The Progression of Understanding

And he said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.  That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask for what reason you have sent for me." (Acts 10:28-29 NASB)

 Why am I here?  It's a question raised once someone has time to think or reflect, usually on what's wrong in their life.  For one following the Creator of suns and quarks, it's a question typically uttered in prayer.  In Peter's case, the Master opened the discussion with him not waiting for the question.  I think it is the mark of the Great Teacher that the answer wasn't complete without obedience.

The linen is lowered with the unclean animals in it, and Peter is told to kill and eat, he says no, and is then told to not profane what God has sanctified.  This repeats itself 3 times (which resonates with Peter for obvious reasons), and then disappears into heaven.  But the context in which to understand this vision is missing.  That requires obedience.  Peter must go with strangers to a stranger's house.

Once he arrived, Peter really has only one question, "Why am I here?"  He knows that Cornelius holds the other piece of this puzzle which completes the context he needs.  What he discovers is that he holds the piece which will make all the other things the assembled people "already know" suddenly make sense (verses 36-43).  They have a context but no interpretation; he has interpretation without the proper context.  They need each other.

And so I have an example of the proper response to things that don't make sense, obedience.  This isn't that unusual actually.  When faced with peculiar situations, military training is to follow the last orders given.  That may sound simplistic, but once you see what an order looks like it will make more sense, they're pretty involved things.  It might make more sense to civilians to say, "continue with the mission."  This is good advice for followers of Jesus as well.

Sometimes church, the neighborhood or community, work, school, or family can throw a curve ball at me that I have to somehow hit with a stick of wood (or sometimes I'd like to hit with a piece of wood).  When faced with surprising, confusing, seemingly chaotic situations, my response should be like that of Peter, continue the mission, obey, in all things trust my Master.  That is probably the main theme of obedience in these situations, in all things trust my Master.

Of course, obedience requires knowing the orders in the first place.  I have to have read them.  Which means I have to have spent time in Scripture.  It also means I must spend time in prayer.  Often, the act of obedience really is prayer, or at least begins there.  So, that is where I go next.