359. CORNELIUS € THE FIRST GENTILE CONVERT
"God is no respecter of persons"
Paul had been commissioned by God to be Apostle to the Gentiles. Yet God, in His wisdom, chose one of the twelve, rather than Paul, to com mence the work among the Gentiles.
So while Paul (or Saul, as he was then called) was being prepared for the work ahead of him, God sent Peter, who had already unlocked the door of the kingdom to the Jews on the day of Pentecost, to unlock the same door to the Gentile Cornelius.
Thus the way was opened for Gentiles to enter the Hope of Israel. Our aim in this lesson is to see that God chooses men and women not on the basis of nationality, but on the basis of faith and righteousness.
Acts 10
TO THE GENTILES.
It had always been in God's purpose to bring the Gentiles within the sphere of His plan with the earth. Israel had been chosen from the begin ning to be a "kingdom of priests", so as to present God's truth to the world (Ex. 19:6). When the old man Simeon held the baby Jesus in his arms, he declared him to be "a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel" (Lk. 2:32 cf. Isa. 42:6; 49:6-8). And before Jesus ascended into heaven, he commanded his disciples, "go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19).
Yet the Jews rarely appreciated their role. Over the centuries they had held themselves aloof from the world, regarding themselves as better than it. Even the apostles were not immune from this attitude and it was necessary for God to lead them step by step to break down the false no tion of exclusiveness and the lingering prejudices of Judaism. First, the gospel had been preached to the racially-mixed Samaritans, then to a Gentile proselyte. Now the final step was to be taken by preaching to a Roman centurion.
THE VISION OF CORNELIUS (Acts 10:1-8).
Cornelius the centurion was clearly a Gentile, dwelling in Caesarea, the Roman headquarters in Palestine. Yet he had taken a great interest in the Jewish religion and was held in high esteem by all the nation of the Jews (10:22). The record in Acts reveals him as a "devout man", with a God fearing disposition, who prayed often, and who was generous in acts of compassion (vv.2-4, 35). It may be that he was the same centurion whose servant Jesus had healed a few years earlier, for both were noted for their good deeds to the Jews (cp. Lk. 7:5 with Acts 10:2). But whether this is so or not, Cornelius had certainly instructed his household in the worship of the one true God (v.2).
He seems to have adopted the Jewish custom of praying at the ninth hour, i.e. 3 p.m. (cp. 3:1), for it was on one such occasion that he sudden ly saw, in a vision, an angel coming to him and addressing him: "Corn elius!" (vv.3, 30). The man who could face an hundred enemies without fear, now was terrified before an angel of God. "What is it, Lord?" he asked. The angel replied: "Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: he lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side". The parallel account of this incident in Acts 11 adds the words: "Who (Peter) shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved" (11:14). In spite of Cornelius' godly character and good works, something else was required for salvation.
Immediately Cornelius sent two servants and a devout soldier to Joppa about 50 kilometres south, to the house of Simon the tanner.
THE PREPARATION OF PETER TO ACCEPT THE GENTILES.
The house of Simon was certainly a strange place in which to find Peter. Simon's very occupation would mean that on most days of the year he would be unclean according to the Law (Lev. 11:39). These regulations were given to Israel as an exhortation to holy behaviour (Lev. 11:44-45), but had become distorted, for the Jews concluded that they were all in the category of "clean animals", while the unclean animals were symbols of the Gentiles.
It was significant that Peter was staying with another Simon and that the name, "Simon called Peter" is repeated in Acts 10 (w.5, 18, 32, RSV). Simon had confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the liv ing God, upon which Jesus said, "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 16:17). "Simon Bar-Jona" spoke of his earthly descent, but Jesus had surnamed him "Peter" prophetically (Jn. 1:42). This name means a "stone" and hence this surname was prophetic of the foundationary work he would perform in the ecclesia after the Lord's death. In confessing that Jesus was Christ, he showed his great conviction, which was not "of flesh and blood", not humanly derived, but of God. He therefore merited his new name Peter and Jesus committed to him the keys of the "kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 16:18-19). In the course of time these keys were used. From Acts 2 we have learned that he unlocked the door of faith to the Jews on the day of Pentecost. Now he was about to use the other key to unlock the gospel to the Gentile, Cornelius.
On the day of Peter's great confession, Jesus not only called him Simon but "Simon Bar-Jona", or Simon, son of Jonah. In a sense, the mantle of the great prophet Jonah fell on Peter, for Jonah too preached first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. Peter may well have been reminded of this, for the very port from which Jonah left (Joppa), was the place at which Peter was now staying!
THE VISION OF PETER (Acts 10:9-16).
Circumstances all combined to break down Peter's prejudice against the Gentiles, for although an apostle, he was still a Jew. But the greater preparation for his work came at noon on the day after the angel ap peared to Cornelius. Peter was on the roof of Simon's house, praying. He became very hungry, but before he could eat, fell into a trance and saw a remarkable vision. It was as if the heavens opened and a huge sheet was let down by its four corners. As it was lowered, he saw that it was filled with all kinds of unclean beasts, birds and vermin. Then Peter heard a voice: "Rise, Peter; kill and eat". But Peter was appalled at such a sug gestion; he preferred hunger to defilement. "Not so, Lord", he replied, "for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean". (Such a resistance was characteristic of Peter, e.g. Matt 16:22; John 13:8). Then the voice rebuked him, "What God has cleansed, that call not thou com mon".
To create emphasis, the request came three times, and three times Peter refused. (This was the third time that Peter experienced a threefold repeti tion, for he had denied his Lord three times and three times Jesus asked him, "Lovest thou me?" € Luke 22:54-62; John 21:15-17). Then the sheet was withdrawn into heaven.
TO CAESAREA AND CORNELIUS (Acts 10:17-28).
Peter was left in a quandary as no explanation was offered. But follow ing hard on the vision, Cornelius' messengers arrived. God instructed Peter by the Spirit to go with them, assuring him that his doubts would be resolved.
When Peter asked the messengers why they had come, they replied that Cornelius "was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house, and to hear what you have to say" (10:22 RSV). Now the only thing that Peter could "have to say" to Cornelius was the Gospel. He himself reached the conclusion, for by the time he was received into the house of Cornelius at Caesarea two days later he knew the meaning of the vision. He was able to tell Cornelius and his household: "Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean" (v.28).
By now Peter appreciated the full significance of his mission. The Truth was about to be preached for the first time to Gentiles in the name of Christ Jesus! The turning point in the acts of the apostles had come.
SALVATION IS OFFERED TO THE GENTILES (Acts 10:29-48).
After giving his side of the story, Cornelius invited Peter to speak. Peter, who could now see the difference between the Law of Moses and Judaism, commenced his speech with a quotation from the Law itself to justify his action: "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of per sons (cp. Deut. 10:17); but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him" (vv. 34-35).
God is willing to receive all men unto Him € sin alone, and not nationality, separates men from Him (Isa. 59:1-2). Peter continued his speech by saying that Cornelius knew the teaching of Jesus He revealed how Jesus had been hanged on a tree and then rais ed by God on the third day, and had been seen by selected witnesses. Peter concluded: "And he (Jesus) commanded us to preach unto the peo ple, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick Giving) and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins".
On the day of Pentecost, when Peter unlocked the kingdom to the Jews, he quoted from the prophet Joel: "whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (2:21). Now the thought is repeated, but with a much greater meaning, as Peter opens the kingdom to the Gentiles: "through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins": The term "whosoever" embraces Jew and Gentile (v.43; Rom. 10:12-13).
As on the day of Pentecost, when the apostles received the gifts of the Spirit, not by the laying on of hands, but direct from God, so now the Holy Spirit came directly on Cornelius and his household while Peter was still speaking (w.44-46; 11:15). Peter, appreciating the significance of this, turned to the six Jewish brethren who accompanied him from Joppa and asked "Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptised, which have received the Holy Spirit as well as we?"
The case was overwhelming. There was no alternative. God was "tak ing out of the Gentiles a people for His name". So Peter "commanded them to be baptised in the name of the Lord" (v.48).
The door of the kingdom had been unlocked for the Gentiles. As the believers in Jerusalem later expressed it: "Then hath God also to the Gen tiles granted repentance unto life" (11:18).
LESSONS FOR US:
- Good works, devotion and prayer are not of themselves sufficient for salvation.
- Salvation is only possible for those who believe the Gospel and are baptised into the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then "good works" are important, for saints shall be judged according to their works (2 Cor. 5:10).
- There is no difference between Jewish and Gentile believers € they "are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28).
REFERENCE LIBRARY:
"Elpis Israel" (J. Thomas) € Part 2, Chapter 1, Pages 202-209
"The Story of the Bible" (H. P. Mansfield) € Vol. 13, Pages 81-88
PARAGRAPH QUESTIONS:
- Outline the character of Cornelius and state briefly what things he had to do in order to be saved?
- Describe the vision which Peter saw on the roof-top of Simon the tan ner's house in Joppa? What did it teach Peter?
- How did Peter use the "keys of the kingdom" which the Lord had promised him after his great confession?
- Summarise briefly the stages recorded in the book of Acts by which the preaching of the gospel was taken from the Jews to the Gentiles.
ESSAY QUESTIONS:
1. "God is no respecter of persons". How was this lesson impressed upon Peter at the conversion of Cornelius?
2. Relate the story of the conversion of the Gentile Cornelius.