10
The case of Cornelius
1 Now there was a certain man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, 2 devout and fearing God with all his household, both giving alms generously to the people and praying to God about everything.[a] 3 About the ninth hour of the day,[b] in a vision, he saw clearly an angel of God entering his presence and saying to him, “Cornelius!” 4 Well, staring at him and being frightened he said, “What is it, Lord?” So he said to him: “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa and summon Simon, who is surnamed Peter; 6 he is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.”[c] 7 So when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who were faithful to him, 8 and explaining everything to them he sent them to Joppa.
God prepares Peter
9 Now on the next day, as they were traveling and drawing near to the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray at about noon.[d] 10 Well he became hungry and wanted to eat; but while they were preparing, a trance fell on him, 11 and he saw the heaven opened and a container like a great sheet descending to him—it was tied at the four corners and was being let down to the earth— 12 in which were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth (both wild animals and reptiles) and birds of the sky.[e] 13 Then a voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, slaughter and eat!” 14 But Peter said: “No way, Lord! Never have I eaten anything ‘common’[f] or unclean!” 15 So the voice came to him a second time, “What (pl) God has made clean you must not call ‘common’!” 16 Well this happened three times, and then the object was taken back up into the sky.
The messengers arrive
17 Now as Peter was really perplexed within himself as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, well the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having inquired and found Simon's house, stood before the gate, 18 and calling out they inquired whether Simon, who was surnamed Peter, was staying there as a guest. 19 So as Peter was pondering the vision the Spirit said to him: “Listen, some men are looking for you; 20 so get up and go downstairs; and go with them, doubting nothing, for I have sent them.” 21 So going down to the men[g] Peter said: “Yes, I am the one you are looking for. For what reason have you come?” 22 So they said: “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man, well spoken of by all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by an angel[h] to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.” 23 So he invited them in and put them up.
On to Caesarea
The next day Peter set out with them, also some of the brothers from Joppa went with him; 24 and the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them,*Let us try to get the ‘feel’ of this watershed event. Cornelius is a Gentile, but he REALLY wants to know God; yet he ‘knows’ that Jehovah has a thing with the Jews and is not too big on Gentiles. But he is convinced that Jehovah is the true God and is doing his very best to please Him. So one day God gives him a special dispensation of grace; He sends an angel! Was Cornelius excited, or was he excited!! Like, wow. So he sends his messengers hotfooting it to Joppa (some 60 km), and they do it in less than 24 hours. So what does Cornelius do while he waits? He prays and fasts. Surely, he was already a man of prayer (verse 2) so how is he going to show his appreciation to God for the special favor? He fasts—now that he has God's attention, marvel of marvels, he wants to stay tuned in so as not to miss anything. And after allowing for the minimum time necessary for the round trip, he is at the door looking down the road—well, being a military commander he doubtless had lookouts and probably had someone on duty to tell him when the group came into view. Enter Peter. He lays on the bit about Jews not contaminating themselves with Gentiles, but God told him to come, and so what does Cornelius want. Now it is his turn—he is looking at a Jew who is not exactly oozing enthusiasm at being there, but he is Jehovah's messenger and the centurion understands about rank and authority; so he plays the only cards he has: his own sincerity and seriousness and God's revealed will. (See the second note down.) having called together his relatives and close friends. 25 So when Peter actually arrived, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet and worshiped. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying: “Stand up! I myself am also a man.” 27 And conversing with him he went in and found many gathered there. 28 Then he said to them: “You know how it is unlawful for a Jewish man to associate with or to approach a different race; but God has shown me that I should not call any man ‘common’ or unclean. 29 Therefore also I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. So I ask, for what reason did you send for me?”
30 So Cornelius said: “I have been fasting[j] during four days until this very hour; yes, it was the ninth hour,‡“I have been fasting during four days until this very hour” (the first card) and “the ninth hour…” (the second card). About the sequence, we observe the following:
verse 3—1st day: Cornelius sees angel, about 3 p.m., and sends messengers forthwith;
verse 9—2nd day: Peter has vision, after 12 noon, and messengers arrive (& are lodged for the night);
verse 23—3rd day: Peter and company leave Joppa;
verse 24—4th day: they enter Caesarea (probably before noon).
So, by western reckoning we have not quite three full days, but by Hebrew and Brazilian reckoning we have a situation that involves four days.
The messengers, under urgent orders, did the 60 km in under 24 hours (whether they went all night, we do not know, but they were probably obviously tired when they showed up at Peter's gate). Peter was not about to be stampeded into action; he had to eat, sort things out in his mind, talk it over with the others—since they decided to send a committee, preparations had to be made. So they set out the next day, but they are dignified Jews and are not going to run—they set a steady pace and probably make some 45 km before stopping for the night. The remaining 15 km they knock off before noon the next day. So, the “this very hour” refers to the time of Peter's arrival. I was praying in my house when wow, a man stood before me in shining clothing 31 and said: ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms are remembered before God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and summon Simon, who is surnamed Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea; upon arriving he will speak to you.’[l] 33 So I sent to you at once, and you did well to come. Now then, we are all present before God to hear all the things commanded you by God.”*Cornelius does not beat around the bush, he wants to hear from God. Instead of ‘God’ some 5% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘the Lord’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).
Peter preaches
34 So opening his mouth Peter said: “Really, I comprehend that God is not One to show partiality, 35 but in every ethnic nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is acceptable to Him.[n] 36 The word that He sent to the sons[o] of Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— 37 that spoken word you know, that was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism that John preached:[p] 38 Jesus of Natsareth, how God anointed Him with Holy Spirit and power, who went about doing good and healing all those being oppressed by the devil,[q] because God was with Him 39 —yes, we are witnesses of all that He did, both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem—whom they also killed, hanging Him on a tree. 40 Him God raised on the third day, and gave Him to become visible, 41 not to all the people but to witnesses who had been chosen beforehand by God, to us, who ate and drank with Him after He arose out from the dead.[r] 42 And He ordered us to proclaim to the people, that is, to testify that He is the One who has been ordained by God as Judge of living and dead. 43 To Him all the prophets bear witness[s] that through His name[t] everyone who believes into Him will receive forgiveness of sins.”[u]
The Holy Spirit falls
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all who were hearing the message.[v] 45 Well the believers of the circumcision [Jews] who had come with Peter were astonished, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had also been poured out on the Gentiles, 46 in that they heard them speaking languages[w] and magnifying God. Then Peter responded: 47 “Surely no one can forbid the water, can he, that these should not be baptized[x] who received the Holy Spirit just like we did?” 48 So he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.[y] Then they asked him to stay a few days.
<- Acts 9Acts 11 ->
- a How about us; do we pray to God about everything?
- b That would be 3 p.m. in Hebrew time, one of the Jewish hours of prayer.
- c The familiar “He will tell you what you must do” (as in AV and NKJV) comes from the TR, which is here based on a very few late Greek manuscripts plus part of the Latin tradition.
- d The Text has “the sixth hour”.
- e What the Text actually says, literally, is: “all the four-footed of the earth, and the wild animals, and the reptiles, and the birds of the sky”—a rerun of Noah's ark! Well, if the sheet were large enough… However, from Peter's response it appears that no ‘clean’ animals or birds were included. I am tempted to translate: “all the four-footed of the earth—that is, the wild animals and the reptiles—and the birds of the sky” wherein the ‘birds of the sky’ are carrion fowl (songbirds and game birds generally stay close to the ground).
- f That is, something ritually or ceremonially impure (and therefore not to be eaten).
- g Some 35% of the Greek manuscripts add “who had been sent to him from Cornelius”, as in AV and NKJV.
- h I follow the best line of transmission in not adding ‘holy’, although here representing only 20% of the manuscripts. To be giving divine instruction the angel was evidently from God.
- i Let us try to get the ‘feel’ of this watershed event. Cornelius is a Gentile, but he REALLY wants to know God; yet he ‘knows’ that Jehovah has a thing with the Jews and is not too big on Gentiles. But he is convinced that Jehovah is the true God and is doing his very best to please Him. So one day God gives him a special dispensation of grace; He sends an angel! Was Cornelius excited, or was he excited!! Like, wow. So he sends his messengers hotfooting it to Joppa (some 60 km), and they do it in less than 24 hours. So what does Cornelius do while he waits? He prays and fasts. Surely, he was already a man of prayer (verse 2) so how is he going to show his appreciation to God for the special favor? He fasts—now that he has God's attention, marvel of marvels, he wants to stay tuned in so as not to miss anything. And after allowing for the minimum time necessary for the round trip, he is at the door looking down the road—well, being a military commander he doubtless had lookouts and probably had someone on duty to tell him when the group came into view. Enter Peter. He lays on the bit about Jews not contaminating themselves with Gentiles, but God told him to come, and so what does Cornelius want. Now it is his turn—he is looking at a Jew who is not exactly oozing enthusiasm at being there, but he is Jehovah's messenger and the centurion understands about rank and authority; so he plays the only cards he has: his own sincerity and seriousness and God's revealed will. (See the second note down.)
- j Some 3.5% of the Greek manuscripts omit the ‘fasting’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).
- k “I have been fasting during four days until this very hour” (the first card) and “the ninth hour…” (the second card). About the sequence, we observe the following: verse 3—1st day: Cornelius sees angel, about 3 p.m., and sends messengers forthwith; verse 9—2nd day: Peter has vision, after 12 noon, and messengers arrive (& are lodged for the night); verse 23—3rd day: Peter and company leave Joppa; verse 24—4th day: they enter Caesarea (probably before noon). So, by western reckoning we have not quite three full days, but by Hebrew and Brazilian reckoning we have a situation that involves four days. The messengers, under urgent orders, did the 60 km in under 24 hours (whether they went all night, we do not know, but they were probably obviously tired when they showed up at Peter's gate). Peter was not about to be stampeded into action; he had to eat, sort things out in his mind, talk it over with the others—since they decided to send a committee, preparations had to be made. So they set out the next day, but they are dignified Jews and are not going to run—they set a steady pace and probably make some 45 km before stopping for the night. The remaining 15 km they knock off before noon the next day. So, the “this very hour” refers to the time of Peter's arrival.
- l Less than 5% of the Greek manuscripts omit “upon arriving he will speak to you” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).
- m Cornelius does not beat around the bush, he wants to hear from God. Instead of ‘God’ some 5% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘the Lord’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).
- n This statement of Peter's does not fit in very well with the doctrine of salvation (soteriology) as taught in many schools and churches. God deals with people where they are, within the context that they are. Surely, because He cannot deal with people where they are not.
- o ‘Sons’ is often translated ‘children’ when referring to the descendants of Jacob—Peter is referring to the current generation, the one that received the revelation of ‘Jesus Christ’.
- p As soon as John was put in prison, which was the end of his preaching and baptizing, Jesus moved out of Judea into Galilee—He spent over a year there before returning to Judea. Peter is assuming that Cornelius would have followed the career of Jesus with interest. He gives a very brief, almost disjointed, review of some salient points.
- q The devil is Satan. Did Peter mean that every time Jesus saw an oppressed person He healed them, or did he mean that everyone whom Jesus healed was oppressed, or both? The episode at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:2-13) would appear to eliminate the first option, that every time He saw an oppressed person He healed them, because there was a “great multitude” of oppressed people there, and Jesus obviously saw them, but He did nothing to help them. This leaves us with the clear conclusion that it is the second meaning that is correct, everyone whom Jesus healed was oppressed, which means that Satan is involved in all maladies. [With reference to John 5:2-13, less than 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit the last clause of verse 3 and all of verse 4 (as in NIV, NASB, LB, [TEV], etc.). But obviously all those people would not stay there (in discomfort) day in and day out, year in and year out, if nothing was happening. Obviously people got healed, and verse 7 makes clear that it had to do with the stirring of the water—so why did not those manuscripts omit verse 7 as well? The UBS editions do us a considerable disservice by following a very small minority of manuscripts and making the angel “of the Lord”. Since angels can be good or fallen, it seems most likely to me that the angel involved was fallen. A capricious, occasional healing condemned all those people to added suffering (being at the pool instead of the comfort of home), including the frustration and despair of those who never made it (like the man Jesus healed). A sadistic procedure is just like Satan.]
- r Here we have an interesting bit of information not recorded elsewhere. Jesus ate and drank with some of them after His resurrection.
- s Presumably the prophets all bear witness to the Messiah in some way.
- t I take “through His name” to mean something like ‘because of His identity’ as Messiah and Jehovah the Son.
- u This was the crucial bit of information they were waiting for, what they had to do to be saved. The minute Peter said, “believe into Jesus”, they did! And the Holy Spirit came upon them! Believe “into” not “in”—a change of location is involved, from being outside to being inside, which requires commitment.
- v If anyone present was not ‘hearing’ they would neither believe nor receive.
- w The term often rendered ‘tongue’ is the ordinary word for ‘language’—these were presumably real languages, though unknown to the hearers (and speakers). What happened here went against the Jews' worldview.
- x Baptism followed immediately upon conversion (not after weeks of instruction and observation). I believe they were formally severing any and all connection with Satan and the world controlled by him, and placing themselves under the protection of the Lord Jesus. The sooner a new convert does that the better. Did the centurion have a swimming pool in his house? Would there have been enough water there to immerse all those people?
- y The Greek manuscripts are divided among three main variants here (‘the Lord Jesus’ [35%], ‘the Lord’ [57%], ‘Jesus Christ’ [8%]); I have followed what I understand to be the best line of transmission.