JACK BECK: DO YOU THINK EVERYTHING IN THE BIBLE
IS THERE FOR A REASON?
EVEN ITS UNRECOGNIZABLE PLACE NAMES?
I'VE SPENT NEARLY 30 YEARS STUDYING THIS QUESTION.
JOIN ME TO EXPERIENCE HOW THE REGIONS OF THE HOLY LAND
ARE PART OF THE STORY.
I'M JACK BECK AND THIS IS THE HOLY LAND.
(SOFT MELODIC MUSIC)
I LOVE ART THAT STOPS ME IN MY TRACKS AND MAKES ME THINK.
AND THAT'S THAT PIECE OF ART.
WHY DO YOU BRING PEOPLE TO SEE THIS?
NITZAN: IT'S VERY FAMOUS,
THE GREEN LEAF AND THE REAL FRUIT,
BUT THERE'S ONLY ONE THING MISSING,
THE ROOT IS NOT ON THE GROUND.
JACK: THIS IS A MYSTERY, THIS TREE,
HOW IT CAN LIVE AND BEAR FRUIT
WITHOUT HAVING ITS ROOTS IN THE GROUND AMAZES ME.
IT SEEMS UNFINISHED.
NITZAN: IS UNFINISHED. JACK: IN SOME WAYS, RIGHT?
THE STORY IS STARTED BUT IT'S NOT FINISHED.
NITZAN: SOMETIMES, SO IT'LL BECOME A ORANGE COLOR
AND IT'S WONDERFUL. JACK: IT'S SPECTACULAR.
THERE'S SOMETHING ALLURING
ABOUT PECULIAR THINGS THAT DRAW US IN.
THEY STIMULATE OUR CURIOSITY.
THE APOSTLE PETER HAD A MYSTERIOUS VISION
IN THIS ANCIENT CITY OF JOPPA,
ONE THAT CHANGED THE COURSE OF HIS LIFE
AND SPURRED ON A MAJOR THEOLOGICAL SHIFT IN THE WORLD,
A SHIFT STILL FELT TO THIS DAY.
WE'RE HERE ON THE COASTAL PLAIN
EXPLORING THE WAY THIS REGION SHAPED THIS PIVOTAL STORY.
JOPPA WAS A SMALL PORT TOWN AMONG THE
GIANT PAGAN INFLUENCERS OF THE COASTAL PLAIN.
IT WAS ISRAEL'S OLD TESTAMENT SEAPORT.
BY THE TIME OF PETER, JOPPA HAD BECOME
MORE OF A LOCAL HARBOR CONSIDERED SECOND RATE,
AND LARGELY IGNORED BY THE GENTILE WORLD
THAT OTHERWISE DOMINATED THE COASTAL PLAIN.
THAT LEFT JOPPA AS UNIQUELY JEWISH.
AND REMEMBER, PETER WAS A FISHERMAN
FROM THE SEA OF GALILEE. HERE HE WAS AMONG BOAT BUILDERS
AND FISHERMEN AND SAILORS WHO
THOUGHT AND SPOKE LIKE HE DID IN THAT RESPECT, AS WELL.
SEEMED TO PETER, I THINK, LIKE THIS MIGHT BE THE IDEAL PLACE
TO COME AND PLANT THE SEED OF THE EARLY CHURCH.
BUT WOW, DID THE LORD HAVE A SURPRISE IN STORE FOR PETER.
(SOFT MUSIC)
PETER WAS HUNGRY.
THAT'S THE WAY THE STORY BEGINS.
BUT IT'S THE LAST ORDINARY THING WE READ IN THE STORY.
PETER WAS ON THE ROOFTOP OF SIMON THE TANNER'S HOUSE,
LOOKING OUT TOWARDS THE SEA,
AND HE SPOTTED A GREAT BIG SAIL OR SHEET,
BUT NOT COMING IN CARRYING A VESSEL TOWARDS SHORE,
BUT DESCENDING FROM THE HEAVENS,
AND WITHIN IT WERE ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANIMALS,
BOTH THE KIND THAT WERE PERMITTED
FOR SOMEONE LIKE PETER TO EAT, AND THOSE HE WAS
NOT PERMITTED TO EAT.
AND A VOICE ACCOMPANIED THE APPEARANCE OF THE SHEET.
"RISE, PETER, KILL AND EAT."
PETER HAD BEEN TESTED BEFORE,
AND I JUST WONDER IF HE WASN'T THINKING TO HIMSELF,
"HERE IS ANOTHER TEST."
HIS RESPONSE IS QUICK AND DIRECT.
"NEVER! NEVER, LORD. I HAVE NEVER EATEN ANYTHING UNCLEAN."
AND THEN THE VOICE FROM HEAVEN RETURNED
WITH GREATER ASSERTION AND CLARITY.
"DON'T YOU DARE CALL SOMETHING UNCLEAN
"THAT I'VE DECLARED CLEAN."
AND IN A WHOOSH, THE SHEET WENT BACK UP INTO THE HEAVENS.
THIS VISION WAS REPEATED TWO MORE TIMES,
A TOTAL OF THREE, THREE TIMES.
THAT GOT PETER'S ATTENTION.
THE NUMBER THREE UNDOUBTEDLY REMINDED HIM OF THE THREES
THAT CHARACTERIZED HIS LAST INTERACTIONS WITH JESUS.
PETER DENIED JESUS THREE TIMES IN JERUSALEM,
THEN ALONGSIDE THE SEA OF GALILEE,
THE RESURRECTED JESUS ASKED HIM THREE TIMES,
"PETER, DO YOU LOVE ME?"
BEFORE ENCOURAGING HIM TO CARRY ON HIS MISSION
TO SHEPHERD HIS PEOPLE.
PETER THEN HEARD ANOTHER VOICE.
THIS ONE WAS UNACCOMPANIED BY A VISION AND QUIETER.
IT WHISPERED, "PETER, THREE MEN ARE COMING
"TO INVITE YOU TO GO TO A HOME. GO WITH THEM."
AND AT JUST THAT MOMENT
A CALL CAME UP FROM THE BASEMENT OF THE HOME.
"PETER! PETER, THERE ARE THREE MEN HERE TO TALK TO YOU.
"THEY ARE FROM CAESAREA"
AGAIN THREE, THREE MEN FROM CAESAREA.
CAESAREA WAS THE KIND OF PLACE HE'D BEEN TAUGHT TO AVOID.
ALTHOUGH IT WAS JUST 32 MILES AWAY,
IT WAS FILLED WITH ROMANS
WHO BRUTALLY OPPRESSED GOD'S PEOPLE.
THESE MEN FROM CAESAREA WERE SENT BY A ROMAN CENTURION
NAMED CORNELIUS, A RIGHTEOUS GOD-FEARING GENTILE,
TO BRING PETER BACK TO CAESAREA.
BUT JEWISH DIETARY LAWS WOULD HAVE PREVENTED JEWS
FROM ENTERING A GENTILE HOME.
WITH PETER'S JEWISH ROOTS,
IT WAS UNTHINKABLE FOR HIM TO DISREGARD GOD'S LAW.
WAS THIS INVITATION SOME KIND OF TEST?
THROUGH THIS VISION, THE LORD WAS SHOWING PETER
THAT DIETARY LAWS WOULD NO LONGER RESTRICT HIM
FROM ENTERING THE HOME OF A GENTILE.
SO STEPPING OUT IN FAITH,
PETER FOLLOWED GOD'S CALL TO THIS ROMAN GENTILE CITY,
TO THE HOME OF CORNELIUS,
TRUSTING THAT GOD HAD A PLAN FOR THIS JOURNEY.
IT WAS HARD FOR PETER TO COME TO THIS CITY.
IT WAS HARD FOR CORNELIUS
TO INVITE PETER INTO HIS HOUSEHOLD.
THINK OF WHO HE WAS.
HE WAS A VERY, VERY POWERFUL ROMAN SOLDIER.
HE WAS A MAN WHO LIVED IN THE MOST SOPHISTICATED CITY
IN NEW TESTAMENT ISRAEL.
WHEN PETER CAME TO THIS PLACE, HE CAME TO A PLACE
THAT WAS MODERN AND SOPHISTICATED
AND DIDN'T THINK IT NEEDED ANYTHING FROM THE LOCALS.
WE'VE GOT MULTIPLE TEMPLES WORSHIPING MULTIPLE DEITIES,
INCLUDING THIS MASSIVE TEMPLE
THAT WOULD HAVE RISEN HERE TO THE EMPEROR OF ROME.
PETER HAD TO BE WONDERING TO HIMSELF,
"WHY IN THE WORLD HAS THE LORD BROUGHT ME HERE?"
WHEN PETER STEPPED INTO THE HOME OF CORNELIUS,
I THINK HE WAS NERVOUS.
THE VERY FIRST WORDS THAT HE SPEAKS
ARE WORDS OF RESERVATION.
HE SAYS TO THOSE GATHERED IN THE HOME OF CORNELIUS,
"YOU ALL REALIZE THAT IT'S ILLEGAL FOR ME TO BE HERE."
BUT IMMEDIATELY AFTER THAT, CORNELIUS EXPLAINED
THAT HE HADN'T BROUGHT PETER INTO CAESAREA TO ARREST HIM.
HE HAD BROUGHT PETER TO CAESAREA TO LEARN FROM HIM.
THIS CITY THAT THOUGHT IT HAD EVERYTHING,
WAS MISSING THE MOST VITAL THING OF ALL.
IT WAS MISSING THE NEWS OF THE FORGIVENESS
THAT CAME THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.
PETER COULDN'T WAIT TO SHARE.
HE TALKED TO THEM ABOUT JESUS AS THEIR SAVIOR FROM SIN,
AND THE HOLY SPIRIT CAME ON THEM.
AND IF THAT SOUNDS FAMILIAR TO YOU,
IT SOUNDED FAMILIAR TO PETER.
PEOPLE HAD HEARD HIS MESSAGE, THEY WERE BAPTIZED,
THE HOLY SPIRIT COMING,
THIS WAS PENTECOST ALL OVER AGAIN, BUT NOT IN JERUSALEM.
THIS TIME, PENTECOST WAS HAPPENING IN THE PLACE
THAT THOUGHT IT NEEDED IT LEAST.
IT WAS HAPPENING IN CAESAREA.
THIS MOMENT CHANGED PETER.
NO LONGER DID HE SEE THE GENTILE WORLD
AS THE ENEMY OR THE OPPOSITION
OR THE OTHER THAT NEEDED TO BE AVOIDED.
HE SAW THE GENTILE WORLD AS A MISSION FIELD.
AND FROM THIS MOMENT FORWARD,
THE EARLY CHURCH WAS NO LONGER GOING TO BE A CHURCH
JUST FOR THE JEWISH CHRISTIAN,
BUT A CHURCH FOR EVERYONE.
AND IT'S BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED TO PETER
HERE IN CAESAREA.
JEWISH BELIEVERS HAVE DEEP ROOTS
THAT TUNNEL ALL THE WAY BACK TO ABRAHAM.
PETER'S AMONG THE FIRST TO DELIVER THE GOSPEL MESSAGE
TO THE GENTILE WORLD.
THOUGH THEY DID NOT HAVE JEWISH ROOTS,
GOD ALSO MADE A WAY FOR THEM TO BE SAVED FROM SIN
AND EXPERIENCE LIFE THROUGH JESUS.
I'M TEMPTED TO THINK THAT THOSE WHO FOLLOW JESUS
LOOK LIKE THE PERSON I SEE IN THE MIRROR.
THE WONDERFUL SURPRISE THIS STORY PROVIDES
IS HOW MUCH BROADER AND DIVERSE THE CHURCH OF JESUS REALLY IS.
THE NEXT TIME GOD CALLS ME INTO UNKNOWN TERRITORY,
WHETHER IT'S PHYSICAL, SOCIAL OR EMOTIONAL,
I HAVE TO ASK MYSELF THE QUESTION,
WILL I TRUST GOD AND FOLLOW HIM,
WHEN I ONLY SEE A PART OF THE PICTURE?
WHAT MIGHT I BE MISSING OUT ON
WHEN I DON'T RESPOND TO HIM IN FAITH?
(SOFT MEDITATIONAL MUSIC)
(WAVES CRASHING)