Chapter 10 Acts 10

Peter Meets Cornelius (vv. 1-33)
Peter Shares the Good News (vv. 34-48)

Peter Meets Cornelius (vv. 1-33)

          There was a man in Caesarea a named Cornelius, who was a captain b in the Roman army regiment called “The Italian Regiment.” 2 He was a religious man; he and his whole family worshipped God. c He also did much to help the Jewish poor people and was constantly praying to God. 3 It was about three o’clock one afternoon d when he had a vision, in which he clearly saw an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius!”
          4 He stared at the angel in fear and said, “What is it, sir?”
          The angel answered, “God is pleased with your prayers and works of charity, and is ready to answer you. 5 And now send some men to Joppa for a certain man whose full name is Simon Peter. 6 He is a guest in the home of a tanner of leather named Simon, who lives by the sea.” 7 Then the angel went away, and Cornelius called two of his house servants and a soldier, a religious man who was one of his personal attendants. 8 He told them what had happened and sent them off to Joppa.
          9 The next day, as they were on their way and coming near Joppa, Peter went up on the roof e of the house about noon f in order to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat; g while the food was being prepared, he had a vision. 11 He saw heaven opened and something coming down that looked like a large sheet being lowered by its four corners to the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals, reptiles, and wild birds. 13 A voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat!”
          14 But Peter said, “Certainly not, Lord! I have never eaten anything ritually unclean or defiled.” h
          15 The voice spoke to him again, “Do not consider anything unclean that God has declared clean.” i 16 This happened three times, j and then the thing was taken back up into heaven.
          17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of this vision, the men sent by Cornelius had learned where Simon’s house was, and they were now standing in front of the gate. 18 They called out and asked, “Is there a guest here by the name of Simon Peter?”
          19 Peter was still trying to understand what the vision meant, when the Spirit said, “Listen! Three men are here looking for you. 20 So get ready and go down, and do not hesitate to go with them, k for I have sent them.” 21 So Peter went down and said to the men, “I am the man you are looking for. Why have you come?”
          22 “Captain Cornelius sent us,” they answered. “He is a good man who worships God and is highly respected by all the Jewish people. An angel of God told him to invite you to his house, so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Peter invited l the men in and had them spend the night there.
          The next day he got ready and went with them; and some of the believers from Joppa went along with him. 24 The following day he arrived in Caesarea, where Cornelius was waiting for him, together with relatives and close friends that he had invited. 25 As Peter was about to go in, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and bowed down before him. m 26 But Peter made him rise. “Stand up,” he said, “I myself am only a man.” 27 Peter kept on talking to Cornelius as he went into the house, where he found many people gathered. 28 He said to them, “You yourselves know very well that a Jew is not allowed by his religion to visit or associate with Gentiles. But God has shown me n that I must not consider any person ritually unclean or defiled. 29 And so when you sent for me, I came without any objection. I ask you, then, why did you send for me?”
          30 Cornelius said, “It was about this time three days ago that I was praying in my house at three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly a man dressed in shining clothes stood in front of me 31 and said: ‘Cornelius! God has heard your prayer and has taken notice of your works of charity. 32 Send someone to Joppa for a man whose full name is Simon Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner of leather, who lives by the sea.’ 33 And so I sent for you at once, and you have been good enough to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God, waiting to hear anything that the Lord has instructed you to say.”

Interesting Stuff:

a Caesarea was located 48 km (30 miles) north of Joppa and was named in honour of the Roman emperor Augustus Caesar. It was rebuilt by Herod the Great and he made it the centre of government for the Roman administration of Judea. It was also the headquarters of the Roman army in Judea (see chap 8, note z for other details).

b Other versions translate this as ‘centurion’. A centurion commanded a military unit that normally numbered at least a hundred men. Centurions were carefully selected and all those mentioned in the NT had noble qualities. A centurion would take command of a group of soldiers within a Roman legion (about a sixth of a regiment).

The Roman legion (about 6,000 men) was divided into ten regiments, each of which had a designation or name. This was the Italian Regiment whose troops were originally recruited in Italy.

c Other versions translate this phrase as ‘God-fearing’. Cornelius was thus not a full Jewish proselyte but a God-fearer, one who believed in the God of the Jews and respected and followed the teachings of the Jewish religion.

d Three o’clock in the afternoon was the Jewish hour of prayer, the hour of the offering of evening incense at the Temple. This was another indication that Cornelius followed Jewish practices.

e It was customary for houses to have flat roofs with outside stairways. The roof was used as a convenient place for relaxation and for privacy.

f Jews who took seriously the pattern of praying three times a day would take this hour as the second hour set for prayer.

g This was not the usual Jewish mealtime. On weekdays, Jews ate a light meal in mid-morning and a more substantial meal in the late afternoon.

h This was all wrong as Peter’s conscience told him. According to the food laws in Lev 11, unclean animals could not be used for food at all. And even ‘clean’ animals had to be slaughtered with the right rituals before their flesh could be eaten.

i The effect of the vision was to announce to Peter that the distinction made in the OT between foods that were ‘clean’, i.e., fit to be eaten, and ‘unclean’ was now cancelled by God. Peter soon learned that this ‘cleansing’ was not only to apply to just foods, but also to all men and women, including Gentiles
(see v. 19).

j The repetition was to make an impression on Peter.

k The dream had prepared Peter for this situation where he was to go with the Gentiles and not consider any person ritually unclean whom God has declared clean (see v. 28).

l By inviting the men in and providing them lodging, Peter was already taking the first step towards accepting Gentiles.

m Cornelius’ first act on meeting Peter was to kneel before him as a sign of reverence. But Peter refused to accept such respect because that should only be offered to God.

n Peter recognised that his vision had deeper significance than just the removal of the distinctions between ‘clean’ and ‘unclean’ food. God was declaring to him that the barrier between Jews
and Gentiles had also been removed.

Questions:

  1. Describe Cornelius. Give an account of his vision and what he did in response to it (vv. 1-8, 22).

Hover Over for Answer:
Cornelius was a captain in the Roman army regiment called the Italian Regiment. He was a good and religious man who constantly prayed to God. He and his whole family worshipped God. He was a man of compassion and mercy who did much to help the Jewish poor people. Thus he was highly respected by the Jewish people. Cornelius had his vision at about three o’clock one afternoon when he was praying. In his vision he saw an angel of God come in and call his name. He stared at the angel in fear and asked him what he wanted. The angel told him that God was pleased with his prayers and works of charity and was ready to answer him. The angel asked him to send some men to Joppa for a certain man named Simon Peter who was a guest of a tanner of leather named Simon who lived by the sea. Then the angel went away. Cornelius immediately called two of his house servants and a soldier, a religious man who was one of his attendants. He told them what had happened and sent them to Joppa to search for Simon Peter as commanded by the angel.

2. Give an account of Peter’s vision on the roof-top (vv. 9-16).

Hover Over for Answer:
About noontime the day after Cornelius had the vision, Peter went up to pray on the roof of the house of Simon the tanner where he was staying. He was hungry and while food was being prepared for him, he had a vision. He saw heaven opened and something com- ing down that looked like a large sheet being lowered by its four corners to the earth. In it were all kinds of animals, reptiles and wild birds. Then he heard a voice telling him to get up and to kill and eat. Peter told the voice that he would certainly not do that because he had never eaten anything ritually unclean or defiled. The voice told him not to consider anything unclean that God had declared clean. This happened three times, and then the thing was taken back up into heaven.

How do we know from this account that this was an important lesson for him?

Hover Over for Answer:
This was an important lesson because from the account we learn that Peter was a Law-abiding Jew and did not touch or eat anything that was ritually unclean. For him, Jews were also not to associate with Gentiles because they were ritually unclean. Furthermore he would never have thought of going to share the gospel with any Gentile because like most Jews of his time, he believed that God’s salvation was first and foremost for the Jews. The lesson was thus important for Peter to change his understanding so that God could use him to enter a Gentile home and share the gospel with the Gentile household of Cornelius. This resulted in the salvation of all the Gentiles who were there and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon them. This opened the eyes of the Jewish Christians present to see that God’s plan of salvation was also for the Gentiles and not just the Jews.

What did Peter learn and what was he being prepared for (vv. 19-22; 28-29)?

Hover Over for Answer:
Peter learned that he must no longer consider any person as ritually unclean or defiled because God had declared them clean. This prepared him to obey the Holy Spirit when he was asked to go to Cornelius’ home with the men sent by Cornelius. Normally Peter would have refused the request because a Jew would not associate with Gentiles or visit them in their homes.

3. Who were waiting for Peter at Cornelius’ house (v. 24)?

Hover Over for Answer:
Cornelius was waiting for Peter together with his relatives and close friends whom he had invited.

How did Cornelius respond to the presence of Peter in his home (v. 25)?

Hover Over for Answer:
When Cornelius met Peter, he fell at Peter’s feet and bowed down before him.

How did Peter react to him (v. 26)?

Hover Over for Answer:
Peter, however, made him stand up and explained to him that he was only a man and not to be worshipped.

4. How did Peter explain to Cornelius the reason for his coming to Cornelius’ house (vv. 28-29)?

Hover Over for Answer:
Peter told Cornelius and those gathered with him that they knew that a Jew was not allowed by his religion to visit or associate with Gentiles. However, he had come without any objections because God had shown him that he must no longer consider any person ritually unclean or defiled. He then asked Cornelius why Cornelius had sent for him.

5. Describe how Cornelius explained why he had sent for Peter (vv. 30-33).

Hover Over for Answer:
Cornelius told Peter about the vision he had seen three days ago when he was praying at three o’clock in the afternoon in his house. He said that a man dressed in shining clothes stood in front of him and told him that God had heard his prayer and seen his works of charity. The angel told him to send someone to Joppa for a man whose full name was Simon Peter. This man was a guest in the home of Simon the tanner of leather who lived by the sea. Thus he sent for Peter at once and now he was waiting in the presence of God to hear anything that God had instructed Peter to say to them.

Summary of Section:

  1. There was man in Caesarea named Cornelius who was a captain in the Roman army regiment called the Italian Regiment.
  2. He was a good and religious man, highly respected by all the Jewish people. His whole family worshipped God. He was constantly in prayer and did much to help the poor among the Jews.
  3. One day at about three o’clock in the afternoon, he was praying and had a vision:
    i) He saw an angel of God come and stand before him and call him by name.
    ii) He stared in fear at the angel and asked him what he wanted.
    iii) The angel told him that God was pleased with his prayers and works of charity and was ready to answer his prayers.
    iv) He was to send some men to Joppa and fetch Simon Peter. He was a guest staying at the house of Simon, a tanner of leather, who lived by the sea.
  4. Cornelius obeyed immediately and sent two of his house servants and one soldier who was a religious man.
  5. While these men were on their way the next day, Peter went up on the roof of the house about noon to pray.
  6. He was hungry, and while waiting for his food to be prepared, he had a vision:
    i) He saw heaven opened and something coming down that looked like a large sheet being lowered by its four corners to the earth.
    ii) In it were all kinds of animals, reptiles and wild birds.
    iii) A voice told him to get up, kill and eat.
    iv) Peter replied that he would not do so because he had never eaten any thing ritually unclean before.
    v) The voice spoke again and told him not to consider unclean that which God had declared clean.
    vi) This happened three times and then the thing was taken back into heaven.
  7. While Peter was trying to understand what the vision meant, the men sent by Cornelius arrived and called out for him. The Holy Spirit told him that there were three men looking for him and that he was to go with them because he had sent them.
  8. So Peter went down and asked them why they had come. They explained that an angel had told Cornelius to invite Peter to his house to hear what Peter had to say.
  9. Peter invited the men to stay the night and then they left together with some believers from Joppa for Cornelius’ house the next morning.
  10. They arrived the following day in Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them together with his relatives and close friends he had invited.
  11. As Peter was about to go in, Cornelius fell at his feet and bowed down before Peter. Peter asked him to stand and told him that he himself was only a man.
  12. Peter told Cornelius and those gathered that they knew that a Jew was not allowed to visit or associate with Gentiles. He had come, however, because God had shown him in a vision that he was not to consider any person unclean.
  13. Then he asked Cornelius why he had sent for him.
  14. Cornelius told Peter about his vision and how an angel had told him to send for Peter. He said that they were all ready to hear anything the Lord had instructed Peter to say.

Nuggets of Wisdom

  1. The sheer length of this story and the fact that it was told twice over (see 11:5-17) indicate the very great importance Luke attaches to it in the context of Acts as a whole. It deals with that critical point in the history of the early church where it recognised that the gospel is for the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
  2. Luke also makes clear that this was no mere human decision but that it was the result of God’s clear guid- ance. While Peter was in Joppa, God was moving events to prepare for the gospel to cross the barrier that sepa- rated Jews from Gentiles and to be presented directly to Gentiles.
  3. The obstacle to the mission to the Gentiles was that it would bring Law- abiding Jews into contact with people who were considered unclean and with their food which was also unclean. It was this obstacle that God overcame by giving Peter the vision. From the vision, Peter came to understand that it was not just food that God was referring to, but also Jewish relationships with Gentiles.
  4. There are four matters in the account of Cornelius’ conversion that provide insight into Luke’s purpose for presenting this material:
    i) The early church resisted the idea of Gentiles being either directly evange- lised or accepted into the Christian fellowship.
    ii) God Himself was the one who introduced the Gentiles into the church and miraculously showed His approval.
    iii) Peter, the leader of the Jerusalem apostles, not Paul, was the human instrument in opening the door to the Gentiles.
    iv) The Jerusalem church subsequently accepted a Gentile’s conversion to Jesus the Messiah for God had so obviously demonstrated His accept- ance of them.

Peter Shares the Good News (vv. 34-48)

           34 Peter began to speak: “I now realise that it is true that God treats everyone on the same basis. 35 Whoever fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him, no matter what race he belongs to. 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, proclaiming the Good News of peace o through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know of the great event that took place throughout the land of Israel, beginning in Galilee after John preached his message of baptism. 38 You know about Jesus of Nazareth and how God poured out on him the Holy Spirit and power. He went everywhere, doing good and healing all who were under the power of the Devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses of everything that he did in the land of Israel and in Jerusalem. Then they put him to death by nailing him to a cross. 40 But God raised him from death three days later and caused him to appear, 41 not to everyone, but only to the witnesses that God had already chosen, that is, to us who ate and drank with him p after he rose from death. 42 And he commanded us to preach the gospel to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God has appointed judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets spoke about him, saying that everyone who believes in him will have his sins forgiven through the power of his name.”
           44 While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit came down on all those who were listening to his message. 45 The Jewish believers who had come from Joppa with Peter were amazed q that God had poured out his gift of the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speaking in strange tongues r and praising God’s greatness. Peter spoke up: 47 “These people have received the Holy Spirit, just as we also did. Can anyone, then, stop them from being baptised with water?” s 48 So he ordered them to be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay with them t for a few days.

Interesting Stuff:

o This refers to the peace between God and man, i.e., reconcilia- tion between God and man because of what Jesus has done.

p Those who ate and drank with Jesus after he rose from the dead received unmistakable evidence before their very eyes that he had indeed been resurrected. They were chosen by God to witness this so that they could go out and testify to all about Jesus.

q Apparently the early Jewish Christians failed to understand that the gospel was for the Gentiles as well as for the Jews, and that they would share alike in the benefits of salvation which included
the gift of the Holy Spirit.

r God showed His acceptance of the Gentiles by giving them the same gift as the Jewish believers and affirming it by the same sign of tongues as at Pentecost. Undoubtedly the sign of tongues was given mainly for the sake of the Jewish believers right there in Cornelius’s house.

But it was also given for Jerusalem believers, who would later hear of what happened, so that all would see the conversion of these Gentiles as being entirely of God. They would thus not go back to their old prejudices and see these new converts as second-class Christians.

s Convinced that God’s action in giving the Holy Spirit showed that these Gentiles had received forgiveness of their sins, Peter called for the next step – for them to be baptised in the name of Jesus. In baptising them, Peter was confessing that God in His sovereignty was inviting both Jews and Gentiles into His kingdom.

t Now that God had broken the traditional barriers between Jews and Gentiles, Peter allowed himself to stay with them for a few days.

Questions:

  1. Describe briefly Peter’s message to Cornelius and his house- hold (vv. 34-43).

Hover Over for Answer:
Peter began by saying that he now realised that God accepts and treats everyone who fears him and does what is right on the same basis, regardless of his race. He reminded them of the message pro- claiming the Good News of peace through Jesus Christ that God had sent to the people of Israel. It had all started in Galilee after John preached his message of baptism. He explained that God had poured out His Holy Spirit and power upon Jesus of Nazareth who went everywhere doing good and healing all under the power of the Devil. He was then put to death on a cross but God raised him from death three days later and caused Jesus to appear to certain witnesses. He was one of them who ate and drank with Jesus after he rose from death. Jesus then commanded them to preach the gospel to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God had appointed judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets had spoken of Jesus, saying that everyone who believes in him would have his sins forgiven through the power of his name.

2. What happened to those who were listening as Peter was speaking (vv. 44-46)?

Hover Over for Answer:
While Peter was speaking, the Holy Spirit came down on all those who were listening to his message and they began to speak in strange tongues and praise God’s greatness. They had received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

3. How did Peter respond to what happened (vv. 47-48)?

Hover Over for Answer:
Peter ordered them to be baptised with water in the name of Jesus Christ because he recognised that they had received the Holy Spirit just as they the disciples had.

4. What did Cornelius and his household ask Peter to do at the end of his time with them (v. 48)?

Hover Over for Answer:
They asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

Summary of Section:

  1. Peter spoke, saying that he now realised that it is true that God treats everyone on the same basis. He accepts anyone who fears Him and does what is right, regardless of his race.
  2. He reminded them of the message they had heard that God sent to the people of Israel. This message proclaimed the Good News of peace through Jesus Christ who is Lord of all.
  3. This began in Galilee after John preached his message of baptism. God poured out on Jesus of Nazareth His Holy Spirit and power.
  4. Jesus then went everywhere doing good and healing all those under the power of the Devil. All this Peter and the apostles were witnesses to.
  5. He was then put to death on the cross but God raised him from death three days later.
  6. God chose them to be witnesses to his resurrection and Jesus appeared to eat and drink with them after he rose from death.
  7. Jesus then commanded them to preach the gospel to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to judge the living and the dead.
  8. All the prophets had spoken of Jesus, saying that everyone who believes in him will have his sins forgiven through the power of his name.
  9. While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit came down on all those who were listening to his message. They spoke in strange tongues and praised God.
  10. The believers from Joppa were amazed that God had poured His gift of the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles also.
  11. Then Peter ordered them to be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ since they had also received the gift of the Holy Spirit as they the disciples had.
  12. They then asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

Nuggets of Wisdom

  1. Peter told more about Jesus’ earthly ministry because a Gentile audience, even though knowing something about Jesus of Nazareth from living in Palestine, would require more details of Jesus’ life and work than a Palestinian Jewish audience would.
  2. The six (see 11:12) Jewish believers who were there with Peter were astonished at what they saw and heard. God was demonstrating His acceptance of the Gentiles by bestowing His Holy Spirit on them and giving them the same sign of tongues as the Jews themselves received at Pentecost. The sign of tongues was not only given for the sake of the Jewish believers right there in Cornelius’ house. It was also given for the Jerusalem believers, who would later hear of what happened, so that all would see the conversion of these Gentiles was brought about entirely by God.
  3. Baptism had become the outward sign of reception into the people of God. Since God had welcomed the Gentiles and given them the Holy Spirit, it only remained for the church to do so. Peter thus put the question to those with him, as representatives of the church, that there should not be anything to stop them from being baptised.
  4. The new fellowship in the church between Jews and Gentiles was cemented during a brief stay by Peter with Cornelius. At the same time, this interval allowed news of what had happened to reach Jerusalem before Peter himself went back as described in the next chapter.

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