Chain Reactions

“But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.” (Galatians 2:11–13, KJV)

When I was in school, we studied nuclear reactions. The phrase that we learned was that of a chain reaction. We watched a video of a room full of mousetraps, hundreds of them, with ping-pong-balls set upon them. Then one person tossed one ping-pong-ball into the midst of the all the mousetraps. First, that ball set off one trap and then there were two balls bouncing setting off other mouse traps. The number of mousetraps triggered increased at an exponential rate until they were all triggered and the chaos of the bouncing ping-pong-balls settled down to zero.

The point of this is that certain simple actions can create a cascading chain reaction. This is the way it is with false teachings. Moreover, it is also this way when our outward appearances do not reflect the truth.

This is the issue that Paul addressed in this section of the letter. When Peter went to Antioch and met with Paul and Barnabas, everything seemed good. However, it did not stay that way.

When Peter arrived, he fellowshipped with the Gentile believers. Joining them for meals without being concerned with dietary restrictions. (We will remember that Peter was the one who had the vision at the house of Simon the tanner (Acts 10:9, ff.) that released believers from the dietary restrictions of the Mosaic law.) Yet, at some point during Peter’s visit a group purportedly from James came and observed Peter’s actions. They were critical of Peter eating with the Gentiles and not following the dietary restrictions. As a result, Peter withdrew from the table of the Gentiles.

However, the problem did not end with Peter. According to what Paul wrote, others Jewish believers also withdrew from the Gentiles, including Barnabas. This response of one man, Peter, had the potential of creating several significant issues.

First, it was a departure from the truth that had already been revealed regarding the gospel of free grace, which Peter had realized personally. This would potentially corrupt the truth of the gospel message.

Second, it had a significant influence on others, pulling other Jewish believers in to the hypocrisy.

Third, it resulted in splitting the congregation. It made a statement that there was a divide in the body of Christ between the Gentile believers and the Jewish believers.

This seemingly innocent misstep by Peter could have had significant ramifications for the gospel message. It could undermine the message and the effort to take the message to all nations.

Why Peter caved to the ploy of the those from claiming to be from James is unknown. Perhaps he just did not consider it as a significant problem. Yet it was compromise and this compromise began a chain reaction.

Chain reactions like this can happen in churches today. It can happen when people come in with harmless motives and sway some from the truth. It can happen when the actions of some seem to contradict the truth. How do we know when this is happening? It is clearly evident when it divides believers. Believers need to be cognizant of their actions to ensure that they validate the truth of God’s word. A failure to do so can have a significant negative effect on others in the congregation. It can also have a negative affect in reaching those outside the church. Division does affect our influence in the world.