Read or listen The Acts of the Apostles Chapter 10-11 online (ESV, Bible Gateway)

The page turns

The first half of the Acts of the Apostles focuses on the preaching of the gospel to the Jews. Of course, there are glimpses of the future, i.e. the Gentile mission (for example, Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch Acts 8:26-40), but primarily the gospel has spread among the Jews.

For us Christians today, it may seem incomprehensible that the apostles and other Christians were reluctant to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. After all, Jesus had commanded that all nations be made his disciples (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:1-8). Why did they not want to obey the command?

It is often said that hindsight is the noblest kind of wisdom. It is easy for us to understand the Gentile mission because it is history for us, but for the apostles it was the future. We must also remember how difficult it was to begin the mission in Africa and Asia.

The problem could be illustrated with the image of a puzzle: as the missing pieces of the puzzle decrease, it becomes easier for them to find their place. Our “Christian puzzle” has many more pieces than the apostles’, and therefore it is easier for us to understand many things. Some things that were difficult problems for the apostles are self-evident to us.

In this chapter we see how the apostles find a place for some very important pieces. It is not easy, and they would not have been put in place without God's help.

An important page in the history of the proclamation of the gospel begins to turn. The majority of the Jews have rejected the gospel, so its proclamation to the Gentiles begins. How important this turning point was to Luke is shown by the fact that he devotes two chapters of the Acts of the Apostles to the conversion of Cornelius.

Cornelius' vision – Acts 10:1-8

The events begin to unfold in Caesarea, the administrative center of the Roman province of Palestine. The city was predominantly Gentile. There was a governor and a military unit there, which also included the Italian cohort—an elite unit of soldiers born only in Italy. The cohort had a thousand men and one of its officers, a centurion, was Cornelius, who was “a devout man.”

“God-fearing” meant a Gentile who believed in the God revealed in the Old Testament, sought to observe the Ten Commandments and certain purity regulations, and attended synagogue. However, he was not considered a Jew, as that would have required a second step—becoming a “proselyte” (Acts 2:11), meaning circumcision and following the entire Jewish law.

An angel appeared to Cornelius, telling him that God had heard his prayer. Cornelius was ordered to send men to get Peter from Joppa, a city about 50 kilometers (30 miles) away.

It is worth noting that Cornelius’s service as an officer in the Roman army does not seem to be a problem for Luke or his readers. Cornelius remains a soldier even after his conversion, so that profession was not forbidden to Christians. It is also worth remembering that the early church was a suffering church: it got into trouble with the authorities many times – yet the authorities and their representatives were respected.

Peter's vision – Acts 10:9-23a

As the men sent by Cornelius approach Joppa, Peter goes up to pray at noon. He too sees a vision: a linen cloth descends from heaven, containing both clean and unclean animals. Peter is commanded to slaughter and eat. As a Jew, he naturally refuses. God’s answer is: “What God has made clean, do not call unclean.”

What does the vision and the related revelation from God mean? Is it about ending Jewish food laws or something else? Jesus also said that all foods are clean (Mark 7:19), but is it just about food? We see that it is at least about making the Gentiles acceptable to God, for after the vision Peter receives the command to go with the men sent by Cornelius.

Peter receives Cornelius' messengers - despite the fact that according to Jewish regulations he becomes unclean, or breaks the law.

Peter's "conversion" – Acts 10:23-33

Because of the vision, Peter was ready to go to Cornelius' house, even though going to the Gentiles meant being defiled according to Jewish law, after which one had to purify oneself in order to approach God again or be in His presence. However, Peter sees that he is in the presence of God all the time. If the Gentiles can be in the presence of God, they cannot defile him either.

We could say that it was Peter who was converted, not Cornelius: a truly tremendous change took place in his life. Peter understood that all people—not just Jews—are acceptable to God. God actually forced Peter to accept Gentiles. In Cornelius’ house, Deuteronomy 10:17 was reinterpreted: “...the awesome God, who is not partial...”

Early Christian missionary sermon – Acts 10:34-4

Peter’s sermon in the house of Cornelius, recorded by Luke, is an excellent example of an early Christian missionary sermon. The sermon corresponds to the sermon given on the first Pentecost, and we could therefore call the events in the house of Cornelius “a Gentile Pentecost.”

The sermon presents the main points of the early Christian proclamation:

It all began with the ministry of John the Baptist,
which ended with the baptism of Jesus, which was God's ordination of Jesus to the role of Messiah.
The following is a brief description of Jesus' public ministry,
which ends with a description of Jesus' death and resurrection.

This is all confirmed by the testimony of the apostles, eyewitnesses,
and the prophecies of the Old Testament.

Historical moment – Acts 10:44-48

Peter's sermon was interrupted by God's action: the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Gentiles. Peter now understood definitively what the vision in Joppa meant: Gentiles are also eligible for the people of God. They cannot be left unbaptized, because they have the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit and baptism go together. Baptism, on the other hand, meant membership in God's people.

As Lutherans, we must ask, what is the relationship between baptism in the Spirit and baptism in water? In seeking the answer, two things are noteworthy:

In all the passages in the New Testament that speak of the outpouring of the Spirit, it refers to a group of people, never to an individual person.

All three times are related to historical situations of the church:

a. Acts 2:1-13 First Pentecost – The time of the Holy Spirit begins

b. Acts 8:14-17 Revival in Samaria – God shows the mixed Samaritan people – not just Jews – to be acceptable to Him

c. Acts 10:44-48 The House of Cornelius – God shows the Gentiles to be acceptable to Him

In all three cases, water baptism is also mentioned in connection with the “baptism of the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit and water baptism belong together, as the Lutheran confession teaches. In baptism, the child receives the gift of the Holy Spirit.

A different question is remaining in the grace of baptism. But do all those baptized as adults remain in the faith, and what do rebaptizers do for their “prodigal sons”?

Peter in trouble – Acts 11:1-18

Upon returning to Jerusalem, Peter is confronted with accusatory questions: Why has he visited pagans and even eaten with them?

The reluctance of Jewish Christians to preach the gospel to Gentiles is partly explained by the fact that Jews saw it as their duty to isolate themselves from other peoples. This is why the laws of purity and impurity were so important in Judaism. The purpose of isolation was to remind both Gentiles and Jews that there is only one God.

Another reason may have been the idea that the gospel had to be preached to all of Israel first and only then would it be the turn of the Gentiles.

Peter defended his connection with the Gentiles with a vision given by God. He recounted the events of Joppa and Caesarea and concluded by saying, “Who was I that I could stand in God's way?” It was not about Peter's choice, but God's!

The law-abiding Christians in Jerusalem, upon hearing this, accepted Peter's action, but they did not change their own behavior. Apparently, the case was considered a special situation. The question of the relationship of Christians who had converted from paganism to Judaism remained open. This problem soon came to be resolved (Acts 15:1-2), and Peter's experience in Caesarea played a significant role in its resolution (Acts 15:7-11).

Baptisms of families

It is worth noting a detail in Peter’s defense (verse 14): “… you will be saved, you and all your household.” So, according to Peter, God promised to save not only Cornelius, but his entire household. The claim that the household did not include children this time is not credible.

The fact is that early Christian literature does not know of adult baptism of the offspring of Christian families. It does not appear until centuries later. Everything indicates that from the beginning all members of a converted family were baptized and Christian families baptized their young children.

The Antioch Revival – Acts 11:19-26

Luke returns to the series of events that began with the martyrdom of Stephen. Many who fled the persecution remained outside Palestine. Some of them went to Syrian Antioch, the third largest city in the Roman Empire after Rome and Alexandria. It was the capital of the province of Syria and had a population of about 500,000, including a large Jewish colony.

The city was a meeting place for Greek culture, Eastern mystery religions, and Judaism. At first, the gospel was preached among the Hellenistic Jews, but soon also to the Gentiles (i.e., the Greeks, which here means a language, not a people).

The Jerusalem church took responsibility for the entire church and so Barnabas was sent to Antioch to take care of the new church. Barnabas saw the scope of the work and sought out Paul to make him his assistant.

Antioch became the center of the Gentile mission: from there Paul set out on his first missionary journey and from there he began his second and third missionary journeys.

The Antiochians gave believers in Jesus a new name: “Christians.” The name was apparently a mocking name at first, but at the moment it is the most common name for believers in Christ. Christians themselves initially used other names: disciples (Acts 15:10), brothers (1 Cor. 6:8), believers (Eph. 1:13), and saints (Eph. 1:1).

Famine – Acts 11:27-30

Finally, Luke tells about the famine that faced the Roman Empire during the reign of Emperor Claudius. The Jewish historian Josephus mentions the same thing. The famine occurred between 44 and 48 AD, so the events at the beginning of chapter 12 occurred before the events at the end of chapter 11. Luke has combined things geographically, and so sometimes the chronology has to give way a little.

Another detail is also worth noting. The fellowship of the early Christians was real: if one member suffered, another member automatically helped the other (compare 1 Cor 12). The Antioch church sent alms to the poor of the Jerusalem church suffering from famine, which was received by the “elders,” since the events of early chapter 12 had driven the remaining apostles and deacons from Jerusalem. Once again, persecution also served the kingdom of God: the gospel spread more effectively after the apostles were scattered.