Cornelius Calls for Peter
1 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 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 healing all 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 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.
Commentary/Significant points of discussion:
- [See v.1] 'At Caesarea'- Caesarea was one of the cities governed by the Roman empire for which Cornelius served as a soldier
- [See v.2] 'devout and God-fearing'- Cornelius was a Gentile who lived in the ways of the Lord, giving 'generously to those in need' and sought to know the Lord and have relationship with Him, praying 'regularly'
- How humble of a man Cornelius was to believe in the religious system of the Israelites who were supposed to be his subordinates under the authority of the Roman empire
- [See v.3] 'he had a vision...saw an angel of God'- while praying at the customary Jewish hour of prayer at 'three in the afternoon', God sends an angel who tells Cornelius that the Lord has heard his prayers and remembered what he has done for the poor; how encouraging it must have been for Cornelius to receive this blessing from God
- The poor have a special place in God's heart and God blesses those who make sacrifices on their behalf; along with prayer, serving the church is about doing what the word of God says and when we do, it honors God as a 'memorial offering' [v.4] to Him and God blesses us
- [See v.5] 'Now send men to Joppa'- God commands Cornelius to send for Peter who is staying with Simon the tanner and Cornelius obeys immediately, sending three men to Joppa; Peter was to preach the gospel to Cornelius who would become the first Gentile to be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit
- [See v.9] 'About noon the following day'- just prior to the arrival of three men sent by Cornelius, Peter also receives a vision while he is praying; how perfect God's timing is as He prepares Peter for the arrival of these three men
- [See v.11-12] 'He saw...something like a large sheet...by its four corners...contained all kinds of...animals'- a sheet is lowered from heaven and on it are all sorts of animals
- Peter had been distracted by his hunger while praying and so he must have really paid attention when he saw all these animals he could eat; God uses even our distractions to speak to us
- [See v.13] ' "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." '- God commands Peter to eat the animals
- [See v.14] ' "Surely not, Lord!" '- instead of obeying God's command, Peter protests and tries to defend himself, saying that he has 'never eaten anything impure or unclean' in his entire life; Peter's Jewish customs prohibited him from killing or eating any "unclean" animals, and there were sure to be both clean and unclean animals on the sheet from heaven
- Peter had spent his whole life making sure he didn't go near or make any contact with the Gentiles because the Jews, as "God's chosen people" in the Old Testament, believed that it would defile them or make them "unclean" to associate themselves with Gentiles who didn't belong to their holy, inner circle
- How many Christians today believe that they belong to an exclusive, members-only club and the first thing they think of when stepping into a church is "how can I join the inner circle of holiness" ?
- Jesus prayed for the disciples in John 17:13-15, "13 I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one."
- To be "God's chosen people" we must be "in the world" like Jesus was, being the hands and feet of the body of Christ reaching out to the world, but not "of the world" thinking and acting like the world; put shortly, we are called to be distinct from the world but not removed or distant from the world
- How surprising that Peter would still think this way after having been with Jesus who spent most of his time on Earth with sinners; Jesus was not defiled because he was around sinners and what made him "clean" and not defiled in God's eyes was that he remained sinless , in thoughts and actions
- The root of sin begins inside our hearts; if our hearts are not clean then we cannot be "clean"
- [See v.15] ' "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." '- Peter's longheld notion of being "clean" is turned upside down as the Lord shows him that He will extend His offer of salvation to the Gentiles who like the Jews will be cleansed by the blood of Jesus and made "clean"
- In the Old Testament, the Israelites failed to live up to God's standard of being "clean" and pure and thus were defiled in His eyes; they had to keep ceremonial rituals of cleansing by making atonement through animal sacrifices
- But God was talking to Peter about the ultimate cleansing, once and for all, that had made him "clean" through the blood shed on the cross by Jesus Christ
- Furthermore, God was the one who was going to make them "clean", purifying the very roots of their hearts and making them holy whereas before it was the task of the Jews to perform cleansing rituals
- Jesus came so that we might be freed from being attached to our ideas of what is proper or not as if those are the very ideals that keep us "clean" and holy when in truth those walls of segregation- both in our thoughts and actions, is our sinful nature of trying to squeeze God into a box of our own limitations and shortcomings
- God had to shake up Peter's thinking and change his heart in order that the gospel be preached to the Gentiles; God was breaking down the barrier that would keep the church from growing
- Despite the fact that God spoke to Peter 'three times' [v.16] in the vision, Peter didn't understand, 'wondering about the meaning of the vision' [v.17]
- [See v.19] 'While Peter was still thinking...the Spirit said to him'- Peter is about to receive revelation knowledge through the Holy Spirit regarding the meaning of the vision as he is instructed to 'go downstairs' [v.20] and meet the three men sent by Cornelius
- [See v.22] ' "have you come...so that he could hear what you have to say" '- Peter has been invited to go to the house of a Gentile, worse yet an officer of the Roman army which had oppressed the Jews, to preach the gospel ? How is Peter going to respond ?
- [See v.23] 'Peter invited the men...to be his guests'- Peter's dramatical change in heart is evident as he goes against his Jewish customs and not only lets the Gentiles into his house but treats them as 'guests' to be entertained
- [See v.24] 'Cornelius was expecting them'- Cornelius was waiting for Peter, having faith in God to bring Peter to speak to him even when he wasn't sure of the chances that a Jew would come to the house of a Gentile
- [See v.25] 'Cornelius met him and fell at his feet'- Cornelius literally worships Peter, thinking him to be some angel or "special" man in God
- But Peter quickly refuses to be treated like God to whom only worship is appropriate and not to men or angels, informing Cornelius that he is 'only a man' [v.26] and thus an equal
- From Peter's treatment of a Gentile as an equal amd entering the house of a Gentile which was strictly prohibited by Jewish law, we can see how much his heart has amazingly changed in just a few days
- The Holy Spirit gave Peter revelation knowledge regarding the vision he received from God a few days earlier; this happened when it occurred to Peter that the vision wasn't about clean and unclean foods but that it was about people and his arrogant mind considering the Gentiles to be "unclean" people, leading to the revelation that no one was underneath God's love
- [See v.34-35] ' "God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation" '- Peter speaks out the revelation that he has received in his heart from God; the gospel went beyond Jews and Gentiles, transcending cultures, nations and races
- God does not see what we look like and judge us but by what is in our hearts- whether we 'fear him and do what is right' [v.35]
- [See v.36-43] Peter proclaims the gospel to Cornelius and other Gentiles just as he has preached to the Jews, presenting the same message
- This fulfilled what was foretold in the Old Testament of a day when a light would shine in the darkness of the Gentile world as stated in Isaiah 60:1-3,
1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
