Acts 10

The name of the centurion Cornelius would not make it on anyone’s list of top ten Bible characters, but he certainly had a very significant place in the history of redemption. Since the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the worshipers of Yahweh who were able to be full covenant participants in the community of faith were almost entirely limited to the Israelites and their descendants. We celebrate the generous hints of a redemption that would go beyond the borders of Israel in the mention of the “mixed multitude” that left with the Israelites out of Egypt, and in the stories of people like Rahab, Ruth, and Naaman the Syrian. Yet these are exceptions to the strong pattern of a more narrow covenant life. It is with this man Cornelius that a move of the Spirit of God is started, where the whole fabric of church life truly begins to change, for here we have a large company of Gentiles openly being brought into the fold of the Israel of God, not by becoming Jews first, but through faith in Jesus Christ.

This Cornelius was one of many who had an observer’s interest in the ways of Judaism. There were many Gentiles, so called “God-fearers,” who more or less attended to the ways of Judaism but were unwilling to be circumcised. They attended synagogues throughout the Roman world, and would soon be one of the key groups to respond to the message of Jesus the Messiah, who is the Savior, not only of Jews, but of Gentiles as well. Cornelius was a devout man, a man who led his entire household in the service of God, faithful in prayer, and generous to the poor. This centurion receives a vision with a message addressing him directly, and instructing him to send for the apostle Peter, though the purpose of this was not immediately disclosed.

Meanwhile, Peter was receiving his own message from heaven in the midst of prayer, where he was instructed by a voice from beyond to eat food being lowered down to him from the skies, food that was unclean according to the Mosaic Law. Peter refused to do this out of what he thought was a good impulse to follow God’s Law. The instruction was clear: “What God has made clean, do not call common.” The incident was repeated three times. In Genesis, when Pharaoh had two dreams that were truly one, the patriarch Joseph explains to Pharaoh that the “doubling of Pharaoh's dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.” Here is an experience that happens three times. It is important, certain, and near. God is cleansing people who used to be classified as unclean, and Peter must do what God instructs.

The meaning of this experience becomes somewhat clearer very shortly. At that exact instant the visitors from Cornelius arrived. They tell what they know, and in the morning Peter goes off with this delegation to see Cornelius himself, who has gathered together friends and family in anticipation of, he knows not what. In fact this is one of the most striking things about this account. The apostolic Jewish delegation travels by God’s command to see the Gentile delegation at the home of Cornelius. They are waiting for the Jewish Christians at the command of God, but no one but God seems to know exactly what this is all about.

Cornelius shows such deference to Peter that the apostle has to correct him mildly. Peter knows that he is just a man, just like Cornelius is a man. God is the only one to be worshiped. They each proceed to tell their own piece of the story, and then what? What will God do now that they have all come together, and now that the Lord has fully prepared Peter to treat these Gentiles as those who are clean? Cornelius has everyone there. He is ready to hear from God. He indicates that willingness, saying, “We are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

Peter’s message is inspiring. A new and long-anticipated day has come. God shows no partiality, but has made a way of peace for people of all nations for “anyone who fears him and does what is right.” This is a shockingly broad message of acceptance, though one wonders this: Who has done what is right? Peter speaks the Word of good news that went first to the Jews, but now comes to the Gentiles as well. Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah, is Lord of all. His history of spiritual and miraculous deeds is known. Peter is a very reliable witness of these things, so that he can assure the assembled congregation that what they have heard is true. This Jesus was put to death, but God raised Him on the third day. The Lord chose those who would be ambassadorial witnesses for Him from among those who were with Him, particularly after His resurrection, even eating and drinking with Him in a body that could never die. This Jesus Christ is to be preached everywhere, and He will come again as the Judge of the living and the dead. Everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.

The importance of this message deserves our careful consideration. The Lord will accept those who fear Him and do what is good. How can we who have sinned be judged to be those who have done what is good? The answer is proclaimed even to a very good Gentile like Cornelius. Everyone who believes in Jesus receives the forgiveness of sins. This is justification by faith, and this is what the apostles were commanded to preach. People everywhere who believe in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through His Name.

This is the right message, a new Word for the world that sets before all men the most significant redemptive acts since the beginning of creation. Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again. Believe and be forgiven. This is the message that the Holy Spirit of God then attests to with a second Pentecost. There is another baptism of the Holy Spirit, this one on the Gentile hearers of the Word, just as there was earlier on the Jewish hearers of the Word, with the same manifesting signs of a great work of God. This entire event was brought about by the Lord Himself. It only remained for the His appointed ministers to gladly mark with water, those whom God Himself had marked with His own Holy Spirit. God had made these new believers clean through faith in Christ. The church could no longer look upon them as common. The day of Gentile salvation had fully come.