INTRODUCTION

As we continue to work our way through the book of Acts, we are not going to spend very much time on the retelling in verses 4-14. But we are not setting this repetition aside as unimportant because Luke obviously intends to emphasize it. He wants us to note it. He tells the story in chapter 10, and then repeats it in detail in chapter 11. Then there is a strong reference to this episode at the Jerusalem Council later (Acts 15:7-11). This incident was a significant event.

We can note a few additional details we learn in this recounting. We learn that six Jews accompanied Peter from Joppa (v. 12). We learn that the angel told Cornelius that the message that Peter would bring would be words of salvation (v. 14). And Peter tells us here that the Spirit fell on them near the beginning of his talk (v. 15). So we will begin our exposition at verse 16.

THE TEXT

“And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them. But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them, saying .. .” (Acts 11:1–30).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

So the apostles and brothers of Judea heard that the Gentiles had received the Word of God (v. 1). So when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the circumcision party there challenged him (v. 2). The charge was that Peter had gone in with Gentiles, and had shared table fellowship (v. 3). The eating appears to have been the central problem. So Peter tells the story over again (vv. 7-15), including the fact that “these” six men here saw it all.

Peter remembered the Lord’s statement that John baptized with water, but that His followers would be baptized with the Holy Spirit (v. 16). So if God gave Gentiles the Spirit in the same way that He had done for the Jews on Pentecost, who was Peter to fight God (v. 17)? Now this satisfied them and they glorified God (v. 18), saying that God had granted Gentiles repentance unto life. But this resolution was only temporary.

Those who had scattered because of the persecution after Stephen’s death preached the word to Jews only, but doing so in Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Cyrene (v. 19). Phoenicia was along the coast of the eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus was an island about sixty miles out, and Cyrene was in modern day Libya, on the north coast of Africa. Some of these men from Cyprus and Cyrene came to (Syrian) Antioch and began preaching the Lord Jesus to Greeks (v. 20). The hand of the Lord was with them, and many believed and turned to the Lord (v. 21). The church at Jerusalem heard about this, and so they sent Barnabas to Antioch to check it out (v. 22). He got there, saw the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them to cling to the Lord with resolute and steadfast hearts (v. 23). He was a good man, full of the Spirit and faith, and many more people were converted (v. 24). So Barnabas went to Tarsus to enlist the help of Saul (v. 25). This was about 80 miles away, as the crow flies. They came back to Antioch and taught a lot of people there for a year (v. 26). The name Christian was first applied to believers there in that city (v. 26).

During that time, prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch (v. 27), and one of them named Agabus prophesied that there would be a great famine throughout the empire (oikoumene), which then happened during the reign of Claudius Caesar (v. 28). Claudius reigned from 41 A.D. to 54 A.D. The believers there in Antioch, each according to capacity, decided to send a famine relief gift to Judea (v. 29). They did this, and sent it to the elders there by the hands of Saul and Barnabas (v. 30).

THE FIRST PAULINE EPISTLE

One of the things we should want to do is integrate the timeline of the epistles into the history of Acts. Our first opportunity to do this comes with Galatians, which I take to be Paul’s earliest letter in the canon. But to do this we have to answer the question, “Who were the Galatians exactly?” There was ethnic Galatia up north—think rural Celtic tribes—and there was the Roman province of Galatia down south. Think of the difference between the Dakota Indian tribe, and South Dakota.

If Paul is writing to the Galatians of the Roman province, then this places his book in the chronology of Acts. If he is writing to the ethnic Galatians up north, then we don’t quite know how and when Paul got acquainted with them. This is important for several reasons. One is that the “south Galatian” understanding gives us an early date for Galatians, and a mature statement of justification by faith alone very early on in the history of the church. It was not a late “add on,” not a Pauline afterthought. Second, the details in Galatians blend very nicely with Acts on this view. For example, the “famine relief visit” (Acts 11:28-29) is the visit that was in response to a revelation (Gal. 2:2). And third, it explains why Paul didn’t appeal to the decision of the Jerusalem council in a letter dedicated to the very same controversy. He didn’t appeal to it because it had not yet happened. It also explains the heat of Galatians.

The mission to the province of Galatia happened in the neighborhood of 47-48 A.D. and the Jerusalem Council somewhere near 48-49 A.D. Thus the best date for the writing of Galatians would be right before the Council, probably in 48 A.D., during the reign of Claudius.

THE GOSPEL AT GROUND ZERO

In the book of Galatians, we see a fully-formed and robust articulation of justification by faith alone, apart from works of the law. With an early date for Galatians, we can see just exactly how Paul was instructing the early Christians—what he was teaching them. We also see how this proclaimed gospel was causing an inchoate church to form, making the gospel the seed of the church, and not the other way around. We also see how this plain gospel was senior to the church, and to her officers, and senior to angelic messengers. If we or an angel from heaven, preach a different gospel than the one that was first preached to you, then let that messenger be accursed and damned (Gal. 1:8).

And what is that gospel? That Christ, the eternal Son of God, was made man for our sakes. He lived a perfect, sinless life, was crucified, buried, raised, and ascended, and all of His perfections are imputed, gratis, to anyone who looks to Him in faith. That is the Word that establishes the church, and that is the Word that builds a new world.

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INTRODUCTION

So we need to begin where we left off, which was at the house of Simon the tanner. Simon Peter was somewhat settled there, and it was there that God spoke to him about how he should not consider Gentiles unclean when God had declared them clean. This was hard for Peter because he had never eaten anything common or unclean, and God’s instruction to him about the Gentiles came in the form of telling him to eat unclean food.

But tanning was an unclean occupation. A tanner has to handle the carcasses of dead animals, as that is his profession. Simon the tanner lived by the sea because he required salt water for his work, and because the sea breezes would help with the smell, which was bad. We know that handling dead animals made one unclean from Scripture (Num. 19:9-10), and this was the case even if the animal was a clean animal.

THE TEXT

“Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come? And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee. Then called he them in, and lodged them . . .” (Acts 10:21–48).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

So Peter went downstairs to the emissaries, identified himself, and asked why they had come (v. 21). They said that Cornelius, a God-fearing and just man, with a high reputation with Jews, was told by a holy angel to send for Peter in order to hear him speak (v. 22). So Peter took them in, Gentiles, and put them up (v. 23). The next day, Peter left with them, along with some Jews from Joppa (v. 24), including some from the circumcision party (v. 45). The day after that they arrived (v. 24). Cornelius was waiting, with quite a gathering of relatives and friends (v. 24). As Peter was coming in, Cornelius fell prostrate to worship (v. 25). Peter lifted him up, and said that he was also just a man (v. 26). So they went in, talking, and found a crowd there (v. 27). Peter began by saying that what he was doing was unlawful, but that God had shown him not to call any man unclean (v. 28). That is why he came without argument—how can I help you? (v. 29). And so Cornelius told the story about the angel in bright clothing (v. 30). The angel said that his prayers and alms were accepted in the sight of God, and that he was to send for Peter, in order to hear whatever he says (vv. 31-32). And so here we all are. Speak to us (v. 33). And so Peter began by acknowledging that a great barrier had fallen—God accepts men from every nation (vv. 34-35).

He then turned to preach the gospel that had come to Israel, the proclamation of peace through Jesus Christ, the Lord of all (v. 36). They already knew how after the baptism of John, the word began in Galilee and spread to Judea (v. 37). God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power. God was with Him, and He went about doing good and healing those oppressed by the devil (v. 38). The apostles were witnesses of all this, not to mention the crucifixion (v. 39), followed by the resurrection and His public appearances (v. 40). He did not appear to absolutely everyone, but rather to those chosen by God, who ate and drank with Him after He rose (v. 41). These witnesses were commanded to preach to the people that Christ was ordained to judge the living and the dead (v. 42). All the prophets spoke of this, and the meaning of it, which was that through the name of Christ sins would be forgiven (v. 43). And while Peter was speaking, the Holy Spirit interrupted him by falling on these listeners (v. 44). The members of the circumcision party, who had come from Joppa, were astonished that these Gentiles had been given the Spirit (v. 45). They heard them speaking in tongues and magnifying God (v. 46). So Peter drew the obvious conclusion. There was no point in denying them water baptism, right? They have been given the Spirit, just like the Jews had been (v. 47). And so it was that Peter commanded they be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (v. 48), and so he stayed with them for a number of days (v. 48).

THE PLAIN GOSPEL FACTS 

The facts of the gospel are objective and fixed. They would be true and certain had none of us ever been born. They are all true outside of us, independent of us. Jesus is the Lord of all. God anointed Him. He did wonderful things over the course of His ministry. He was crucified and then rose from the dead. After His resurrection, He appeared to multiple witnesses, who ate and drank with Him, and who were commanded to tell everyone that this Jesus had been ordained to judge all men, whether living and dead.

THE PLAIN GOSPEL INTENT 

But what was the point? Why did God orchestrate all of this? The point of the gospel message is this—in the person and work of the Lord Jesus, God saves sinners. “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43). All the prophets are bent on telling us this. From Samuel to Isaiah, and from Jeremiah to Malachi. From Moses to Habbakuk, and from Ezekiel to Jonah, the message is clear. God offers to wipe away your sins, and the offer extends to everyone who has faith in Christ. So there is the offer. All your griping, washed away. All your lusts, washed away. All your fears, washed away. All your ambitious striving, washed away. All your crackling envy, washed away. Done. Forgiven. Hear the word that was spoken over all your tangled problems, the word that was spoken from the cross. It is finished.

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INTRODUCTION

This episode is the second time in Acts when the Lord makes a point of introducing two people to one another by supernatural means. The first time was in the previous chapter when He appeared to Saul and said that Ananias was coming, and then appeared to Ananias and told him to go minister to Saul (Acts 9:11-12). Then an angel of the Lord arranged for Philip to meet the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8: 26-27). And in this passage, Cornelius is told to send for a man named Simon Peter (v. 5), and is given the address (v. 6). The next day Simon Peter is told that the men sent by Cornelius are in fact from Him (v. 20). And this is not the last time it will happen in Acts either (Acts 16:9-10).

Remember our Table of Contents from chapter one (Acts 1:8), and realize that the Spirit is actively involved in introducing wildly disparate people to one another. It is as though the Spirit is working the room, making all kinds of introductions. This is how the kingdom works.

THE TEXT

“There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, 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 . . .” (Acts 10:1–20).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

We are here introduced to Cornelius, a centurion from the Italian regiment (v. 1). A centurion was the highest rank that an ordinary soldier could achieve as a soldier. This man was a devout God-fearer, together with his household (v. 2). He was dedicated in alms-giving, and was constant in prayer (v. 2). An angel of the Lord came to him in a vision at about three in the afternoon (v. 3), addressing him by name. Cornelius was afraid, and asked the angel what he wanted. The angel said that his prayers and alms had come up as a memorial (“remembrance” in v. 31) before God (v. 4). Cornelius was told to send some men to Joppa, a little over 30 miles south, and there to call on a man named Simon with the surname of Peter (v. 5). He was staying with another Simon, a tanner who lived by the sea. Peter would take it from there (v. 6). When the angel left, Cornelius summoned two of his domestic slaves and a devout soldier (v. 7), told them what had happened, and dispatched them to Joppa (v. 8). The next day, as they were approaching Joppa, Peter went up on the rooftop to pray around noon (v. 9). Peter became very hungry, and while lunch was being prepared for him, he fell into a trance (v. 10). Heaven opened up, and the Lord offered him lunch, in the form of a sheet filled with unclean animals (vv. 11-12). Peter was told to rise up, to kill and to eat (v. 13). But Peter demurred—he had never eaten anything like that (v. 14). The voice said that he should not call common anything that God had cleansed (v. 15). This offer was made three times, and then withdrawn (v. 16). Naturally, Peter started to puzzle over what it all meant (v. 17), and while he was doing this, the three men from Cornelius appeared at the front gate (v. 17). They called to see if Simon Peter was lodging there (v. 18). And so while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit prompted him to go down to the three men (v. 19). He was not to doubt anything, because God had sent them (v. 20).

PETER DEALS IN THREE

Peter sometimes had the difficulty telling the Lord no when he shouldn’t have. When Jesus predicted that He would be betrayed, crucified, and raised, Peter took Him aside to rebuke Him (Matt. 16:22), only to be rebuked as Satan in turn. He famously denies the Lord three times during the Lord’s trial (Matt. 26:75), and the Lord graciously restored him to office at the end of the gospel of John, doing so with three basic questions (John 21:15ff), each question mirroring one of his earlier denials. And then here in this place Peter is told three times to kill and eat, and three times he refuses (Acts 10: 13-16). When everything is over, Peter goes downstairs to meet the three men.

ALL FOODS CLEAN

In the Old Testament, God required His people to refrain from certain meats as being unclean. This is codified in the Mosaic code (Lev. 11), but it also predates it, in that Noah was told to make a distinction between clean and unclean animals as he brought animals onto the ark (Gen.7:2), and that was centuries before Moses. Jesus expressly taught that His arrival had resulted in the cleansing of all foods (Mark 7: 14-23), meaning that the clean/unclean distinction had been a pedagogical one, teaching the Israelites the concept of holy and unholy. “And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him” (Mark 7:18).

We learn here that the cleansing of all foods was emblematic of Gentiles being grafted into the covenant. “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13).

TO REVIEW THE MAIN THING

This book began with a declaration that the gospel was going to go everywhere—Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. We are then given one systematic demonstration after another of God’s purpose in this. First the gospel spread throughout Jerusalem and Judea (Acts 2:14). Then it spread to Samaria (Acts 8:5). Galilee was then mentioned (Acts 9:31). The Ethiopian eunuch hears the Word from Philip (Acts 8:35). The message had apparently taken root in Damascus in Syria (Acts 9:2).

What we are learning here is that water is thicker than blood. There is nothing at all wrong with natural affection for your own people and your own place. There is something desperately wrong with contempt for the natural affections of others. So the main apostle of a universal gospel was the apostle Paul, and he was willing to go to Hell, if it were possible, for his natural kinsmen. “For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Rom. 9:3). Don’t come around to him talking about blood and soil. He has forgotten more about natural affection than the most ardent kinist will ever know (Phil 3:4-5). But compared to the knowledge of Christ, all of that was nothing more than dumpster scrapings to him (Phil. 3:8).

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INTRODUCTION 

We are now reading about the very beginning of Saul’s Christian life, and his apostolic ministry. We are looking at just 21 verses, and in that short span we see two distinct attempts on his life. The thing that infuriated them against him was the fact that he was so powerful in his proclamation and reasoning. In fact, it was the very same response that Saul had earlier given to Stephen. Saul was now on the receiving end.

THE TEXT

“And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, and hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake . . .” (Acts 9:10–31).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The Lord appeared in a vision to a certain discipline named Ananias, a man who lived in Damascus (v. 10). The Lord called him by name, and Ananias answered. The Lord gave the address of the house of Judas, on a street called Straight, and told him to inquire for Saul of Tarsus, who was praying (v. 11). In Saul’s prayer, he has seen a vision of a man named Ananias coming to lay hands on him in order to heal his sight (v. 12). Ananias protested, for he had heard about the evil Saul had done to the saints in Jerusalem (v. 13). And he has authority from the chief priests to arrest Christians there in Damascus (v. 14). But the Lord told Ananias to goanyway—Saul was a chosen vessel to bear the Lord’s name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel (v. 15). The Lord said he would show Saul how much he would suffer for “my name’s sake” (v. 16). So Ananias obeyed, came into the house, laid hands on Saul, and said that the same Jesus who had appeared to Saul had also appeared to Ananias, sending him to restore Saul’s sight, and to fill him with the Holy Spirit (v. 17). Scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see, and then he got up and was baptized (v. 18). Saul then ate and was a strengthened, and stayed with the disciples there in Damascus (v. 19). He began preaching Christ as the Son of God in the synagogues immediately (v. 20). Those who heard him were amazed, recognizing in him the former persecutor (v. 21). But Saul increased in strength, and was able to confound the Jews there, proving that Jesus was in fact the Christ (v. 22). After many days of this, the Jews plotted to kill Saul (v. 23). Their plots became known to Saul, that they were watching the city gates closely in order to assassinate him (v. 24). So the disciples lowered him from the city wall in a basket by night (v. 25). Saul came back to Jerusalem and tried to join up with the Christians—but they were afraid and didn’t believe him (v. 26). But Barnabas undertook for him, brought him to the apostles, told them about the Damascus road vision, and how Saul had preached boldly in Damascus (v. 27). And so Saul joined with the Christians, in and around Jerusalem (v. 28). Saul spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed with the Hellenistic Jews, to the point where they determined to kill him (v. 29). When the brothers discovered this, they took him down to Caesarea on the coast, and shipped him to Tarsus, Saul’s home town (v. 30). There was then a period of relative calm in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. The churches were walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Spirit, and continued to multiply (v. 31).

BUILDING A TIMELINE 

We don’t have hard dates to begin our calculations, but Stephen was likely murdered a few years after the Lord’s resurrection. Saul was busy with persecuting the church after that time, and so the Lord’s appearance to him was likely a few years after Stephen’s death. And then in Galatians, Paul says that God was pleased “to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days” (Gal. 1:16–18). This means that Saul did not return to Jerusalem until three years after he headed off to Damascus. He was in Damascus/Arabia/Damascus before he returned.

BEFORE KINGS 

So the Lord told Ananias that Saul was a chosen instrument to speak to three categories—to Gentiles, kings, and to the children of Israel. Why to kings, if God is uninterested in what happens in the political sphere. And sure enough, Agrippa remarked that Paul was trying to convert him (Acts 26:28). And Paul acknowledged it—he wanted everyone to come to Christ. This is why believers are to pray for kings and for all those in authority (1 Tim. 2:1-4). And why? Because God wants all kinds of men to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4).

JESUS APPEARED TO ANANIAS

Three men named Ananias appear in the book of Acts. The first is a false friend of the Lord, the Ananias (Acts 5). The second is the true disciple in our passage, Ananias, the man who baptized Saul (Acts 9). And the third was Ananias the high priest, the enemy of God (Acts 23-24). This Ananias was notable among the disciples, but he is described simply as “a disciple,” even though he is authorized to baptize Saul. It was the Lord who appeared to Ananias in a vision. The Lord here is Jesus, as Ananias says in v. 17. This same Jesus that appeared to you appeared to me. Moreover, the Lord says in v. 15 that Saul will bear “my name,” and He also will suffer greatly “for my name’s sake.” This is all about Jesus.

HOW MUCH HE MUST SUFFER

When God tells Ananias to go, he is reluctant. One of the things that the Lord says to him in order to reassure him is that Saul will be shown the great things that he will suffer for the sake of the Lord’s name (v. 16). Later in Acts, Paul tells Agrippa that he was “not disobedient to the heavenly vision,” which means that he walked into a life of tribulation with his eyes open. Attempts on his life begin almost right away, with a narrow escape from Damascus in a basket, followed by an escape from Jerusalem back home to Tarsus. Paul put it this way later on in Acts, as he was “confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

It follows that suffering is not a refutation of anything. It is frequently a confirmation of everything we say we believe.

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