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The Book of Acts
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BIBLE STUDY ACTS 10:1-48 REVIEW: Chapter 9 was the story of Saul’s conversion on his way to Damascus. The Chapter concluded with a short story about Peter, a traveling minister, carrying on with the work of Jesus: healing, and teaching in the name of Christ. At the end of the Chapter Peter was staying in Joppa. Away from Jerusalem, the heart of Judaism, Joppa was a city closer to the fringe and much nearer the territories occupied by Gentiles. CHAPTER 10:1-8 “Cornelius’ Vision” “In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort, as it was called. He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God. One afternoon at about three o’clock he had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius.” He stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” He answered, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa for a certain Simon who is called Peter; he is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside.” When the angel who spoke to him had left, he called two of his slaves and a devout soldier from the ranks of those who served him, and after telling them everything, he sent them to Joppa. During that time period, there was a segment of Gentiles known as “God-fearers” that, although they were not fully converts (with circumcision and the full observance of the law), frequented the synagogues and tried to live as much as they could by the code of Torah. For obvious reasons such God-fearers, who already respected the Jewish religion and desired to take part in the Jewish faith, were like fertile soil for the Christian message. Here, as in the story of the conversion of Paul, God works through the giving of visions. This time it is Cornelius, the God-fearing, Roman centurion, who encounters an angel of God and is given explicit instructions to seek out Peter. Significant is the time—three o’clock in the afternoon, for this was an established prayer time in Judaism (see Acts 3:1). This emphasizes the type of devout man that Cornelius was. Presumably, he was praying when he saw this vision. Another significant aspect of this story is what is revealed about God. When the angel says to the Gentile Cornelius, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God,” we see that such sacrifices made, even by those considered outsiders, are not forgotten by God. This inclusive understanding of God (as we will see in verse 34) will become a central part of the Gospel proclaimed by Peter and the early Christian church. CHAPTER 10:9-16 “Peter’s Vision” "About noon the next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat; and while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the heaven opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. Then he heard a voice saying, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean.” The voice said to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” This happened three times, and the thing was suddenly taken up to heaven." Here Peter, upon being overcome by a trance, also has a vision. Just like with Saul and Ananias in the last chapter, Peter and Cornelius have double-visions. That is, they both experience visions from God, which correspond to each other’s vision. This serves as a reminder that underlying all the characters’ actions, there is the continual activity of God. At first, Peter’s vision of a sheet descending from heaven with all the four-footed creatures seems to pertain directly to the food distinctions legislated by the Torah (Leviticus 11:1-47, especially vs. 47). “All the four-footed animals” is meant to be all- inclusive and is, in fact, a direct reversal of the commandment in the Torah. The text explicitly states that the message of the vision was repeated “three times.” This emphasizes the difficulty that Peter had in accepting the overt message from God. This, of course, is not the first time Peter has experienced triads of life-changing statements, is it? CHAPTER 10:17-33 “Brought Together” "Now while Peter was greatly puzzled about what to make of the vision that he had seen, suddenly the men sent by Cornelius appeared. They were asking for Simon’s house and were standing by the gate. They called out to ask whether Simon, who was called Peter, was staying there. While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Look, three men are searching for you. Now get up, go down, and go with them without hesitation; for I have sent them.” So Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for your coming?” They answered, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” So Peter invited them in and gave them lodging. The next day he got up and went with them, and some of the believers from Joppa accompanied him. The following day they came to Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. On Peter’s arrival Cornelius met him, and falling at his feet, worshiped him. But Peter made him get up, saying, “Stand up; I am only a mortal.” And as he talked with him, he went in and found that many had assembled; and he said to them, “You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile; but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. Now may I ask why you sent for me?” Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock, I was praying in my house when suddenly a man in dazzling clothes stood before me. He said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon, who is called Peter; he is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ Therefore I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come.” From the beginning of Luke-Acts, the reader has been clued in that this event (or something like it) was going to happen. Even as early as Luke 2 (vs. 32) we learned that Jesus would be a “light of revelation to the Gentiles.” The struggle of Peter and his fellow believers to understand what God is doing here is a significant part of this narrative. The author uses great care by specifically noting each stage by which this meeting between Jews and Gentiles finally takes place: the decision to provide hospitality to Gentiles, then to visit their home, and then (in the following sections) to preach to them, and then to confirm God’s bestowal of the Holy Spirit by the act of baptism. CHAPTER 10:34-43 “Peter Proclaims the Gospel” “So now all of us are here in the presence of God to listen to all that the Lord has commanded you to say.” Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” At the prompting of Cornelius, Peter seems to finally understand what God has brought him hear to say. What follows is one of the most concise articulations of the Gospel ever written. This last missionary speech of Peter is considered, in fact, the master summation of Luke’s Gospel. CHAPTER 10:44-48 “Gentiles Baptized” “While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.” Peter’s speech is interrupted once again by the main mover of the story: the Holy Spirit. Somehow, the hearing of the Gospel spoken by the apostle, is connected the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This is still our belief today and the reason why the preaching of the Word plays such a central role in our Christian Worship. Notice, however, that Luke makes clear that the preacher is not to be worshiped. Although he is called by God to deliver the Gospel (sometimes even to places and people he would rather not go), it is God who works in the hearts and souls of the hearers. Here Peter also makes an argument pertaining to another aspect of our continued worship experience. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit shows that God has accepted these Gentiles. When Peter says, “Can anyone refuse water?” he shows that baptism is the Church’s acceptance of God’s action. This is important for us to remember. No matter what, human activity is always only a response to what God has first done. -------------------- Joshua W. Magyar, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
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