Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him … But Peter [said]: “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and … three men arrived … And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. And he [Cornelius] told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave the same gift to them as He gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God ….
(Acts 11:1-2a, 4a, 5a, 11b, 12-18a ESV)
Peter is smart. He doesn’t defend himself when the Jewish Christians have a fit about the new Gentile believers. No, he simply tells them the story, complete with how the Holy Spirit Himself came and gave the Gentiles faith in Jesus, just as He came to the first Jewish believers at Pentecost. And he says, “If God gave them the Spirit just like He did for us, who am I to stand in God’s way?”
And the Jewish Christians are smart, too, not to let their own prejudices stand in the way of what God is clearly doing! With the Holy Spirit’s help, they open their hearts to these strange new Christians—even though it’s clear that it’s going to change the church in so many ways. But their hearts are open to love them anyway. They know that these are the ones Jesus promised to bring: “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one Shepherd” (John 10:16 ESV).
And what about us? There are people every day who hear and believe the Good News of Jesus, how God came into our world to save us through His own suffering, death, and resurrection, and to make us God’s children. Some of these new believers are very strange to us—refugees who speak other languages, people who are richer or poorer than we are, people with different customs or politics or ways of living. And yet, God sends His Spirit to give them faith in Jesus and to gather them also into His church.
When that happens, we feel uncomfortable, just like the early Jewish Christians. But that’s okay. God who called us to be His own will help us to cope with our new brothers and sisters, however odd they may seem to us—until the day when we all stand before Jesus, celebrating the love He shows to us all.
We Pray: Lord, help me to love the people You love, even when it’s hard for me. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on May 13, 2025
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights
Reflection Questions:
1. What kinds of people feel strange to you?
2. When you feel nervous around them, how can Jesus help you to be at peace?
3. What practical things could you do to welcome a newcomer who is not like you?