Galatians 2:11-14 highlights a disagreement between Paul and Peter. Many people take this passage to mean that, because Paul called Peter out, that Paul and Peter did not agree on the Gospel and the way that it should be taught. As has been shown in the prior passages, however, we know that that just isn’t true. But what did Peter even do? What was so bad that Paul had to call him out so directly? Today we’ll be diving into those questions along with why it all matters to begin with.
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Peter’s Hypocrisy at Antioch
Galatians 1:12 says that “before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.” Basically, Peter was acting as a hypocrite. Jewish dietary law stated that Jews could not eat with Gentiles. However, “Because of the vision Peter had received at the house of Simon the tanner [see Acts 10:9–15, 28], he felt free to eat with the Gentiles, and did so on a regular basis. While it lasted, this was a beautiful demonstration of the unity of Jew and Gentile in Christ.”¹
However, when men from the circumcision party (those who believed that you must be circumcised as a Jew in order to receive salvation) came, Peter seemingly got self conscious. Over time, Peter pulled back from eating with the Gentile Christians, separating himself. Insodoing, Peter was showing that Jewish and Gentile were two separate bodies, not one unified under Christ.
Why did this happen?
This was done “simply out of fear. Once, after preaching to Gentile Cornelius, Peter courageously defended himself before the Jerusalem leaders (cf. Acts 11:18); but this time he capitulated to some Jewish friends.”² Not only was Peter through his actions teaching heresy, but “the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy” (Gal. 2:13).
Not only was Peter pulling himself away from the Gentile Christians, “he was now requiring Gentile Christians to observe Jewish table regulations if they wanted to eat with him. Such a requirement, however, would undermine the gospel itself by making justification depend on “works of the law” rather than “faith in Jesus Christ.”³ This is why Paul became so upset, calling Peter out, saying “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews” (Gal. 2:14)?
Why Paul Was So Upset
Paul wasn’t simply annoyed at Peter’s behavior. He “saw that Peter’s behavior threatened the gospel of justification by faith alone because it implied that all Christians had to “live like Jews” (2:14) in order to be justified before God.”⁴ This is an incredible example of the power of leadership, whether we like it or not. When you are a leader (which we all are in some capacity) people look up to you and what you’re doing. When you begin to act a certain way, you’re telling those that follow that that it’s ok to act that way.
Peter even had Barnabas playing the hypocrite game all because he second guessed himself when the circumcision party was around. “The pressure must have been great for Barnabas to succumb because he was from Cyprus, a Gentile center, and was involved in a missionary program with Paul to reach Gentiles with the gospel. All of them—Peter, the other Jewish Christians, and Barnabas—were guilty of hypocrisy because while confessing and teaching that they were one in Christ with Gentiles, they were denying this truth by their conduct.”⁵
The Irony of It All
Which, honestly, that’s a little ironic when you think about it. This is the party that directly goes against what Peter himself experienced when walking with the Lord, what Barnabas experienced growing up with Gentiles. Peter has been so bold to stand up for himself and others, defending Jesus. The dude literally chopped an ear off of a soldier’s servant and yet it only takes some guys who believe in the law that he knows won’t fulfill them to throw him off? It’s wild to think about.
It’s also pretty dang common. I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve gone through insane things, both while walking with the Lord and not walking with Him. Yet I’m paralyzed into inaction when I think about what some people will think about me, will say about me. This is one of those painful reminders that none of us are perfect and the qualities we dislike most in others, especially in the Bible, are the qualities we most need to work on.
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Two Very Different Meetings
Interestingly enough, in the prior section of Scripture, Paul was talking about how he and Peter were on the same page, that he made sure they were preaching the same Gospel. “When Paul visited Jerusalem, Peter (and others) gave him “the right hand of fellowship”; but when Peter visited Antioch, Paul opposed him to his face.”⁶
The shift between the two sections is quite dramatic. It’s important to understand that Paul wasn’t attacking Peter just for the sake of being right. “Paul felt compelled to rebuke and condemn Peter for his actions, thus defending the gospel and demonstrating again his own independence and equality as an apostle.”⁷ At the core of it, Paul was defending the Gospel. So often we can see behavior in others that we don’t like and we lash out. The problem is that we don’t do so in love, focusing simply on being right so we can stroke our ego. If the goal is simply to be right, then we have no right to say anything at all.
When we are wanting to make ourselves feel better, we are not responding out of love or rebuking righteously. We are simply, as I said, stroking our own ego, making ourselves feel good. When you feel compelled to say something to someone about their behavior, whether it is in person or in the comments section, ask yourself why you’re saying something at all. Is it because the Lord has told you to? Is it because you want to see the glory of God revealed to others, because someone is being hindered from receiving the gift of Salvation? Or is it because you simply want to be right and want to make sure they’re not? Unfortunately I’ve fallen into this trap more times than I can say.
Peter’s Unknown Response
The most annoying part is that Peter’s response is unknown. We don’t have any documentation around what he said in response. To be called out like that by Paul publicly, that had to sting. “He stood condemned. He was acting contrary to his own convictions, was betraying Christian liberty, and was casting a slur on fellow believers. Such behavior needed this severe reprimand.”⁸ We do know enough about Peter to assume that it wasn’t taken lightly by him. I’m sure he didn’t just stand there and immediately apologize for his behavior. As a hothead myself, even when I know I’m wrong, being publicly called out makes me feel backed in a corner and I don’t handle it well. I do pray, however, that the Lord had softened his heart up to this point, preparing him to receive the rebuke, repent and change his behavior.
What This Reveals About Us
It is always so interesting to me how much God shows me through Scripture. The Word truly is a mirror to our true selves, exposing all of the ways that we need to grow. Every time I want to get upset with Peter, God shows me how I’ve been doing the same thing. Every time I think about how I would’ve acted, the Holy Spirit convicts me, highlighting where I still need to grow. I pray that the Lord never stops revealing Himself to me through the Word. I pray that He not only convicts us, but changes us from the inside out.
What did you learn from this story?
Footnotes
- Donald K. Campbell, “Galatians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 594.
- Ibid., 595.
- Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2247.
- Ibid.
- Ibid., 595.
- Donald K. Campbell, “Galatians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 594.
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
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