Have you ever noticed that neither St. Peter nor St. Paul have a day devoted to them as individuals. What we have is the feast which falls this week, which honors the two of them together. There must be a reason for the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul – a reason other than Peter and Paul. Why this feast to honor them both? There must be something common to these two men which speaks to our faith; Peter and Paul must speak this message more eloquently together than apart.
Consider, for a moment, who these two fellows are: an “apostolic odd couple” who, it seems, were and remained “sparring partners” throughout their common life in the early church. The New Testament clearly shows that Peter and Paul were bitter opponents at one point. The two men could not agree on the issue of whether Gentiles (non-Jews) should be included in the early Christian Church. Peter was certain that the “unclean” Gentiles should not be included in the church, just as Paul had once been certain that all Christians were heretics to be arrested, tried, and put to death.
St. Luke, in relating early church history, tells us about the first council of the Church, the Council of Jerusalem in 50 A.D. Luke tells us that the issue of Gentile membership was settled at that council. It was there that the leadership agreed not to subject the Gentiles to the Mosaic Law, including circumcision; they decide that Gentile Christians would not be required to first convert to Judaism before they could be accepted into the community of Jesus’ followers.
It is marvelous that Luke tells the story of the Jerusalem Council, for it teaches us two great lessons: (1) that there has never been a time, since the very beginning of the church, when the church lived without conflict and disagreement over something – frequently about who is in and who is out; and (2) it gives us a model for reaching consensus about and living with our disagreements under the direction of our leaders. What changed these men and set them and the church on very different paths than they would otherwise have chosen were visions: Peter and Paul both received visions from God which showed them that they had been too narrow in their views of who receives God’s salvation. Acts 9:1-9 describes Paul’s vision and the next chapter speaks of Peter’s vision.
I suggested earlier that there must be something common to Peter and Paul which speaks to our faith, some message which their witness speaks more eloquently together than apart. I believe it is this: that no matter how strongly we hold our opinions and beliefs, we must be prepared for the possibility that God holds a different opinion. Indeed, the examples of Peter and Paul suggest that the more certain we are about who is in and who is out, the greater the possibility that God disagrees with us, and if we are so convinced of our own rectitude that it causes us to exclude anyone from the household of God, God’s disagreement is a virtual certainty. God, as Peter said, shows no partiality, and we should not call anyone profane or unclean.
It is not reasoned argument, logical debate, adherence to the Law, or acceptance of some propositional maxims, that makes us Christians and children of God. It is vision, and vocation, and conversion, and grace. That is what made Paul and Peter who they were, and made it possible for them to do what they did, and that is why we venerate them as the two pillars of the church of which Jesus Christ is the foundation. May we be instructed by their example and ever stand firm upon that foundation. Amen.