PETER in Acts 10-11
These chapters present a twin-vision story that is both thrilling and amazing because of the wisdom of God shown so clearly. Just as the previous chapter tells of a twin vision between Ananias and Paul in accomplishing God’s plan, this chapter tells how Cornelius and PETER have twin visions that complement each other. (Merida, p. 147)
In chapter 9 PETER had been summoned to Joppa to pray for a deceased Christian woman named Dorcas. After she was raised from death, he stayed there a while to strengthen the new church that sprang up because of her resuscitation. Soon, he will be summoned to Caesarea, further north along the same coast. But we are getting ahead of our story.
In Caesarea, there lived a devout Roman centurion. His duty post was considered a capital of Roman occupation in Israel, a military town. According to Tony Merida (professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina), “it’s important to know that the Jews hated Caesarea. They called it the daughter of Edom, a place of ungodliness, that is a symbolic name for Rome.” (p. 146)
Cornelius was devout in his devotion to the God of the Jews, not his Roman gods—he was a Gentile “God-fearer.” Author Luke says of him in Acts 10:2 that “he and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.” (Emphasis added)
One day around 3 PM, an angel appeared to Cornelius as he was praying as usual. The angel told him in specific terms to send for Simon, also called PETER, who was staying in Joppa with another man named Simon, a tanner who lived near the sea. The angel said that PETER would give Cornelius words that he needed to hear. He immediately obeyed the angel by choosing three trusted men to go find PETER and explain what had happened. Since Joppa was thirty-one miles away, the trip was a two-day affair by foot.
Meanwhile, in Joppa around noon the next day, God was working to prepare PETER’S heart for ministry just ahead that would change the course of Christianity and world history. He was on the tanner’s rooftop when his half of the twin vision occurred. He was growing hungry and waiting for lunch to be prepared, so he was using the time to pray. He saw a trance or vision, a day-time dream. This trance was repeated three times to resonate with the memories in his history, i.e., his denial and reinstatement. He saw clearly a large sheet let down from heaven by its four corners. It was filled with all types of non-Kosher animals forbidden by Jewish dietary laws of Leviticus 11, like catfish, four-legged animals, buzzards, reptiles, etc. A voice told him to get up, kill, and eat. His reply was, “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” (10:14)
The voice came again in verse 15 with a second command: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” The same vision happened twice more, leaving PETER to ponder its meaning when the Spirit told him to go downstairs because the men from Cornelius were looking for him and to go with them without doubting because it was really God (not Cornelius) who sent them. As usual, PETER obeyed. He even invited these non-Jews into the house as guests till the following day.
Two days later, PETER, six other Christian friends whom he took along as witnesses, and the men Cornelius had sent all reached their destination in Caesarea. Although the emissaries had explained their mission, PETER met Cornelius, stopped him from bowing to him, and asked him his purpose for calling for him. If the Holy Spirit had not prepared PETER, he could have been filled with dread in stepping into this Roman scenario. “In this intensely Gentile place PETER comes to terms with his own prejudices. The gospel is about to shatter an antigospel tradition lurking in the apostle’s heart.” (Merida, p. 146)
PETER discovered that Cornelius had assembled a group of sympathetic relatives and friends who were waiting to hear words of life from him. Peter’s short sermon covers all the basic points of the Gospel. God honored his witness by filling the Gentile believers with the Holy Spirit:
The circumcised believers who had come with PETER were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then PETER said, “Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 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.
Tony Merida has labeled Act 2 as the Jewish Pentecost, Acts 8 as the Samaritan Pentecost, and Acts 10 as the Gentile Pentecost. (p. 151) Today all believers need to ask for their own Pentecost, just as they have asked for their own salvation experience. (Luke 11:13)
As usual, PETER stayed around a while to strengthen the new Spirit-filled, Gentile church. Jesus had never instructed His church to preach to Jews only. Even John the Baptist said that Jesus was the Lamb who would take away the sins of the world. Paul later taught that God’s idea was unity between the two groups. Dr. Thomas tells us that “this lack of union was due not to the actual law of the Old Testament, but to later accretions through tradition.” (Thomas, p. 113)
Acts 11 reveals the extent of cultural prejudice that God had to overcome to spread His gospel. A narrow-minded delegation in the Jerusalem church was shocked that PETER had entertained non-Jewish guests and then eaten with them and entered their homes!! He had to begin from the beginning to explain how the events happened. “Note the grounds of objection. It was not against the Gentiles becoming Christian, but against the terms of equality so evident in Peter’s fraternization.” (Thomas, p. 114) PETER backed up his defense by a direct quote from John the Baptist: “Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 11:16) John’s quote must have been important because it is found 5 more times in the New Testament, Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; and Acts 1:5.
And what about today? It was encouraging to hear my older son relate recently how he encouraged listeners at a youth camp in multi-cultural Belgium to believe in the goodness of God and receive His precious Holy Spirit. In contrast to the austere account in Exodus 19-20, he pointed them to Hebrews 12:22ff “You have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem…to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, [French version, ‘partying’] …to Jesus….” No wonder about 50% of the youth streamed into the aisles to receive laying on of hands and their baptisms. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever!!!
References:
Merida, Tony. Series Editors David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida. Christ-Centered Exposition, Exalting Jesus in Acts. Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2017.
Thomas, W. H. Griffith, D. D. The Apostle Peter, A Devotional Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1946.
Video:
YouTube, Dr. Con Campbell, “In Pursuit of Peter” Episode 4, “What Peter Did After Jesus Returned to Heaven,” Begin at 14:18 minutes. Accessed July 11, 2022.
Bible version: New International Version (NIV)