Clean or Unclean

I am contemplating this morning these words: "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean" (Acts 10:15).  A voice offered these to Peter amidst a vision in which unclean animals were being lowered on a sheet from heaven.

In Peter's case, the Lord was communicating to him that Gentiles were no longer to be reviled and excluded but now pursued and included in the Lord's advancing kingdom (Acts 10:28).  Jews and Gentiles would be sisters and brothers amongst the Lord's people: the Church.

In the OT, external factors contributed to one being unclean (contact with blood, a dead animal, a skin disease, etc.).  Temporary separation, sacrifices, and rituals were necessary in order to restore a person to wholeness and community.  Since Gentiles were not given to following Jewish purity rules, they had to be considered, of course, unclean.

Jesus reframed what constituted uncleanness.
What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.' " ~ Matthew 15:11
Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.' " ~ Mark 7:15
He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' " ~ Mark 7:20-23

Preventing and circumventing uncleanness, said Jesus, was not about performing the right rituals. It was instead about a commitment to avoiding sinful thoughts, words, and practices. It was about fearless and truthful self-assessment.  It was about receiving forgiveness for sins when committed.

Jesus' harshest critiques were reserved for ones who presented themselves as ritually clean because they did all the right religious things but who were in actuality unclean due to their abominable behavior toward others. 

I wonder what parts of my life are unclean in the Lord’s eyes that I myself have not recognized. I wonder what I call impure that the Lord has made clean.

Have any ideas about this?

Immigration 7

As I've studied and drawn on what I've learned previously, a few truths are apparent to me in regard to immigration:
1. It was often part of the experience of God's people (see Abram & Sarai, Jacob & sons, the Israelites in Egypt).
2. When the tables were turned and God's people were the ones who possessed the land, God recognized the vulnerability of other aliens and insisted that His people love and care for these immigrants.  They were to do this because they themselves were once vulnerable immigrants.
3. God's people are not to fear losing place, privilege, or property.  Everything belongs to God.  We can trust Him to take care of us.
4. One characteristic of wickedness is oppressing aliens.  One characteristic of righteous behavior is caring for aliens.
5. The spiritual ancestors of Mennonites, the Anabaptists, were perpetually aliens, chased out of one territory after another because of their beliefs.

When it comes to immigration, regardless of whether you live in the US, Canada, Paraguay, Kenya, or Indonesia, people who belong to Jesus are to treat strangers with kindness and hospitality.  It is the Lord's will.  We should, therefore, do just that.

It is time for us to hang up on political rhetoric in regard to immigration.  It is time for us to take courageous action as followers of Jesus not the stances of Democrats, Republicans, or Tea Party-ists.  It is time for us to surrender our cushy, smug place of believing this or that about immigration.  It is time for us to practice hospitality.