commentary acts 10:34 47commentary acts 10:34 47

For He is the Lord of all. So the Lord, no doubt, chose Peter because of his position of authority, leadership in the early church, and at least he was able to have a hearing before the brethren before they kicked him out. God is always wise. This is all quite right. You see, if you reject Him, then you are declaring your own judgment. That event seemed, incidentally but now we see, not so incidentally to give us our first glimpse of Saul (Acts 7:58-8:1). In this one momentous statement, Peter wipes away the privileged position the Jews have held under the Mosaic covenant. exegesis The area of Caesarea was also a seaport, but it was built by Herod the Great. Peter is inviting these gentiles to come on into the house.] And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him. For Luke, this moment is significant well beyond Peter's life. View Bible Text Commentary on Acts 10:34-43 Eric Barreto Acts 10 narrates a significant change in Peter's own life but also a massive shift in the trajectory of the church's mission in its earliest days. iv. - On the morrow for the morrow after, A.V. As there was a Job in the Old Testament, independent of the law and perhaps before it, so we find a Cornelius before the glad tidings in the New Testament had been formally sent to the nations. "Whosoever believeth on him shall receive remission of sins." Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. And on the next day after they entered into Caesarea. behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon's house, and they were standing before the gate ( Acts 10:17 ). So they stood at the gate. Taking the gospel to the Gentiles. We will be thinking about the meaning of the work of Jesus Christ for "outcasts," as represented by the Gentile Cornelius and his family, as we study Acts 10:34-47 for Sunday, November 28. What am I going to do with Jesus who is called Christ? At any rate, the Lord now graciously interferes, and as he gives Cornelius to see a vision most instructive to him, so next day also there is to Peter another vision from the Lord. It is interesting how that people seek to elevate the servant of God many times to a position of almost worship. He wished to gain fresh influence, not to lose his old: why not, by this new method, if possible, turn things to his own account? He was now convinced that God was no respecter of persons; that as all must stand before his judgment seat, to be judged according to the deeds done in the body, so no one nation, or people, or individual, could expect to find a more favourable decision than another who was precisely in the same moral state; for the phrase, respect of persons, is used in reference to unjust decisions in a court of justice, where, through favour, or interest, or bribe, a culprit is acquitted, and a righteous or innocent person condemned. In Acts there is no trace of one set of people only being able to administer baptism. 36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) 37 That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Juda, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; 38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. ii. We here enter on an entirely new phase of the Christian Church, the "opening of the door of faith to the Gentiles"; in other words, the recognition of Gentile, on terms of perfect equality with Jewish, discipleship without the . In this passage the most surprising things are happening. And so it was. Acts 14:15-17; Acts 17:22-31). hermneutik (techn) interpretive (art) < hermneuts interpreter], Abraham Joshua Heschel The Sabbath You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. gratitude Society's edition of his Comm. Before Cornelius could be welcomed into the Church, Peter had to learn a lesson. Verse 24. Confidence in man, in self, was overthrown to its foundations all that his life had been zealously building up. Then we find Simon struck not so much by an individual's endowment with miraculous power, as by the fact that others received it by the apostles' laying on of hands. Whether this was the ease among the Jews scripture does not say; but that there were persons who had this responsible place among them, as among the Gentile churches afterwards, we see clearly. He was at present quartered in Cesarea, a strong city, lately re-edified and fortified by Herod the Great, and called Cesarea in honour of Augustus Csar. Uniform Series Acts Chapter 10 34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. He had no confidence in the Lord for himself not a particle; for just as those who have confidence in the Lord have not an atom in man, his sole hope of blessing for his soul lay in the influence of another man, not in Christ's grace. It was so ordered of God that the Holy Ghost should not at first be conferred on the disciples at Samaria: I do not mean merely on such as Simon or false brethren, but even on those that were true. The word which we have translated battalion is the Greek word for a cohort. [The walls of tumbling. 39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: 40 Him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly; 41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. Because they were Gentiles to whom he preached. The voice that said, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" Barnabas was quite justified in seeking Saul. (4) If any were saved, it would be by God showing mercy on such of this common mass as he chose. The proofs of his resurrection were incontestably clear; for God showed him openly. Gates of Prayer I've never had one. Reflecting on Acts 10 34-47 What does it mean that God "shows no partiality" - that God is not one to play favorites? Everyone is determining their own destiny by how they judge Jesus Christ. But Herod the Great built a breakwater there and it is still a beautiful little harbor today. Jesus also promised, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself (John 12:32). They would not eat with Gentiles, they would not invite a Gentile into their home, nor would they go into the house of the Gentile, for the Gentiles were considered unclean. But those Gentiles were saved as they embraced Judaism as well as Christianity. Hereby he showed that he was sent of God, who is good and does good; and does good because he is good: and who hereby left not himself without witness to the world, in that he did good,Acts 14:17; Acts 14:17. That oral message, reduced here to writing by the evangelist Luke, had been available for years prior to the conversion of Cornelius, and was available throughout Peter's lifetime. It is we who by confounding matters lose consequently the blessedness and beauty of the truth of God. Such was the man to whom God was about to send the gospel by Peter. liturgy God This excellent sermon of Peter's is admirably suited to the circumstances of those to whom he preached it; for it was a new sermon. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. Worship God. A cursory glance at Acts 10:34-43, when unglued from the wider context of Acts 10:1-11:18, gives the impression that Peter's sermon offers a generic summary of Jesus' history: he lived, did good, died, and rose. It is not only in cases of our judgment (for there is nothing that so often judges a man as his own judgment of another); but also where the desire goes out after that which we have not got. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Now I really don't know much about trances. It was a long and deeply rooted opinion among the Jews, that God never would extend his favour to the Gentiles; and that the descendants of Jacob only should enjoy his peculiar favour and benediction. It is the message of life, but it is also the means of peace. Rise and go down and go with them without any hesitation, because it is I who sent them." He said, "You yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man who is a Jew to join himself or come to one of another nation, but God has shown me that I shouldn't call any man unholy or unclean" (10:28). In the process establishing a proof-textual pretext for a couple of millennia of Christian slander about you-know-who Christ-killers. Jesus And not the angel but the Spirit guides now. Peter here says that he had learned the error of this doctrine, and that a man is not to be accepted because he is a Jew, nor to be excluded because he is a Gentile. 1026.35 Requirements for higher-priced mortgage loans. At Samaria they had been baptized for some time, as we know. The Spirit given to the believer was a privilege over and above faith, and supposed, therefore, their repentance unto life. They had not those powers only, but this divine person given to them. Its the climax of the full story of Peter and Cornelius. Philip acts at once, with alacrity hears the eunuch read the prophet Isaiah, and puts the question whether he understood what was read. Peter then summarized the events of Jesus life, death and resurrection (37-42), and concluded by repeating that forgiveness was available to people of any nationality (43).Cornelius and his household, being already prepared for the gospel, readily believed when they heard it. Christianity Which was one of the ancient seaports along the Mediterranean. If God had given them the Holy Ghost, as was manifest in sensible results, it was very evident that they must have by God's grace had repentance unto life. He had a conviction that this was the instrument the Lord would use for good. So as God was speaking to Cornelius, He also was speaking to Peter there in Joppa. THE ENTRY OF THE GENTILES ( Acts 10:44-48 ). It did not escape the discerning eyes of Peter a little afterward. If certain kinds of food were not unclean, neither were certain kinds of people. Image: Saints Peter and Paul, Stained glass at St. Blaise Church, Dubrovnki, photographed by Tony Hisgett, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, Absolutely sterling exegesis. Philip is told by the angel of the Lord to arise and go towards the south towards "Gaza, which is desert." But the point here is lost in our English version. One of the lines in the episode that lives with me is Who are you to call profane/unclean what I have made clean.. (19-33) His discourse to Cornelius. This he still harps upon in his discourse, and takes all occasions to hint it to them. Jesus Christ So he went in, talking with him as he went. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. And He ate fish with them and He drank with them. Three days and nights he neither eats nor drinks. (i) Jesus was sent by God and equipped by him with the Spirit and with power. Man, Israel, not merely Saul, was altogether blinded: the flesh never knows God. [Some questions on the text are here.] His appointment was to take care of the tables. He was a centurion in the battalion called the Italian battalion. But they cried all the louder, "Crucify Him!" They were lifted out of themselves in an ecstasy and began to speak with tongues. The angel had to do with providential circumstances, but the Spirit with that which directly deals with spiritual need and blessing. 1. And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus. Ananias, wholly unprepared for the call of such an enemy of the gospel, slow of heart to believe all, expostulates, as it were, with the Saviour. ; and his near for and near, A.V. [Those scum?!] Ananias goes, puts his hand on him, addresses him by the sweet title of relationship Christ began, consecrated, and has given, telling him how the Lord, even Jesus, had appeared unto him. At least they were ready to give Peter a hearing because of his position in the church.They were upset when they heard that Peter went into the house of a Gentile. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given" ( Isaiah 9:6 ). Notwithstanding, the doubt is not as yet dissolved, (700) because it cannot be denied but that circumcision did please God, so that he counted him one of his people who had that token of sanctification. How could anything seem too great and good to him whose heart had just made the acquaintance of Jesus? In the portion which follows we shall see the manner of the Spirit of God's working by the great apostle of the Gentiles. By the time Peter left for Caesarea the next day, he had learnt the meaning of the vision. The Church neither preaches nor teaches, but Christ sends those who evangelize the world and teach the Church. No doubt he had read them many a time, but no better than we have read them, and many other words likewise; and how little we understood any of them to profit until the mighty power of God gave it efficacy in our souls! Now beginning in chapter 10, we get the next movement of the spread of the Gospel as it is now being proclaimed to the Gentiles. The Gentiles! If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. Need an easy lesson for children ages 8-12 on Acts 10: 34-47. It simply affirms that God will not save a man because he is a Jew, or because he is rich, or learned, or of elevated rank, or on account of external privileges; nor will he exclude a man because he is destitute of these privileges. We are not to be respecters of men's persons. Clearly they were not Christians; but God has all hearts in His keeping. However graciously given of the Lord as a token to attract the careless minds of men, they are dangerous when they are made the resting-place and the object of the mind; and this was the fatal mistake made then, and not merely there but by many millions of souls from that day to this. How these elders were appointed, if indeed they were so formally, does not appear. But I understand authority because I am a man under authority and I have under me men. God will not ask in the great day what country men were of, but what they were, what they did, and how they stood affected towards him and towards their neighbours; and, if men's personal characters received neither advantage nor disadvantage from the great difference that existed between Jews and Gentiles, much less from any less difference of sentiments and practices that may happen to be among Christians themselves, as those about meats and days,Romans 14:1-23. John 10:16). . We make a mistake when we hold persons up in high esteem, and the Bible actually warns us about being a respecter of men's persons. Even as Peter was speaking things began to happen against which even the Jewish Christians could not argue; the Spirit came upon Cornelius and his friends. Thus, although the others no doubt had the same Saviour taught them by the Holy Ghost, still there was not in every case the same measure of entrance or appreciation. knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: and on it were all manner of fourfooted beasts ( Acts 10:11-12 ). We know that Paul thanked God that so it was with himself at Corinth; and we see that Peter here did not baptize, but simply "commanded them to be baptized." We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. No doubt this tanner was a Christian and Peter had begun to see that Christianity abolished these petty laws and tabus. Was his faith nothing more than a profession of Christian doctrine? For seeing the Jews, whom he mentioned a little before, were partly of Cyprus, they must needs be reckoned in that number, because the Jews count Cyprus a part of Greece. So we see now the other side of the coin and God working in Peter's heart. Nor is there a more painful want of it than that kind of restiveness which is so ready to take offence at the smallest fear or anxiety on the part of others. How continually too where we least think they do! God will always be Himself, and cannot be other than Sovereign. That is total inconsistency. When Peter preached to the Jews, he said whom you slew; but now that he preached to the Gentiles it is whom they slew; they, to whom he had done and designed so much good. Now, here's an interesting thing, and I don't have the answer for it; I only have the puzzle. But now finding himself eclipsed, like a wily man, his object was to avail himself of this superior energy if it were possible. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean ( Acts 10:12-14 ). I therefore must say that the gift of the Holy Ghost here is, in my judgment, clearly distinct from anything in the way of either a spiritual gift for souls or a miraculous power, as it is called. PREVIOUS Acts 10:33 NEXT Acts 10:35. So structurally this story is something analogous to a leader of Black Lives Matter going to have dinner with a police officer, and then embracing that police officer as equally part of the movement. And he said, "Oh, no, Lord. Peter describes the witnesses as having been chosen beforehand by God. [More Holy Spirit long game, maybe.]. Martin Buber I and Thou How can you say, "Not so, Lord"? 280-283). Acts 8:34. Grace can credit grace easily, understands the ways of the Lord, and disarms suspicion. They spoke and asked if Simon who was also called Peter was lodging there. 34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. [Alas! He does and will render indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil; and of the Jew first, whose privileges and professions, instead of screening him from the judgment of God, will but aggravate his guilt and condemnation. At the same time, along with this is seen universality in the going out of both the truth and grace of God, which could not but be foreign to the law. Oh why should any confessor of Christ why should any child of God shrink from rendering godly satisfaction to those that seek it? Next we find Barnabas stirred up to another and a characteristic enterprise. Observe, Fearing God, and working righteousness, must go together; for, as righteousness towards men is a branch of true religion, so religion towards God is a branch of universal righteousness. That the mode of interpretation alluded to involves a deviation from the obvious meaning of the New Testament phraseology is not, indeed, sufficient reason for at once rejecting it; but it does warrant us in requiring that the necessity for such deviation shall be clearly made out. thinking about the Bible Peters compressed retelling of the Jesus story, in verses 36-43, is a remarkable statement of the heart of the Christian message. For it must be remembered that, however far his profession may be from being a true one, every professor of Christianity professes to be a true, not a mere nominal, Christian. The death of Stephen, therefore, has in various points of view a great significance. And it is true that the Greeks had such a multiplicity of gods. God had said a great deal by the prophets to prevent and rectify this mistake, but now at length he doth it effectually, by abolishing the covenant of peculiarity, repealing the ceremonial law, and so setting the matter at large, and placing both Jew and Gentile upon the same level before God; and Peter is here made to perceive it, by comparing the vision which he had with that which Cornelius had. "But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews that dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ." On the other hand, I know that I have heard two sermons on Peters vision and the story of the visit to Cornelius in the 27 years Ive been listening to sermons at my own church. My object, of course, is simply to give a sketch of the important book now before us, endeavouring to connect (as, indeed, evidently the chapter does connect) what was coming with what was past. And I know that all You have to do is say the word and my servant will be healed." 302, 303). Even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead: Peter stresses eating and drinking with Christ because that is a way of saying that Christs was a real resurrection. (Boice), iv. ACCESSION AND BAPTISM OF CORNELIUS AND HIS PARTY; OR, THE FIRST-FRUITS OF THE GENTILES. Can anyone stop those who have received the Holy Spirit, as we too received him, from being baptized?" The reading sanctioned by the best and most ancient authorities is the singular not the churches, but "the church." The acceptance of Cornelius, a Gentile and a centurion a soldier, an emblem of the Roman imperial system is dramatic in its own right, and also a turning point in the story told in the book of Acts. Peter had not long learnt it himself. And they took him and hanged him on a tree. He was assuredly, before Peter went, a converted man. [Bible Content Examinees be warned.]. If He is indeed your Lord, how can you say, "Not so"? He would direct attention to the fact, that the ordinary greeting of St. Paul, at the beginning of each epistle, is to the 'saints and faithful brethren' constituting the Church of such a place, fellow-heirs with himself of eternal life; and that throughout these compositions, the members of the Church are presumed to be in living union with Christ, reasonings and exhortations being addressed to them, the force of which cannot be supposed to be admitted, except by those who are led by the Spirit of God; in short, that the members of the Corinthian or the Ephesian Church are addressed as Christians; and a Christian is one who is in saving union with Christ.". The facts were notorious; but of this we may be sure, that never had they been put together before the mind of the Ethiopian as then, never connected with the living Word and His grace. Salvation is not based on national identity nor is it based on good works. There was to be a testimony to an the nations. Alas! 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues[ a] and praising God. We are to give honor and glory unto God and respect Him. Christian ideas and practices the Jews did not believe in Him; but whosoever did, let him be Jew or Gentile, "shall receive remission of sins." The Spirit puts us in presence of the freedom of the servant, as he pleads with the Lord, for neither man nor even the child of God ever reaches up to the height of His grace. By the prophets of the Old Testament, whose testimony beforehand, not only concerning his sufferings, but concerning the design and intention of them, very much corroborates the apostles' testimony concerning them (Acts 10:43; Acts 10:43): To him give all the prophets witness.