Paul Face Peter

One long table, full of friends. Dem dey pass bread from hand to hand. Laughter dey. Then di door open, some visitors enter, and one of di most famous people for di table quietly carry im plate, stand up, and move comot.

Di church for Antioch na mixed family of Jewish believers and Gentile believers. For Jew for dat time, to eat with Gentiles na serious matter. Plenty Jewish people dey keep careful food laws, and dem no dey share meal with people wey no be Jew. But inside Christ, di believers for Antioch dey eat together, dey share dem life and dem table. Peter, di great apostle wey waka with Jesus, come visit. And for di beginning, e join dem well well. Paul tell di story later, for one letter to di churches for Galatia, because di same question don rise for there too.

Before some men come from James for Jerusalem, Paul write, Peter dey eat with di Gentiles. But when dat men reach, Peter begin draw back, begin keep imself separate. Why? E dey fear di people wey dey insist say Gentiles must first receive circumcision. And e spread. Di other Jewish believers join am for dis pretence. Even Barnabas, Paul dear friend and partner, follow dem carry go. Imagine di Gentile believers dey watch from dem own side of di room. Yesterday dem be family. Today dem dey treat dem like second-class people. Nobody talk anything. Until Paul talk. When Peter come Antioch, Paul write, I stand against am face to face, because e don clearly do wrong.

Paul see say dem no dey waka straight according to di truth of di gospel. So e talk to Peter in front of everybody. You wey be Jew, you dey live like Gentile and no be like Jew, so why you dey force Gentiles to live like Jews? You don dey live freely with Gentiles, Paul talk. Now, as you move comot from dem, you dey tell dem say dem must first become Jew before dem go fully belong. Then Paul explain wetin really dey at stake. We be Jews by birth, e talk, but we know say person no dey become right with God because e keep di works of di law. Na by faith for Jesus Christ. Na why we too put our trust for Christ. If we begin build again di old wall wey we don tear down, na we be di ones wey dey wrong.

Then Paul talk about imself, with words wey people don love pass among all im words. Dem don nail me for cross with Christ. But I still dey live. Yet no be me again, na Christ dey live inside me. And di life wey I dey live now for dis body, I dey live am by faith for di Son of God, wey love me and give imself for me. Di old Paul, wey dey try work to earn God favour, don go. Now Jesus dey live inside am. And everything stand on top love: di Son of God, wey love me and give imself for me. So, Paul talk, I no go throw God grace away. Because if person fit become righteous through di law, then Christ die for nothing. If we fit make ourselves right by rules, Jesus no for need to die.

Peter don already learn dis lesson. Years before, di book of Acts tell us, e see one vision on top one roof for Joppa, and dem come send am go di house of one Roman centurion, Cornelius. Peter tell dem say e no dey lawful for Jewish man to join or visit person from another nation, but God don show am say make e no call any person unclean. And for di end, di quarrel for Antioch no destroy dem friendship. Di second letter of Peter talk with warm heart about our beloved brother Paul.

Paul face Peter. You go find am for Galatians chapter two, verse eleven to twenty-one. One great apostle wey allow fear win am, one friend wey tell am di truth to im face, and one reminder say di table of Jesus open to everybody wey trust am. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When dem dey leave somebody out, you go get courage to talk, with kindness and with truth?