Kale is not new. For many years it provided the decoration on salad bars in restaurants. Now we eat it. Or at least we are supposed to. Some members of my family still think it made a better decoration than food.
How do we know what is proper or improper to eat? Some of our understanding is based on cultural customs. In his commentary on Acts, William Larkin says that a Muslim guest might not think it impolite to visit your kitchen to ensure milk and meat have not been combined in the preparation of the meal. Just so, Peter believed that some foods were unclean. As he prayed on the rooftop in Joppa, he became hungry and saw a large sheet containing all kinds of animals. A voice told him to “get up and eat.” He refused, calling the animals unclean. The voice said God had made them clean.
The vision and the voice prepared Peter for what God had next. Sometimes small hangups can get in the way of great work. God was about to extend salvation to the Gentiles. Peter learned that cultural barriers and traditions should not impede the progress of the gospel. Can you think of a cultural barrier that might keep us from sharing the gospel with others?
Like Peter, we need to distinguish between cultural and biblical values. Values established in the scriptures are immutable. Not so with cultural mores. God desires for all people to know him. This may push us outside our comfort zone. The spread of the gospel is worth it! Paul would later write, “I have become all things to all people so that I may win some (1 Corinthians 9:22).
