Acts 10
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Have you
heard about the marriage of Sybil Crawley and Tom Branson? It probably raised a few eyebrows. If you don’t know Sybil and Tom, that’s
okay. They’re fictional characters,
though some folks may think of them as real.
They are from the PBS series Downton
Abbey. Sybil is Lady Sybil, daughter
of the very British Earl of Grantham, and Tom is the chauffeur. To make matters worse, he’s Irish.
You don’t
have to be British to understand that the marriage faces just a few
barriers.
If you can
picture that, you can begin to understand the episode recorded by Luke in Acts
ten and eleven.
It is the
longest narrative in the Book of Acts, a fact which shows its importance to
Luke’s purpose. This passage illustrates
Luke’s view of the faith which focused on Jesus of Nazareth, the faith preached
by the apostles all over the Roman Empire and beyond, the faith for which Paul
was on trial in Rome as Luke wrote. Leon
Morris says, “There is no question for Luke that Christianity was no tiny
Jewish sect; instead, it was a religion in which people from every nation would
have their place.”[1]
Of course,
Luke knew that not every Christian believed that, especially in the early days
of the church. This story tells about
how the final barrier was assaulted and overcome, the outreach to the Gentiles. Important issues remained to be resolved but
the most important step had been taken.
As we review
the story we’ll find it says a lot to us.
We’ll discover how we, as Christ’s people doing Christ’s work, can begin
to reach out to world of many cultures.
With that in mind, let’s look at the story.
A Story of
Two Men
This is the
story of two men.
Cornelius
The chapter
begins by introducing us to a Roman centurion named Cornelius. As important as he is in Luke’s story of the
early church we don’t know a lot about him.
But let’s review what we know for sure and what we can safely deduce
from the text.
--He was a
centurion in the Italian Regiment. This
regiment was made up exclusively of men who were from Italy. Like military personnel before and after him
have found themselves to be, he was a stranger in a strange land.
--He was a
centurion and that says a lot. Several
centurions are mentioned in the New Testament and whenever they are mentioned
it is in a good light. Simply put, a
centurion had command of a hundred foot soldiers. But often their responsibilities went beyond
that. One writer says, “The centurions were the actual working
officers, the backbone of the army. The
discipline and efficiency of the legion as a fighting unit depended on them.”
The rank of
centurion was the highest rank which a commoner in the army could reach. Most were career men and many served beyond
the required twenty years. They were
chosen upon merit rather than accident of birth.
The Roman
historian Polybius says this about the centurion:
"Centurions are required not to be bold and adventurous so
much as good leaders, of steady and prudent mind, not prone to take the
offensive or start fighting wantonly, but able when overwhelmed and
hard-pressed to stand fast and die at their post"
Cornelius
came from this group.
--Cornelius
was a man of moral courage and integrity.
Many officers in the Roman army were committed to the mystery religions,
those strange religions involving secret rites and sacrifices. Others worshipped the Roman gods. In any case, it took courage for Cornelius to
align himself with the Jews, a group who were often despised in the Roman
world.
Cornelius
apparently came to embrace the Jewish ethical ideal and world view. He was not a proselyte in the formal
sense. He had not been circumcised and
probably hadn’t accepted the Jewish dietary rules but he was openly sympathetic
with the Jewish law and ethical standards.
And, having
concluded that this was a right and proper way to live, he began to order his
life accordingly. His was no nominal
commitment. His life of good works
figures prominently in this story. Luke
tells us that he was “a devout man who feared God with his entire household,
gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.” Acts 10:2
(ESV) His commitment extended to his purse and to his knees.
He is a
reminder that spiritual hunger may be found it the most unexpected places?
--Cornelius
appears to have been an influence for good in the lives of others. His household believed. This might have included any family members
who were with him. It would have also
included any personal servants who were part of his home. Later in the text there’s a reference to “a
devout soldier” who was one of his aids.
I can’t help
but picture these servants and that soldier quietly watching Cornelius as he
daily carried out his tough assignments.
They would have seen him as he led and sometimes disciplined the
soldiers under his command. It would
have been in these circumstances that they would have seen just how much his
new religion made a difference in his life.
This is the
first character in this pivotal story.
The next is an old friend.
Peter
Peter had
been ministering in the ancient city of Lydda when he received an urgent call
to come to the seacoast town of Joppa about five miles away. A beloved woman named Tabitha had died and
the disciples there had sent for Peter, hoping he could somehow help. Peter prayed for her and, in a stunning
display of God’s power, she was raised from the dead. This led to further ministry and
conversions. Peter settled in Joppa for
a while in the home of Simon the Tanner.
It was while in Joppa that his ministry took an unexpected turn—unexpected
to Peter but not to the perceptive observer of the church.
I don’t have
to tell you a lot about Peter. He’s
probably the most famous of the twelve apostles. For most of his early life he probably never
ventured far from his native Bethsaida, growing up to become a fisherman on the
Sea of Galilee.
He probably
received the rudiments of education but was, by no means, a Torah scholar. When his opponents later described him as
“uneducated” they were absolutely correct because they were referring to the
fact he had no specialized theological training. He did, however, apparently share one of the
most widely held perspectives within Palestinian Judaism. Peter had an evident disdain for gentiles,
for non-Jews. He carried that viewpoint
into adulthood, a viewpoint which revealed itself in a refusal to even sit down
for a simple meal with a gentile. (It was one thing to deal with Samaritans,
after all , they had a Jewish background but Gentiles were a different matter.}
You see, Peter had a “proper upbringing” but
sometimes those who have had such an upbringing have little regard for those
who didn’t; even if those who had the wrong upbringing had it through no fault
of their own, even if those with the wrong upbringing were doing their best to
search for the light.
As a young
adult Peter came under the influence of John the Baptist and, through his
testimony and that of his own brother Andrew, became a disciple of Jesus. In all the lists of the apostles in the New
Testament, Peter’s name is always first.
The gospels reveal him as one who was, at times, amazingly insightful
and, more often, something of a slow learner.
His mouth would frequently get him into trouble. Yet, Peter witnessed the work of the most
remarkable Man who ever lived. Peter was
there on the Mount of Transfiguration, he watched as Jesus strolled on the
waters of the Sea of Galilee (he joined him for a while but it was an embarrassing
moment), he helped as Jesus served thousands with a skimpy lunch loaned by an
awestruck child, and he was privileged to watch Jesus raise a twelve-year-old
girl from the dead. You can’t help but
wonder if that event was on his mind as he stood by Tabitha’s bedside. Thankfully, Peter eventually learned what
Jesus wanted to teach him but the lessons often required some powerful visual
aids.
So, if
Peter’s experiences were not as cosmopolitan as those of Cornelius, he had seen
things which the centurion had never seen and which none of us have ever
seen. Before this story is finished
Peter would see something he never expected to see. The story goes on to speak of …
Two Visions
There was a vision which encouraged
(10:1-7).
Although not
a Jewish convert, Cornelius was probably familiar with the Old Testament
stories of angelic visits to various people.
Still, no amount of reading could prepare him for the sight of that
angel who appeared to him during his regular time of prayer. Cornelius was terrified to begin with, and
then the angel gave him a message which was both encouraging and puzzling. The angel said, "Your prayers and your
alms have ascended as a memorial before God.
[5] And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called
Peter. [6] He is lodging with one Simon,
a tanner, whose house is by the seaside."
The message
was encouraging because it confirmed that God was aware of his devotion. He had not just been engaged in an exercise
in futility. God had heard his prayers;
God had seen his simple acts of devotion.
Never mind that he was only a gentile, God had welcomed his worship,
welcomed it as he would welcome a sacrifice offered in the temple—the temple
which Cornelius, the gentile, was not allowed to enter.
The message
must have also been puzzling. After all,
who was Peter? Why did God want him to
invite this stranger to his home? This
is pure speculation but maybe it had to do with the content of Cornelius’s
prayers. Had he been praying for more
light? Had he sought a deeper, richer
relationship with God? Were these the
subjects of his prayers? We don’t know
but, if this is what he sought, his prayers were about to be answered.
At this
point, it might be appropriate to deal with some questions raised by this
story. The first question could be
framed like this, “Did God give Cornelius salvation because of his good works?”
In this
chapter and the next there are several references to Cornelius’s good works;
this has prompted some to ask if God was rewarding Cornelius with
salvation. If so, it would seem to deny
the consistent New Testament teaching that salvation is by grace, not works.
Keep in mind
that what’s described here is by no means normative. The vast majority of the evangelistic
encounters in Act took place as Jesus’ followers faithfully preached the gospel
wherever they happened to be. The
evangelists and the listeners didn’t get together because of specific
invitations issued by angels.
We also can’t
just isolate Cornelius from the gallery of individual conversions described in
the Book of Acts. We see the pious and
the impious, the good and the bad, the weak and the powerful responding to the
gospel. Rabbinical scholars and coarse
jailers were changed by the power of God.
A saintly business woman and a formerly demonized slave girl probably
shared the same baptismal waters. The
gospel message of grace was needed by all of these men and women.
Whatever the
emphasis upon Cornelius’s good deeds may mean, it’s clear they were not
sufficient to bring him into a satisfying, saving relationship with God. Good as he was, he needed to hear the gospel.
This story may be teaching us that those who sense their need for God and
respond with a sincere search are more likely to be open to the revelation of
the Truth. Cornelius was on his knees
that day in Caesarea, not because he was spiritually satisfied, but because he
knew there was more he needed.
A second
question sometimes asked is this, “Why didn’t the angel simply proclaim the
gospel to Cornelius?”
The simple
answer seems to be this: The gospel has always come through human agencies.
A comment by
Chris Baker on the human role in evangelism gives a more detailed answer.
“There is no case on record in which the truth of about God and
salvation has come to men other than through human agency. In human agency we include the Bible, for
that has been penned, translated, printed, and circulated by men. It is a tremendous privilege that God has
conferred upon us in making us the channels of the knowledge of His will to our
fellow-men. But the privilege is a great
responsibility. It means that there are
people in the world who will not know the truth if we do not take it or send it
to them. Every one of us must take a
share in the work, for it is committed to the whole body.”
Cornelius
responded to the vision with simple obedience.
He sent some of his best people to Joppa to bring Peter for their
appointment.
There was a vision that inspired. (10:8-19).
Back in
Joppa, Peter was continuing his visit with Simon the Tanner. The fact he stayed with Simon has raised some
questions because tanning was considered to be a scandalous profession for a
Jew. Because he was in constant contact
with dead animals the tanner was often ritually unclean. Yet, Peter was staying with Simon whose home
was outside town near the sea, a location chosen because of the foul smells
associated with tanning.
Why did Peter
stay with him? I don’t know. The answer may lie in the instructions Jesus
gave his disciples when he sent them out on their very first preaching mission. He told them to stay with the first people
who offered them hospitality.
In any case,
one day about noon, Peter was on the flat roof of the house praying, praying
while he waited for lunch. Here’s the
story again.
The next day as
Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to
pray. It was about noon, and he was hungry. But while a meal was being
prepared, he fell into a trance.
He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners.
In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds.
Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.”
“No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.”
But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.”
The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven.
Peter was very perplexed. What could the vision mean? Just then the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house. Standing outside the gate, they asked if a man named Simon Peter was staying there. (Acts 10:10-17)
He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners.
In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds.
Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.”
“No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.”
But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.”
The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven.
Peter was very perplexed. What could the vision mean? Just then the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house. Standing outside the gate, they asked if a man named Simon Peter was staying there. (Acts 10:10-17)
Peter had to
learn a whole new way of thinking. This
was the starting point. The word
“perplexed” (v. 17), literally means he was “at a loss” or puzzled, and is used
because the command seemed to go against all he had ever been taught. My menu this past week would have once
identified me as a reprobate to Peter.
In the past few days I’ve had a cheeseburger and some pork sausage
gravy, just to mention a couple items.
Peter, a good Jew, would have never ordered such food.
Of course,
the vision wasn’t really about the proper menu for a Christian. It was about something more profound. It was about a new way to see people. Peter was about to discover that.
In a manner
appropriate to approaching a Jewish house, the visitors called out to the owner
and when he answered they asked if Peter was staying there. Of course, the men meet Peter and explain
the purpose of their visit. For Peter, his vision began to make
sense. It had been several years since
Peter had heard Jesus tell his people they would be his witnesses to the ends
of the earth, now the next steps toward
making that a reality were about to be taken.
Of course, Peter was still just a little foggy on some of this.
Unknown to
the visitors from Caesarea, Peter had already been told to go with them. He agreed to go with them the next morning
and invited them to spend the night. It
was a bold move for a Jew to extend hospitality to gentiles but Peter would
soon be making bolder moves.
Revolution in a Living Room
When Peter
stepped into Cornelius’s living room he may not have known a revolution was
about to take place but he was surprised to see a crowd of Cornelius’s
relatives and friends waiting to hear what he had to say.
After meeting
Cornelius, Peter said, “You know as well as I do, most Jews would not set foot
in this house but my mind has changed—those old days of thinking about clean
and unclean people are over. Now, tell
me why you’ve asked me to come.”
Cornelius
told him about his vision and it inspired Peter to begin preaching. He talked about God’s great promise to send a
Messiah who would bring peace—peace of heart and, perhaps, peace between
peoples who were separated due to sin.
He reviewed the life of Jesus—telling about his works and his
death. Then he announced the
resurrection. Peter especially stresses
the fact that there were eyewitnesses to the Risen Christ, that he was one of
those eyewitnesses.
We don’t know
all that Peter might have said because he didn’t get to finish. He didn’t finish but he said enough for faith
to form in the hearts of those listeners.
They embraced the gospel. And
suddenly they began to speak in tongues.
The crowd in
that living room might not have understood all that was happening but Peter
did. It was a revolution. Gentiles were receiving the Spirit in the
same way the Jewish believers had.
Later, when
Peter was forced to defend his actions and his fellowship with the Gentile
believers, this fact would be one of his most telling arguments. The fact that the gentiles had received the
Spirit in the same way as the Jewish believers affirmed he had done the right
thing in preaching to them, baptizing them, nurturing them, and having
fellowship with them.
The Caesarean
Christians had had the same experience as the Jerusalem Christians; therefore,
they were spiritual equals. (cf. Acts 11:15f)
More than five years after the Resurrection and Jesus’ command to “go
into all the world” some disciples were still stunned in the face of
indisputable evidence that God had determined to be gracious to Jew and Gentile
alike. Some would continue to resist,
most saw it as an occasion to rejoice.
Conclusion
There are
still barriers that need to be broken down.
They may not be as major as the Jew/Gentile barrier but they may still
stop us from trying to share the gospel with everyone.
Some of those
barriers may surround peoples who live thousands of miles from here. Those barriers may surround peoples in remote
mountain villages or in dense urban areas.
Those barriers may be cultural, racial, economic, and even
ideological. It takes God-given wisdom
and commitment to get past these barriers.
This is why
we remind ourselves each year about this time of the needs of international
missions. This year the national goal
for the Lottie Moon offering is 175 million dollars. That’s a lot of money but consider the cause
it’s used for. When you think of that
175 million remember this: in the month
since it’s been open the new casino in Columbus has taken in 18.3 million
dollars in bets. If that rate should
continue for the whole year, it will amount to 219.6 million dollars. I wonder where the money is being better
spent.
Then, some of
those barriers are close at hand. In
addition to barriers of language, economics, and race, there are other
barriers. There are barriers of
mistrust—many see the church and its message as mean-spirited and
life-destroying. There are barriers of
fear—many are afraid of rejection and censure if they approach the church. There are barriers of indifference—once we
assumed only the hardened atheist had no regard for the gospel but now ordinary
folks find the whole notion of religion as irrelevant.
Of course,
just as the Jews threw up the barriers between themselves and Gentiles like
Cornelius, we sometimes throw up barriers.
In this deeply divided nation, are we as eager as we should be to take
the gospel to those who hold a different political ideology? In our eagerness to preserve the sanctity of
marriage, are we still willing to share Christ’s love with the homosexual
community? In our struggle with the economic
challenges facing the nation, do we recall that those who may be here illegally
are also those for whom Christ died?
When it comes
to sharing the gospel, are we willing to see the barriers come down?
