1 Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and
were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the
custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 This brought Paul
and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were
appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the
apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent them on
their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how
the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad.
4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the
apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through
them.
Acts 15:1-4
Do you remember Fonzie from Happy Days. The super cool, leather-jacketed, motor cycle-riding, supposed tough guy who was the envy of all the guys and the dream of all the girls? I remember a particular episode in which he had to admit he was wrong, but he just could not put those three words together, “I was wr…” he stammered as he tried to apologize to Richie Cunningham. But something kept getting caught in his throat. Another time he tried to say he was sorry but that too just couldn’t come out.
It is never right to be wrong but it is even wronger to be wrong and not admit it. And it is more wronger to not admit your error, apologize for it, and make it right. And perhaps it is the most wrongest of all is to not learn from your wrongs. (Did I say that right? Rightly? Let’s just go with it.)
A few days ago, I was wrrr... a little less than accurate, to say Peter was in Galatia when he was confronted by Paul for not accepting the Gentile believers (see Part 7). It is recorded in Galatians 2:11-21, but it clearly happened in Antioch. More than likely, the incident occurred right here at the beginning of Acts 15. (Actually, I intentionally made a mistake so that I could come back to it and use it as an illustration of admitting when you are wrong…Yeah…riiiiight!… but again, let’s just go with this too!!)
Peter was wrong. So many people identify with Peter, not because he was never wrong, but because he, like so many of us, was wrong so many times. He who literally rebuked Lord with the words, “No, Lord!” (Matthew 16:22) would again say those same words again when he saw a vision of unclean foods and told by God to kill and eat (Acts 10:14). “Never, Lord!” Peter had protested. But that was not the last mistake he would make.
Paul wrote about the incident in Galatians 2, but maybe Luke didn’t want to rub it in and did not record the event in Acts. Peter and even Barnabas was carried away with the hypocrisy in Antioch by not eating with Gentiles when those from Jerusalem came.
Paul however would have nothing to do with the hypocrisy. Even though Peter had been with Christ during his earthly ministry, was an eyewitness to the resurrection, and even led the centurion Cornelius to Christ in Caesarea, Paul stood up to Peter before them all and said, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?”(Galatians 2:14b).
Peter was wrong, but he wasn’t “wronger than wrong”. By the time they went from Antioch back to Jerusalem in Acts 15, notice how Peter not only changes his tune, but he is singing in harmony with Paul before all of the leadership there. His words sound a lot like those which Paul had said to him!
“Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” (Acts 15:10-11)
Compare those words of Peter with the words Paul had used to rebuke Peter. “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” (Galatians 2:14b-16)
John Maxwell said,
“A person must be
big enough to admit his or her mistakes,
smart enough to profit from them, and
strong enough to correct them.”
(Okay, I’ll admit that sounds better than my “wronger” quote.) Peter not only admitted his umpteenth mistake, but he learned from it and publicly corrected it.
Don’t be a Fonzie! Practice with me in saying, (1, 2, 3)“I was wrong.” “I am sorry.”
“Let me make it right.”
“Aaaayyy” Now that sounded pretty cool!
