Comments on Acts 10 v1-8 A Roman soldier named Cornelius is a devout believer, as is his family, and prone to many good works. He has a vision wherein he is instructed by an angel to send for one named Peter, and directions are given. He does as instructed and sends two servants and a soldier to get Peter. v9-16 The next day as the three sent by Cornelius are approaching Joppa, Peter goes up on the housetop about noontime and prays, and gets quite hungry while waiting for lunch. There, he is overwhelmed by a vision that plays on his hunger. The vision is of all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds being lowered to him from heaven. He is then told to by the Lord to go ahead and eat them. But Peter rejects the suggestion because the animals are unclean. And the Lord counters saying what He has cleansed is not unholy. This vision repeats itself two more times, and then the animals are taken back up into heaven. v10 "trance", the Greek term here is "ekstasis" and conveys the meaning of something that overwhelms the senses. It is variously translated in the KJV as "amazement", "astonishment", and "trance". v11 The translation of this verse is problematic. We have the KJV, which suggests a sheet tied up at the corners and contains all of these various creatures. The New American Standard (NAS) reads: and he beheld the sky opened up, and a ceratin object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, and there were in it all kinds of four- footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. This translation follows the KJV on 11:5 wherein Peter recounts the vision. The Concordant Literal NT (CLNT) reads: and he is beholding heaven open and a certain utensil descending, as a large sheet, with four edges, being let down on the earth, in which belonged all the quadrupeds and reptiles of the earth and the flying creatures of heaven. The NAS and CLNT suggest the four corners are not bound up but rather the "certain object" or "utensil" has four corners and edges like a sheet, almost like a serving tray. And, the NAS and KJV on 11:5 suggests the lowering down is from the four corners. Whatever the thing was it must have been quite large for it to contain all different sorts of animals as the description gives. The object having four corners may be a symbolic parallel to the four corners and four winds of the earth (cp. Isa. 11:12, Rev. 7:1), as the animals are of all different sorts. v15-20 "What God hath cleansed (v. 15)...This was done thrice (v. 16)...three men seek thee (v. 19)...I have sent them (v. 20), the threefold repetition of the vision is paralleled by the three men, and Peter's vision is paralleled by Cornelius' vision, which is referenced in v. 20. v17-33 As Peter is puzzling over the meaning of this vision when the three sent from Cornelius arrive at the city gate and enquire concerning Simon the tanner and Simon Peter. At that moment the Spirit tells Peter that three men whom the Lord has sent are looking for him and he is to go with them and doubt nothing (v. 17-20). Peter goes down, sees the three men and identifies himself as the one they are looking for, another miracle for the three as there is no other way he could have known they were coming, and asks them why they are looking for him. They recount Cornelius' vision and tell him of his character and his sending them. Peter accepts them, puts them up for the night at Simon's and the next day they travel to see Cornelius taking with him some of the disciples there at Joppa (v. 21-23). Meanwhile, Cornelius has gathered together many of his Gentile friends who are also believers. When Peter shows up Cornelius goes out and falls down at his feet, but Peter stops him and tells him he is just a man. They talk and Cornelius escorts him inside where the others are all gathered. Peter then tells him that while it was formerly unlawful for Jews to mingle with Gentiles in religious worship, the Lord has since told him he ought not to consider any man unclean, making reference to the threefold vision he previously had. This vision being the reason he went to Cornelius when summoned without protest despite his being a Gentile. He then asks why Cornelius sent for him (v. 24-29). Cornelius, in answer, recounts the vision which prompted his sending the three to him, and states they are all now gathered together to hear the word of God through Peter (v. 30-33). v17-18 The three men enquire at the gate concerning both Simon the tanner and Simon Peter. As Cornelius related to them the circumstance of the revelation, they have got to be very interested and curious to see something so blatantly miraculous. And, so, they presumably ask to see if the revelation was genuine. Naturally, they might have just been asking for directions, but the additional question verifying Peter's being at Simon's house suggests they are interested in more than just directions. v17 The matter of revelation is not always one of immediately perceiving the meaning of the revelation by inspiration. Revelations are commonly interactive where the recipient must ponder over their meaning, this is clearly the case here. Also, recall that in Lehi's Tree of Life vision he is so overwhelmed by the whole thing that he fails to note the river of water is a river of filthy water, cf. 1 Ne. 15:27. Peter ultimately discerns the meaning of the vision as v. 28 and the next chapter inform us. v29 "without gainsaying", i.e., without raising any objection. v34-48 Peter perceives that the Lord is not partial to people based upon race or lineage, but is accepting all those who worship Him righteously. Previously the gospel was preached to Israel, but now all the nations know about Jesus' ministry. The apostles were firsthand witnesses of Jesus' ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection, and now they are called to testify of what they saw (v. 34-43). While Peter is preaching the Spirit falls on all present, Jew and Gentile alike. The Jews, those who came with Peter from Joppa per v. 23, present are astonished that the Spirit falls upon the Gentiles such that they can speak in tongues. Peter sees this as plain evidence of God's acceptance of them, and says that it is clear nobody can refuse baptism to the Gentiles. And so Cornelius and the others have Peter stay with them for some time (v. 44-48). v34 "God is no respecter of persons", a poor translation in the KJV. A better translation would be "God is not one to show partiality" (NAS). This raises the question, "If God is now no respecter of persons, then was He a respecter of persons before fulfilling the Law of Moses since the Gentiles were excluded?" No. And the next verse explains the context, as He is accepting all who revere Him and are righteous. He did so while the Law of Moses was imposed upon Israel in individual cases, take Ruth for example as well as the Canaanite woman in Matt. 15:22-28. So, why the codified prohibitions in the Law concerning Gentiles? Because the majority of Israel's neighbors in Canaan were terribly wicked, cf. Lev. 18:24-28, Lev. 20:22-23, Deut. 9:4, Deut. 18:9-14. The result was the Lord did not want them commingling with the Gentiles and being perverted in the process, cf. Deut 7:1-6, Deut. 20:15-18. Was the Lord being a "respecter of persons" then? No, he was rejecting those who did not revere Him and who were unrighteous. His acceptance or rejection of people is based upon their behavior. Even Israel can behave badly enough for Him to destroy them in general and leave only a righteous remnant to fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant. Regardless, the Lord has now lifted the general ban on worshiping with the Gentiles, as was predicted, cf. Isa. 56:1-8, John 4:35-38. v41-48 contains what is called in Full-time Missionary work "God's Pattern". The four steps are: 1) God chooses witnesses (v. 41) 2) the witnesses preach and testify (v. 42) 3) the Spirit witnesses truth to those who hear (v. 44) 4) the believers are baptized (v. 47-48) Copyright © 2002 by S. Kurt Neumiller . All rights reserved. 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