Why did Paul have to confront Peter to his face in Antioch?
Peter, as an ordinary practicing Jew, yielded to a moment of weakness among Gentile believers and blew his testimony again. His withdrawal from eating with Gentiles led other Jews and even Barnabas into dissimulation and hypocrisy, so Paul had to call him on it.
Les explains that before the crucifixion Peter denied Jesus three times because he was afraid of the powers that were. But after Peter witnessed the resurrection and its power, he became a different person; he was no longer afraid of anybody. He stood up to the Jewish religious leaders and the Romans, and no doubt took a martyr’s death because of it. Yet here, as an ordinary practicing Jew, in a moment of weakness among Gentile believers, Peter blew his testimony again, so Paul had to call him on it. Les points out that other Jews dissembled or withdrew likewise with him. It went so far that even Barnabas, who had seen everything Paul was accomplishing among the Gentiles, was carried away with their dissimulation or hypocrisy, so that they could not eat with these Gentiles. Then verse 14 follows.
But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
More Questions
Why did Paul confront Peter in front of everyone instead of speaking to him privately?
Paul confronted Peter openly, saying it to him before them all, because Peter and the others were not walking uprightly according to the truth of the gospel.