Next day they were still on the road and not far from the town, when Peter went up to the roof of the house about noon to pray. He became very hungry and longed for some food. But as they were getting the meal ready, a trance came over him. read more. He saw heaven open and a vessel coming down, like a huge sheet lowered by the four corners to the earth, which contained all quadrupeds and creeping things of the earth and wild birds. A voice came to him, "Rise, Peter, kill and eat." But Peter said, "No, no, my Lord; I have never eaten anything common or unclean." A second time the voice came back to him, "What God has cleansed, you must not regard as common." This happened three times; then the vessel was at once raised to heaven.

Then he called the crowd and said to them, "Listen, understand this:

"See, you are not to say a word to anybody; away and show yourself to the priest and offer what Moses prescribed for your cleansing, to notify men."

Now the Pharisees gathered to meet him, with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem. They noticed that some of his disciples ate their food with 'common' (that is, unwashed) hands. read more. (The Pharisees and all the Jews decline to eat till they wash their hands up to the wrist, in obedience to the tradition of the elders; they decline to eat what comes from the market till they have washed it; and they have a number of other traditions to keep about washing cups and jugs and basins [and beds].) Then the Pharisees and scribes put this question to him, "Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders? Why do they take their food with 'common' hands?"

and also to offer the sacrifice prescribed in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

The Pharisee was astonished to see that he had not washed before the meal,

But Peter said, "No, no, my Lord; I have never eaten anything common or unclean."

But Peter said, "No, no, my Lord; I have never eaten anything common or unclean."

abstain from food that has been offered to idols, from tasting blood, from the flesh of animals that have been strangled, and from sexual vice. Keep clear of all this and you will prosper. Goodbye."

Then Paul associated himself with the men next day; he had himself purified along with them and went into the temple to give notice of the time when the days of purification would be completed ??the time, that is to say, when the sacrifice could be offered for each one of them.

I know, I am certain in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is in itself unclean; only, anything is unclean for a man who considers it unclean.

You must not break down God's work for the mere sake of food! Everything may be clean, but it is wrong for a man to prove a stumbling-block by what he eats;

So let no one take you to task on questions of eating and drinking or in connexion with the observance of festivals or new moons or sabbaths.

As you died with Christ to the Elemental spirits of the world, why live as if you still belonged to the world? Why submit to rules and regulations like "Hands off this!" "Taste not that!" "Touch not this!" ??22 referring to things that perish by being used? These rules are determined by human precepts and tenets;

For the pure all things are pure, but nothing is pure for the polluted and unbelieving; their very mind and conscience are polluted.