by Ken Thomas
The apostle Peter had grown up under the Jewish concept that he, as a Jew, could not lawfully associate socially with people of other nationalities ( Acts 10:28). He had seen a vision from God that was designed to prepare him to teach about Jesus to a Gentile soldier named Cornelius ( Acts 10:10-16), and after giving overnight lodging to Cornelius' messengers, he went into the Gentile's house. His conclusion that God accepted righteous people of all nations; He did not play favorites ( Acts 10:34-35). When confronted in Jerusalem by Jewish Christians for visiting and eating with Gentiles, he boldly defended his actions and convinced his accusers that he had done the right thing ( Acts 11:1-18). (Even on the day of Pentecost, he had preached that the promise of God was for those "afar off' as well as for the Jews ( Acts 2:39).
In Galatians we learn that the brethren who tried to bind Circumcision on Gentile Christians had disturbed the Galatian churches. Paul relates a disturbing incident in Galatians 2:11- 21. Peter had freely eaten with Gentile brethren until a group of Judaizers came around. Fearing their reaction to his Gentile friends, Peter hypocritically quit associating with the Gentiles. His influence led even Barnabas to forsake his encouraging ways (see Acts 4:36-37; Acts 9:27; Acts 11:22-26, etc.) as numerous Christians followed Peter's bad example.
Why? Did Peter not know better? His problem was peer pressure, not knowledge. Paul rebuked Peter for his sin openly, because he loved him. Proverbs 27:5,6: "Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend."