Part 3. Kingdom Minded – Honoring Our Father by What We Eat
Kingdom Minded — Honoring Our Father by What We Eat
Part III: Peter’s Vision & Colossians 2 — Shadows, Substance, and Judgment
1️⃣ Peter’s Vision — Acts 10
Common Claim:
“God told Peter to eat unclean animals — the dietary laws are gone.”
The Text:
“And he saw heaven opened, and something like a great sheet descending… in it were all kinds of four-footed animals and creeping things and birds of the air. A voice said, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’” — Acts 10:11-13
Peter’s Response:
“Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” — v. 14
Even years after Messiah’s resurrection, Peter still kept Torah.
If Yeshua had nullified clean/unclean distinctions, Peter didn’t know it — and he had walked with Him personally!
Interpretation by Peter himself:
“God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.” — v. 28
The sheet vision was about people, not food.
Gentiles were being brought into the covenant community.
Peter obeyed the Spirit, went to Cornelius’ house, and witnessed the Spirit fall on them — fulfilling the vision’s meaning.
Summary:
- Vision’s purpose: Break ethnic barriers, not dietary laws.
- Peter never ate unclean food.
- Torah still defines food.
- Context: The inclusion of the Gentiles into Israel’s commonwealth (Eph 2:12-19).
2️⃣ “Let No One Judge You” — Colossians 2:16-17
Common Claim:
“See? Don’t let anyone judge you about Sabbaths, feasts, or food — they’re abolished!”
The Text:
“Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come; but the substance is of Messiah.”
Historical Context:
The Colossians were surrounded by pagan philosophy and asceticism (v. 8, 20-23).
They had begun keeping YHVH’s commandments through Messiah, and outsiders were criticizing them for it.
Paul says, essentially:
“Don’t let pagan or legalistic voices condemn you for obeying Messiah in these things — they point to Him!”
Key Insights:
- “Shadow” doesn’t mean obsolete — a shadow proves there’s a real substance.
The Feasts, Sabbaths, and dietary instructions all foreshadow Messiah’s redemptive work. - Paul never says “stop keeping them”; he says keep them rightly, without fear of man’s judgment.
Parallel Thought:
“These are a shadow of the things to come” — not that were.
The feasts still point forward to His return — they’re prophetic, not outdated.
3️⃣ Other Related Misuses
| Claim | Verse | Clarification |
| “Jesus declared all foods clean.” | Mark 7:19 | The phrase “thus He declared all foods clean” is a translator’s gloss (not in the original scripture but added). Yeshua was correcting hand-washing traditions, not redefining food. The Greek text says “purging all foods” — i.e., digestion. |
| “The Law ended at the cross.” | Eph 2:15 | Messiah abolished hostility (man-made ordinances that divided Jew & Gentile), not YHVH’s Torah itself. His death reconciled both into one body. |
| “We’re not under law but grace.” | Rom 6:14 | Grace delivers us from the penalty of sin, not from obedience. Paul immediately adds, “Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? God forbid!” (v. 15). |
4️⃣ The Shadow and the Light
Every “shadow” in Torah reveals Messiah’s outline:
| Torah Instruction | Fulfillment in Messiah | Future Shadow Yet to Come |
| Passover (Pesach) | His sacrifice as the Lamb (1 Cor 5:7) | Final redemption at His return |
| Unleavened Bread | Sinless body in the grave | Living unleavened lives |
| Firstfruits | Resurrection of Messiah (1 Cor 15:20) | Resurrection of saints |
| Shavuot (Pentecost) | Outpouring of the Spirit | Full harvest of nations |
| Yom Teruah (Trumpets) | Proclamation of Kingship | His return with the trumpet |
| Yom Kippur (Atonement) | His atoning blood | National restoration of Israel |
| Sukkot (Tabernacles) | God dwelling among men | New Jerusalem / eternal kingdom |
If the shadow was holy, the substance is even more so — we honor the shadow because it reflects the Light.
5️⃣ Summary Principles
- Peter’s vision = people, not food.
- Colossians 2 = defense of obedience, not license for rebellion.
- Mark 7 = tradition vs. Torah, not clean vs. unclean.
- Freedom in Messiah restores, not abolishes, YHVH’s design.
“Do we then make void the Law through faith? God forbid. On the contrary, we establish the Law.” — Romans 3:31
6️⃣ Closing Reflection
Common sense tells us:
A kingdom without law descends into chaos.
A Father’s household has order and instruction for the well-being of His children.
YHVH’s dietary boundaries were never about restriction but holiness, health, and distinction — reminders of covenant identity.
Paul and Peter never dismantled that. They reaffirmed it — freed from man-made additions, empowered by the Spirit to live it out in love.
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” — 1 Corinthians 10:31