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how does this event in acts relate to jesus' teachings about clean and unclean?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Acts 10:13-15

A voice came to him, “Rise, Peter, kill and eat!” But Peter said, “Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” The voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean.”

This passage describes a vision given to Peter, one of Jesus's closest disciples, while he was praying on a rooftop in Joppa. This vision prepares him for an encounter with Cornelius, a Roman centurion who is not Jewish.

What boundaries do you encounter in your own life, religious or otherwise, that you might need to re-examine in light of new understanding or experience?

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Read alongside it

  • Mark 7:18-19

    Jesus declares all foods clean, anticipating a shift in understanding about ritual purity.

  • Galatians 2:11-14

    Paul confronts Peter for withdrawing from Gentiles, highlighting the practical struggle of living out this new understanding.

  • Ephesians 2:14-16

    Paul speaks of Jesus breaking down 'the dividing wall' between Jews and Gentiles, echoing the breaking of 'clean' and 'unclean' distinctions.

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