When Peter went to Jerusalem, those who were in favor of circumcising Gentiles criticized him, saying,

"You were a guest in the home of uncircumcised Gentiles, and you even ate with them!"

'Go,' the Lord said to me, 'for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.' "

The people listened to Paul until he said this; but then they started shouting at the top of their voices, "Away with him! Kill him! He's not fit to live!"

The woman answered, "You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan---so how can you ask me for a drink?" (Jews will not use the same cups and bowls that Samaritans use.)

At that moment Jesus' disciples returned, and they were greatly surprised to find him talking with a woman. But none of them said to her, "What do you want?" or asked him, "Why are you talking with her?"

Early in the morning Jesus was taken from Caiaphas' house to the governor's palace. The Jewish authorities did not go inside the palace, for they wanted to keep themselves ritually clean, in order to be able to eat the Passover meal.

Before some men who had been sent by James arrived there, Peter had been eating with the Gentile believers. But after these men arrived, he drew back and would not eat with the Gentiles, because he was afraid of those who were in favor of circumcising them.

When I saw that they were not walking a straight path in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you have been living like a Gentile, not like a Jew. How, then, can you try to force Gentiles to live like Jews?"

The voice spoke to him again, "Do not consider anything unclean that God has declared clean."

Peter began to speak: "I now realize that it is true that God treats everyone on the same basis.

The voice spoke again from heaven, 'Do not consider anything unclean that God has declared clean.'

And God, who knows the thoughts of everyone, showed his approval of the Gentiles by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he had to us.

He made no difference between us and them; he forgave their sins because they believed.

And then they say to others, 'Keep away from us; we are too holy for you to touch!' I cannot stand people like that---my anger against them is like a fire that never goes out.

The Pharisee stood apart by himself and prayed, 'I thank you, God, that I am not greedy, dishonest, or an adulterer, like everybody else. I thank you that I am not like that tax collector over there.

The secret is that by means of the gospel the Gentiles have a part with the Jews in God's blessings; they are members of the same body and share in the promise that God made through Christ Jesus.

I was made a servant of the gospel by God's special gift, which he gave me through the working of his power.