v.1-8
Cornelius sends for Peter
v.9-23
The Lord gives Peter a Vision
v.24-33
Peter goes to Cornelius's House & Cornelius explains
v.34-48
Peter preaches & the Gentiles receive the Holy Spirit
v.1-8
Cornelius sends for Peter
v.1
At
Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what
was known as the Italian Regiment.
v.2
He
and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously
to those in need and prayed to God regularly.
v.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!”
v.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.
v.5
Now
send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called
Peter.
v.6
He
is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
v.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.
v.8
He
told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.
[Passage
Synopsis: This is
a story with visions in it. It starts in Caesarea on the coast
north-west of Jerusalem. First it is Cornelius who has a vision
and sees an angel in it telling him to send to Joppa where Peter
is and get him to come here. Unlike a dream, a vision occurs when
a person is wide awake and the picture imposes itself on the person.
He is so convinced by it that he sends his servants to get him]
v.9-23
The Lord gives Peter a Vision
v.9
About
noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching
the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.
v.10
He
became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal
was being prepared, he fell into a trance.
v.11
He
saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down
to earth by its four corners.
v.12
It
contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles
and birds.
v.13
Then
a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”
v.14 “Surely
not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure
or unclean.”
v.15
The
voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure
that God has made clean.”
v.16
This
happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back
to heaven.
v.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.
v.18
They
called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying
there.
v.19
While
Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to
him, “Simon, three men are looking for you.
v.20
So
get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for
I have sent them.”
v.21
Peter
went down and said to the men, “I'm the one you're looking for.
Why have you come?”
v.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.”
v.23
Then
Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests. The next
day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from
Joppa went along.
[Passage
Synopsis: The second
vision is seen by Peter while he is still in Joppa and he ‘sees'
a sheet coming down containing a variety of ‘unclean' creatures
that he is told to kill and eat. So much does this revolt him
as a Law-abiding Jew that he has to see this sheet coming down
three times. He is left wondering about this when the servants
from Cornelius arrive and the Holy Spirit instructs him to go
with them. They explain why they come, Peter invites them (Gentiles!)
in and next day goes with them. This is a major breach of Peter's
beliefs about the division between Jews & Gentiles as we'll
soon see.]
v.24-33
Peter goes to Cornelius's House & Cornelius explains
v.24
The
following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting
them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
v.25
As
Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet
in reverence.
v.26
But
Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”
v.27
While
talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering
of people.
v.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.
v.29
So
when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May
I ask why you sent for me?”
v.30,31
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 and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and
remembered your gifts to the poor.
v.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.'
v.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.”
[Passage
Synopsis: When Peter
arrives at the house of Cornelius he explains how he, a Jew, would
not normally enter the home of a Gentile but he's here [he doesn't
explain about his vision]. Cornelius explains about his.]
v.34-48
Peter preaches & the Gentiles receive the Holy Spirit
v.34,35
Then
Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does
not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who
fears him and does what is right.
v.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.
v.37,38
You
know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning
in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— how God anointed
Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went
around doing good and healing all who were under the power of
the devil, because God was with him.
v.39,40
“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, but
God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to
be seen.
v.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.
v.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.
v.43
All
the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him
receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
v.44
While
Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on
all who heard the message.
v.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.
v.46
For
they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter
said,
v.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.”
v.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.
[Passage
Synopsis: Peter
preaches about Jesus but as he does so the Spirit falls on the
Gentiles and they are all clearly filled with the Spirit. Peter
orders that they be baptized as believers. The Gentiles have entered
the kingdom of God! It is interesting that this happens before
Paul starts travelling, is rejected by the Jews and turns to the
Gentiles – see Acts 13:45,46 – as if the Lord is preparing the
Jerusalem church to be open to Gentiles. It says something about
their Jewish prejudice that they had been unable to comprehend
Jesus closing words to them, “you
will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts
1:8) Had they thought that meant the Jews scattered around the
world? Had they not understood the many, many indications throughout
the Old Testament that Israel were to be a light to the rest of
the world? Perhaps this passage more than most shows the strength
of set ideas that can run contrary to God's will. The necessity
for Peter's vision to be repeated three times perhaps suggests
that the Lord understood Peter's locked-in viewpoint that needed
this to make the biggest breakthrough of evangelism recorded in
Acts, next to Paul's words quoted above.]