything I had experienced. It made me more open minded, more respectful and less fearful of difference than I might have otherwise been.

Perhaps it was easier for Philip to imagine non Jews becoming part of this Jewish sect, because he had been raised by his Jewish family in a foreign land where racial and religious diversity was commonplace.

Perhaps Peter hadn’t had to wrestle with different perspectives and realities from his own, because he had simply not met people who were unlike himself.

Perhaps Peter lived in a Judean community that considered themselves to be holy and were anxious to not be polluted by the unholy secular world.

Perhaps Peter was raised to believe that only the Jews had the truth and that every other person or culture/religion was wrong?

Whatever Peter’s perspective, it was about to be turned up-side-down!

Turn in your Bibles to Acts 10. First - a bit of context:

A Roman centurion called Cornelius had a vision of an angel who told him to send some of his men to Joppa, to bring back a man called Peter, who was staying at the house of a man called Simon the Tanner.

Meanwhile, the next day, whilst the soldiers were approaching Joppa, Peter also has a vision and sees something like a huge sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. A voice said to Peter, get up kill and eat.

Let’s pick up the story Acts 10:14-20

14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

At this point let me explain that Jews had strict laws that governed their diet, their work and their family life. If they did not obey those rules, then they were considered unclean or not holy, therefore they would be not welcome at the synagogue or temple and ostracised from the community.

15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure, that God has made clean.”

16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.

19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”

So the next day Peter travels to Caesarea - the garrison town where the Roman Centurion - Cornelius lived. Acts 10:24-48

24 The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. 26 But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”

27 While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28 He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.

As an aside, if you or I are ever tempted to think of Christians as holy and non-Christians as unholy, impure or unclean, please note what Peter heard God say to him.

29 So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?” 30 Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. 32 Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”

34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles [the Jewish term for people who weren’t Jews]. 46 For they heard them speaking in other languages and praising God.

Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptised with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

Okay, so Peter has just had a “Damascus road experience”. His dramatic change of mind was in the same order as the change of mind that we saw that Saul had, on the road to Damascus.

The two most influential men of this Jewish sect called “the way” - Peter and Paul have both had an ecstatic, trance [out of body experience] and emerged from it completely changed. These previously “right wing Jewish nationalists” have had a massive change of heart.

Rather than demonising the other, they welcome the other. Rather than being exclusive they are inclusive. Rather than sowing division, they strive to unite all people. Rather than hunkering down in their own little bunker, they travel the world and broaden their horizons. Rather than seeking safety in their own little worldview, they risk their own peace of mind, by embracing other cultures and traditions. Rather than being close minded, they are open minded.

Peter and his Jewish companions were astonished that these Roman Gentiles were touched by the Holy Spirit and given the ability to speak foreign languages!

The ability to speak foreign languages at this point in the story and also back in Jerusalem during the festival of Pentecost, is the surest sign of the inclusivity of this new Jesus movement. The story is for everyone, so the Holy Spirit gives the ability to tell the story in all the languages of every people group in the world.

The Damascus road experience of Saul/Paul and this trance experience of Peter is the moment that the metaphoric dam burst and this Jesus movement spread like a flood across the Roman Empire.

Now this was not initially welcomed by Peter’s Jewish friends back in Jerusalem. Acts 11:1-4, 18

1 The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticised him 3 and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them [!!]”

4 Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story:

18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted a change of perspective [repentance] that leads to life.”

That was it!! The whole thing exploded and in the rest of Acts 11, the author describes how it spread through the Roman Empire into places we now know as Greece, Lebanon, Cyprus, Libya, Egypt and Turkey.

“Hodos - The Way” was not a religion, it was not a nation, it was not a culture. It was simply a story about a man called Jesus who was God in person. And like all good stories it spread like gossip does, especially enabled by this divinely inspired ability for people to speak in foreign languages as the Holy Spirit touched them.

No wonder it spread! Anyone and everyone was experiencing the reality of Jesus and it was having an unbelievable effect on them.

There were no limits and no obligations. There were also no formal structures. There were no church buildings to meet in or maintain, there were no paid Archbishops, Bishops and Ministers. There was no membership, there was no in or out. There were no doctrines to adhere to. No rituals you had to perform.

There was no attempt to grasp power, to control this thing and bend it to their own wills.

It was a phenomenon that could not be controlled by anyone person. Peter of all people, knew that he could not:

Acts 11:17

17 So if God gave them [the Gentiles] the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”

When I think about how this Jesus story spread, I am reminded of the Arab Spring uprising in 2010 and 2011. It was a wave of pro-democracy protests that took place in North Africa and the Middle East, that challenged some of the region’s entrenched authoritarian regimes. It began in Tunisia and Egypt where the regimes were toppled by the protestors, and that success emboldened people across the Arab world.

That good news movement was mediated by social media like Facebook and Twitter, but was eventually suppressed with violent crackdowns by the authorities.

It seems that this Jesus movement was mediated by the divine Holy Spirit and was also suppressed with violent crackdowns by the authorities. But it didn’t work and this story of Jesus spread throughout the Roman Empire over the next 250 years until even Roman Emperor Constantine embraced it for himself.

As I have been reading Acts, I have sometimes wondered if the evangelical church here in the UK is more like the pre Damascus Saul and the pre trance Peter. More concerned with holding to doctrine and tradition than seeing what new and surprising things the Spirit of God is doing. More concerned with excluding certain people whose lifestyle is different to their own, than including everyone in the story.

I’m wondering if the evangelical church in the UK, the Vineyard globally and us associated with Severn need to fall into a trance like Peter and have Jesus reveal something to us that we cannot seem to grasp with our own senses?

What doctrines are we holding on to that have little basis in the Bible or relevance to our lives?

Who are we excluding from the story of Jesus, because of their behaviour or identity?

Who are we excluding because they have different cultural or religious beliefs from us?

Why do we want to change people to be like us? Why are we so concerned that they believe the same things that we believe?

These are some of the questions that Peter’s trance and Saul’s Damascus road experience have triggered in me - what about you?

Let’s pray.

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