Galatians 2:12
for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.
Truth to Learn
Hypocrisy is one of the ugliest forms of self-centeredness in a Christian. It reveals the true selfish sinfulness of the heart.
Behind the Words
The word “withdrew” is from hupostellō, which means “to retract” or “to withdraw.” Used, as it is here, with the personal pronoun “himself,” it shows that Peter made a deliberate action of withdrawing himself.
The word “separated” is from the Greek word aphoridzō, which means “to make a very distinct and clear separation between two things.” The root of this word is the very word from which the Pharisees got their name.
Meaning Explained
In the previous verse we learned that the apostle Paul stood-up against the apostle Peter when Peter came to Antioch. In the current verse we learn why he did this. Peter had come to Antioch, whether on church business or not we aren’t told. When he came there he freely permitted himself to sit down and eat with the Gentiles. This is probably a reference to members of the church at Antioch who were Gentiles before they were converted to Christianity.
We need to understand, however, that it was not lawful for a Jew to have fellowship with Gentiles. If you read through Acts chapter 10, however, you will see that God spoke directly to Peter to convince him that it was alright for a Jew to commune with Gentiles. Peter listened obediently to God and became an evangelistic witness to a Roman centurion named Cornelius, his family, and friends. When Peter returned to Jerusalem he was challenged by some of the Jewish Christians there because he went in and ate with Gentiles. Peter then proceeded to explain his vision and the saving work of the Holy Spirit through him to the Gentiles. Here’s how the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem responded to his explanation:
When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.” (Acts 11:18)
So, it is not unusual that Peter was eating with Gentiles in Antioch when he was there, knowing that he was no longer bound by the Law of Moses. The problem is that when some Jewish Christians came from the Church in Jerusalem, Peter then acted with them as if he were still bound by the Law and very intentionally separated himself from the Gentiles just as a Pharisee would do. Not only was this very impolite, even rude, to the Gentile Christians in Antioch, but Peter was displaying his ugly hypocrisy to the entire church there.
Application
If we are going to be effective witnesses for Christ we can’t be hypocritical about our faith. Many an unsaved person has been turned-off to the truths of Christ because they have seen people professing to be Christians not living like Christians should. Whether we realize it or not, others are watching how we live and we are a silent witness for Christ to them.
Is your witness turning others to Christ or away from Him?
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2007 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, you can call the church phone (618) 614-3070 and leave a message telling us your name and e-mail address or you can send an e-mail to: