The next day, while they were still on their way, and were just getting near the town, Peter went up on the housetop about noon to pray. He got very hungry, and wanted something to eat. While they were getting it ready, he fell into a trance, read more. and saw the sky opened and a thing like a great sheet coming down, lowered to the ground by the four corners, with all kinds of quadrupeds, reptiles, and wild birds in it. And a voice came to him, "Get up, Peter! Kill something and eat it!" But Peter said, "Never, sir! For I have never eaten anything that was not ceremonially cleansed." The voice came to him again a second time, "Do not call what God has cleansed unclean." This happened three times; then the thing was taken right up into the sky.

And he called the people to him and said to them,

saying to him, "See that you say nothing about this to anybody, but begone! show yourself to the priest, and in proof of your cure make the offerings for your purification which Moses prescribed."

The Pharisees gathered about him with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem. They had noticed that some of his disciples ate their food without first giving their hands a ceremonial washing to purify them. read more. For the Pharisees and all the Jews observe the rules handed down from their ancestors, and will not eat until they have washed their hands in a particular way, and they will not eat anything from the market without first purifying it by sprinkling it, and they have a number of other observances which have come down to them, in the way of washing cups, pitchers, and basins. And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not observe the rules handed down by our ancestors, but eat food without purifying their hands?"

and to offer the sacrifice prescribed in the Law of the Lord, "A pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons."

The Pharisee noticed that he did not wash before the meal, and he was surprised.

But Peter said, "Never, sir! For I have never eaten anything that was not ceremonially cleansed."

But Peter said, "Never, sir! For I have never eaten anything that was not ceremonially cleansed."

that you avoid whatever has been sacrificed to idols, the tasting of blood and of the meat of animals that have been strangled, and immorality. Keep yourselves free from these things and you will get on well. Goodbye."

Then Paul joined the men and went through the rites of purification with them and the next day went to the Temple to give notice of the time when, upon the offering of the sacrifice for each one of them, their days of purification would be over.

I know and as a follower of the Lord Jesus I am convinced that nothing is unclean in itself; a thing is unclean only to the man who regards it as unclean.

You must not, just for the sake of food, undo the work of God. It is true, everything is clean, but it is wrong for a man to hurt the consciences of others by what he eats.

So no one can call you to account for what you eat or drink, or do about annual or monthly feasts or Sabbaths.

If you have died with Christ to material ways of looking at things, why do you act as though you still belonged to the world, and submit to rules like "You must not handle," "You must not taste," "You must not touch"??22 referring to things that are all meant to be used up and destroyed? This is to follow mere human rules and regulations.

To the pure everything is pure, but to the evil-minded and unbelieving nothing is pure, but their very minds and consciences are unclean.