Acts 10
Cornelius Calls for Peter
10 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision.He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.
The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner,whose house is by the sea.”
7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.
Peter’s Vision
9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners.12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”
14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.
19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three[a] men are looking for you.20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”
21 Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”
22 The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.
Peter at Cornelius’s House
The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along. 24 The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. 26 But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”
27 While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28 He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”
30 Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. 32 Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”
34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healingall who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues[b] and praising God.
Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
Today, we’re reading Acts 10 together. It’s a long chapter, so please read it all. It’s a turning point in the early church. Until now, the Gospel had been for the Jews, the chosen people of God. Despite Jesus’s promise in Act 1:8, they only shared the Gospel with other Jews and brought them to faith. In this story, Peter has a vision and is told to share the Gospel with the Gentiles. This marks the beginning of the second wave of the Gospel’s spread beyond the Jewish people.
However, I want to focus in on a single passage and really think about what it is saying:
34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.
Acts 10:34-35
As I read this, I was struck by how different it is to how I usually share the Gospel. I would usually talk about the sacrifice of Jesus, or the fact that we are sinners and that it is by faith alone that we can be saved. However, Peter focuses not on how we are made right with God or saved from sin but how we are being grafted into the people of Israel. The invitation is to become part of the Jewish nation, adopted as his chosen people. This is a change of nationalism, a blend of ethnicity and a new identity. You become one of his tribe.
It is a total life change.
This was also a new idea and something that Peter says was not legal before. Judaism was an ethnic religion, meaning that you had to be born into it. They had no desire or intention to evangelise other nations, happy to leave them to their own gods and problems. Others were seen as unclean, while Jews were cleansed through their rituals and relationship with Jehovah. They had the Torah (Laws of Moses) and knew how to live in a way that would please God.
So, who does Peter believe gets to become one of the people of Israel?
…the one who fears him and does what is right.
Peter says that the foundation of our identity is forged in fear and holiness. The new believers would be expected to live holy lives, pleasing to God and following his commands in the Torah. They would now be a part of the reflection of the glory of God to the world. They would now be expected (and punished when they did not) to live holy lives marked by the fear of God. Fearing God is not so much a terror that means that you are scared of him, like an evil tyrant or abusive husband. The fear of God is a deep reverence and awe for His holiness, power, and authority that leads us to humble obedience and worship (Proverbs 9:10 NLT).
As non-Jews who decided to follow Jesus and become a Christians, this is what we have also been invited into. To be a Christian is to become part of the people of God, living holy lives that show deep respect and awe for God. We are called to submit to His will and desires. Our lives are now to be marked by fear for God and worship of Him. We are now also a light to the nations. We are no longer unclean but are now part of God’s family.
