God’s No Partiality Doctrine—Lectionary Reflection for Baptism of Jesus Sunday (Acts 10:34-43)

  

Acts 10:34-43 New Revised Standard Version UpdatedEdition

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, ³⁵ but in every people anyone who fears him and practices righteousness is acceptable to him. ³⁶ You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. ³⁷ That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. ³⁹ We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, ⁴⁰ but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, ⁴¹ not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses and 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 ordained by God 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.”

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                On the Sunday following the Day of Epiphany, churches following the lectionary will celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. In my years of pastoral ministry, I would use this Sunday to invite people to reaffirm their baptismal vows. Each of the Synoptic Gospels tells the story of Jesus’ baptism, which serves as the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. In the Gospel of Matthew, which is the designated Gospel reading, we’re told that Jesus came to the Jordan to be baptized by John, though John resisted, suggesting that he needed to be baptized by Jesus, not the other way around. However, Jesus prevailed upon John, who baptized him. When he came out of the water, the heavens opened, the Spirit fell upon him like a dove, after which a voice from heaven declared “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:13-17). A similar claim will be made by a heavenly voice on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-13).

                The text chosen for the Second Reading, which often comes from one of the Epistles, in this case comes from the Book of Acts. The passage chosen tells the story of Peter’s sermon given to Cornelius and his household at Caesarea. If we go back to the beginning of Acts 10, we read about a vision given to the Roman Centurian Cornelius, a Gentile said to be God-fearing who gave alms to support the Jewish people. Cornelius is instructed to send for Peter, who was residing at Joppa. Even as Cornelius's representatives make their way to where Peter is staying, Peter has a vision that opens his eyes to the possibility that God wants to reach out to Gentiles. Through a vision of forbidden foods, God lets Peter know that what He declares clean is clean. You might say this is Peter’s conversion story, such that with this vision, he sees things very differently, though, as we read through Acts 10, even with the vision, Peter will need a bit more convincing. Thus, when Cornelius’ representatives knock on the door, he goes with them to Caesarea. With that, Peter has an audience ready to hear his message concerning Jesus, setting up another conversion story (Acts 10:1-33).

                Since this is Baptism of Jesus Sunday, one might expect to hear a word about Baptism in our reading, and we will hear a message about the baptism of Jesus by John. Peter begins by acknowledging that he had recently learned that God “shows no partiality.” This was a moment of conversion for Peter, such that he was slowly grasping that what God has declared clean is clean and what that might mean going forward. Whereas Peter had thought this Jesus movement would be limited to fellow Jews, this was about to change. Rather than ethnicity being the determining factor when it comes to God’s embrace of a person or community, Peter shared that God had revealed that “in every people [ethnei–nation] anyone who fears him and practices righteousness is acceptable to him” (Acts 10:35).

                With this announcement that God was opening up a new chapter in the story of salvation, he begins to share the story of Jesus, who is “Lord of All,” whom God had sent to the people of Israel, preaching a message of peace. This message, Peter tells Cornelius’ household, spread through Galilee after Jesus underwent the baptism of John, at which point “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.”  Here is our reference to the baptism of Jesus, which, according to Peter, led to Jesus’ anointing with the “Holy Spirit and with power.” This event marked the beginning of Jesus’ ministry that took place in Galilee, where “he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”  Then comes a word that can easily be misinterpreted and misused to blame Jews for the execution of Jesus.

                Peter tells Cornelius and company that “we are witnesses” (who the “we” includes is not revealed, as it does not appear here that there are any other Apostles present, though later we’re told that Peter was accompanied by those who were circumcised) of what Jesus did in Judea and Jerusalem when “they” put Jesus to death by “hanging him on a tree.” This is a rather strange reference. When it comes to Peter’s seeming reference to Jews, who had participated in this act, Stephen Farris offers this helpful word that steers us away from blaming Jews, including naming them as Christ-killers, which has led to horrific actions against Jews in the past. With rising antisemitism, we need to be careful today as well. Thus, he writes:

Perhaps even more dangerously, it may seem from this story that Judaism is an exclusive religion that divides itself strictly from the rest of humanity, an attitude from which Peter is freed in his conversion. It would be wise to emphasize that Peter, in this case, does not represent Judaism but rather the early church as being in need of conversion. It would also be gracious to acknowledge that the insight that God shows no partiality is not far from the teaching of the school of Hillel in rabbinic Judaism. That school of thought maintained a gracious attitude to righteous Gentiles, of whom Cornelius would certainly be one. [Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship: Year A, Volume 1, (Kindle p. 170).]  

With Farris’ reminder in mind, we can continue to hear the message Peter delivers, which focuses on what happens after Christ’s death, his resurrection on the third day. At which point Jesus appeared to those whom God had chosen to be witnesses.

                Peter informs Cornelius that after they dined with him, Jesus commanded them “to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead” (Acts 10:42). Here we see the eschatological dimension of the early Christian message, such that Jesus is the divinely ordained judge of the living and dead. To bring the message to a close, he tells Cornelius, who, as a God-fearer, may have known at least some of the Jewish scriptures, that all of what Jesus did took place as revealed by the prophets. Therefore, “everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:43).

                With that, the sermon ends, which means the altar call comes next. The only thing is that, according to the passage that follows our reading, which was chosen because it mentions the baptism of Jesus by John, the Holy Spirit didn’t wait for Peter to deliver the altar call. Instead, while he was still speaking to the gathered community, “the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word.” This confounded Peter’s companions, who had not expected something like this to take place. Nevertheless, just like on the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fell upon the people, they began to speak in tongues and offered praises to God. Here is where baptism once again comes into play, though not the baptism of Jesus, but of this gathered household of Cornelius. So, Peter says to his companions, “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” Then Peter “ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ,” after which Cornelius and his household invited Peter to stay with them for a few days. So, they did (Acts 10:44-48).

                 The story continues in Acts 11, where Peter reports to the church back in Jerusalem, letting them know what had happened. Here we find a summary of what takes place in Acts, beginning with Peter’s vision and continuing to the offer of baptism, which silenced the critics, such that everyone rejoiced that God had provided Gentiles the opportunity to repent and experience life, even as they had (Acts 11:1-18).

                For readers of the Book of Acts, this shouldn’t surprise us. After all, back in the first chapter of Acts, before the ascension of Jesus took place and the Spirit fell on the church at Pentecost, Jesus gave his followers a commission to take the good news to the ends of the earth, beginning in Jerusalem, and then moving outward to Judea and Samaria, and from there to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). We’ve already seen how the message was taken to Samaria in Acts 8; this is only the next step.

                This is a powerful story of inclusion that should speak loudly to us in the 21^st century, especially in the United States, but elsewhere as well. There has been a major pullback from efforts to highlight the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are watching as anti-immigrant sentiment once again arises here in the US and beyond. I have long seen in the message of Acts 10 and 11 a word of welcome to the LGBTQ community, a community that the church has traditionally viewed as being unclean. That many within this community, including clergy colleagues and friends, have given evidence of the Spirit’s presence, it is clear that God welcomes them into the community of faith.

                With this message of inclusion in mind, might we hear this word from Matthew Skinner, who writes in his commentary on the passage:

This divine impartiality deserves the church’s attention in any age, but especially so during times when congregations find themselves in settings full of strife and anxiety. A God who “shows no partiality” is not politically neutral or aloof; the expression in this context indicates God’s active concern for all humanity. Peter would have already known this from Jewish scriptural traditions, but he sees it coming to pass now in an unexpected way, with old boundaries passing away and new solidarity and fellowship springing into being, sealed by the Holy Spirit. If God shows this kind of impartiality, so should God’s people. [Connections, Kindle, pp. 171-172]

Yes, if God is impartial, then we as God’s people should be of the same mind and temperament. What Peter learned from that vision is not disconnected from the Jewish Scriptural traditions. Is this not the message that God delivered to Abraham, with whom God covenanted, such that through him and his descendants, the nations (ta ethnē) would be blessed (Gen. 12:1-4). So, while we may find it difficult to let go of the walls of hostility we often build, Peter learned that it is possible. We just have to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, who can surprise us!