Jesus sent Peter, a Jewish Apostle and patriarch in the Way, to a Gentile. It took some convincing but Peter, through divine intervention, realized that this was God’s plan and that the gift of salvation was to large a gift to be confined only to the Jews. In the manner that we judge others we will be judged by the same standards.
I always keep Micah’s words close to my heart.
Micah 6:8 8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
1 Peter 4:3 For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. 4 In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. 5 They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
Peter was writing to the persecuted Jewish believers and converts. They were being persecuted by both the Jewish Scribes and Pharisees and the Roman government. Then, as now, we need to be unified as believers in the Gospel of Grace and willing to suffer for Christ as He suffered for us. The world that they lived in was filled with all the excessive sins that their society thought was right. Then, as now, we fight against the culture and live according to the Spirit who is able to sustain and keep us. Society with all of its influence will never understand our faith until we hold up the cross of Jesus as an example of God’s great love offered to them. We can show His love to others by our testimony of His forgiveness He has given of our many sins. It is nothing to do with us. It is everything to do with Jesus and His sacrifice.
Romans 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
Throughout man’s existence the creation has searched for God. All of His creation speaks to His glory.
Acts 10:1–16
10 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, 2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. 3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!” 4 And when he observed him, he was afraid, and 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 send for Simon whose surname is Peter. 6 He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.” 7 And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. 8 So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa. Peter’s Vision 9 The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. 10 Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance 11 and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 13 And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” 15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” 16 This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again. The New King James Version
Devout and fearing God is Luke’s designation for Gentiles (non-Jewish people) who worshiped the God of Israel.
Cornelius was not Jewish and may not have been a full convert—in the sense of abiding by Jewish food practices and circumcision—but he was a worshiper of Yahweh.
Memorial offering suggests either that Cornelius’ prayers are a remembrance of God’s goodness toward him, or more likely, that in response to Cornelius’ prayers God is about to remember him—that is, to act on his behalf.
Devout implies the soldier also worshiped the true God, Yahweh.
God gives Peter a vision that prepares him for the arrival of the messengers from Cornelius. The vision’s meaning and old testament allusions reinforce the universal cultural scope of the Church’s message and mission.
Luke, the narrator, probably intends to convey that virtually every sort of creature was present. Some of the creatures the Lord tells Peter to eat would have been forbidden for a Jew to eat, and others would have been acceptable. Peter’s strong reaction against God’s command likely stemmed from the fact that he would have considered even the otherwise clean animals to be contaminated by being mingled with the unclean, on the basis of old testament law.
Just as Peter had denied Jesus three times (Luke 22:34), here he refuses to obey three times. The Spirit helps Peter to understand the vision by acting on it instead of merely continuing to contemplate it. Faithlife Study Bible
one who feared God (Gk. phoboumenos ton theon) (10:2, 22; 13:16, 26) Strong’s #5399; 2316: Simply stated, this expression means “God-fearer.” Luke identifies such a category of people throughout the Book of Acts (see 10:2, 22, 35; 13:16, 26 for the expression “fearing God,” and 13:43, 50; 16:14; 17:4, 17; 18:7 for the expression “devout” or “worshiping God”). The God-fearers were Gentiles who were interested in Judaism but were not necessarily converts or proselytes. They worshiped the same God and observed the same laws as the Jews did, but they did not become circumcised. Many of these God-fearers were the first Gentiles to become Christians. Cornelius was the prototype of such a God-fearer.
While his host was preparing the noon meal, Peter fell into a trance during which he was commanded to kill and eat all kinds of animals, reptiles, and birds. The problem was that the animals were mixed: clean and unclean beasts were gathered together (Leviticus 11). Jewish people were taught from childhood never to touch or eat any animal that was unclean. However, here Peter was being commanded by God to do just that.
Three times God corrected Peter’s resistance with the words, what God has cleansed you must not call common. Food may have been his first consideration, but Peter would soon understand the greater message. The vision was a sign from heaven that Jews were no longer to call Gentiles unclean. From that point on, these two groups would be on equal footing before the Father. God was breaking down Peter’s prejudices. The NKJV Study Bible.
Hitherto none had been baptized into the Christian church but Jews, Samaritans, and those converts who had been circumcised and observed the ceremonial law; but now the Gentiles were to be called to partake all the privileges of God’s people, without first becoming Jews.
Pure and undefiled religion is sometimes found where we least expect it. Wherever the fear of God rules in the heart, it will appear both in works of charity and of piety, neither will excuse from the other. Doubtless Cornelius had true faith in God’s word, as far as he understood it, though not as yet clear faith in Christ. This was the work of the Spirit of God, through the mediation of Jesus, even before Cornelius knew him, as is the case with us all when we, who before were dead in sin, are made alive. Through Christ also his prayers and alms were accepted, which otherwise would have been rejected. Without dispute or delay Cornelius was obedient to the heavenly vision. In the affairs of our souls, let us not lose time.
The prejudices of Peter against the Gentiles, would have prevented his going to Cornelius, unless the Lord had prepared him for this service. To tell a Jew that God had directed those animals to be reckoned clean which were hitherto deemed unclean, was in effect saying, that the law of Moses was done away. Peter was soon made to know the meaning of it. God knows what services are before us, and how to prepare us; and we know the meaning of what he has taught us, when we find what occasion we have to make use of it. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Acts 10:19–32 While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you. Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”…
I have written before that I was raised in a world where excess is a dirty word. I assimilated and absorbed life in the school of antiseptic gardening, requiring, even demanding a well-manicured, well-modulated world. That is, all things in their correct places. Above all, tidy and evenly spaced, with no threat of overflow, for there nothing touches. I chose to strive for what was proper and tasteful. Unobtrusive and correct. In this light, my vocational choice made sense. The thought of intoxication as a prerequisite for my soul was utter heresy!
I excelled (cum laude and all that) in the school where image is everything, measured against the requirement to do things "correctly." So, it is no surprise that all areas of my life were carefully scripted. And I kept all of my emotions in check, meting out only those that others or I deemed appropriate. I went overboard protecting myself against the sin of immoderation.
However, you slice it, there is, to be sure, a price to be paid for living with—all emotions restricted, close to the chest. The payoff is certainly for the short run, while we still enjoy the apparent rewards for our protectiveness, as the world feels manageable and comfortable. Meanwhile, our enemies—our fears—are kept at bay by true grit.
Here's what I know now: I try not to live that way anymore.
It’s all about rewriting the codes. We’ve been wired this way for so long, it’s hard to stop. Just learning to say, “I’ve fallen in love with living,” without a grimace or need for further explanation takes fortitude and resolve usually not found in our species.
Either way, today, I say that it is time to give the judges and scorekeepers a day off. Sabbath Moments
I recall an afternoon early in my ministry when the invitation of Jesus to the weary became the invitation of Jesus to Max. I was supposed to be studying. But I could not concentrate. I thought I had to fix everyone’s problems, shoulder everyone’s burdens, and never grow weary in doing so. After some moments I bowed my head and sighed, and this scripture came to mind: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
It was the pronoun me that got me. I had been turning to everyone and everything but him. Why did that verse come to mind? Simple – the Holy Spirit, my teacher, reminded me. The Spirit of Christ will do this for you, my friend. Max Lucado
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