And he stayed in Joppa

Sorry it has been so long since I've posted. Halloween, Christmas, and New Year's, along with some hospital visits, have kept me away.

Back in the 1950's, in the deep south, there were several demonstrations by both blacks and whites at Kress Soda fountain. Not only was this unheard of, it received stinging opposition. It "simply wasn't done." Now you get the feeling of what happened at Joppa, in Israel.

Acts 9 teaches us about the conversion of Paul to Christianity. But there was another conversion, of a sorts, going on in that chapter. Dr. Luke tells us that Peter healed Tabitha and then Aeneas, apparently at Joppa. Then there is one simple line, one verse that Luke slips in that blows the chapter out of the water,

And Peter stayed many days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.Act 9:43 NASB. For the Jew it was prohibited to touch anything dead. You would become ritually unclean (Lev.13:11; Num.2:6; 9:2). Peter was staying in the home of Simon, a tanner. The place must have reeked with the smells of dead carcasses, leather being tanned, and vats of solution to tan the hides. And Simon himself was in constant contact with dead animals. To physically be in the house Peter himself would have become ritually unclean. Yet here he is.

Unfortunately, in Christianity, there is a strong separatism left over from Fundamentalist influences. There are some churches that have up to three "degrees" of separation; i.e., with whom they would not fellowship. While we are not to fellowship with those who pretend to be Christians according to Paul, I'm struck with Peter's wilingness to cross religious and social boundaries for Christ. It is an strong encouragement to reach across our boundaries and be uncomfortable to stay with them and fellowship with those whom some would place on the outside.