Paul is fired up!
Paul gets upset here because Peter (Cephas) is making life more difficult for the non-Jews looking to join the church. Peter is putting up barriers to others joining the church through his behavior -- he's going along with the crowd because it's easier for Peter, but in doing so, he's not being consistent, and Paul calls him out on it!
Paul makes a controversy because this matters -- it's not arguing over how many angels can fit on the head of a pin, but a massively important subject about how non-Jews will be included in the Christian church. This is hugely important as the church grows.
And so we need to follow Paul's example. Let's get upset over things that matter -- how the church goes into the world or puts up obstacles for people to experience the love and grace of Jesus Christ. Let's not get upset over minor things, such as the color of the carpets. May we recognize how the outside world sees us, and try to view ourselves through the lens of people who don't know the first thing about the church. We often get blinded by being inside the church, we forget about the outside world.
If anything we're doing puts up obstacles, let's tear them down, and rejoice in grace radical enough to include us in the church!
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