The episode concerning Cornelius is obviously very important since there are three lengthy references to it in Acts (chs. 10, 11, and 15). It deals with an important issue concerning the mission that the Lord gave His disciples. That issue is how the Christians should carry out that mission in view of the obstacle of Gentile uncleanness. Gentiles were ritually unclean and communicated ritual uncleanness to Jews, according to the Mosaic Law, mainly because they did not observe Jewish dietary distinctions (Lev. 11). This obstacle kept Jews and Gentiles separate in society.
Luke stressed four things in this conversion story particularly.423First, the Christians initially resisted the ideas of evangelizing Gentiles and accepting them into the church apart from any relationship to Judaism (10:14, 28; 11:2-3, 8). Second, God Himself led the way in Gentile evangelism and acceptance, and He showed His approval (10:3, 11-16, 19-20, 22b, 30-33, 44-46; 11:5-10, 13, 15-17). Third, it was Peter, the leader of the Jerusalem apostles, whom God used to open the door of the church to Gentiles rather than Paul (10:23, 34-43, 47-48; 11:15-17). Fourth, the Jerusalem church accepted the conversion of Gentiles apart from their associating with Judaism because God had validated this in Cornelius' case (11:18).
"Although Paul is the primary agent in the mission to the Gentiles, Luke wishes to make it plain, not only that Peter was in full sympathy with his position, but that, as head of the Church, Peter was the first to give its official blessing to the admission of Gentiles as full and equal members of the New Israel [i.e., the church] by his action in the case of a Roman centurion and his friends . . ."424
10:1 Caesarea stood on the Mediterranean coast about 30 miles north of Joppa. Formerly its name was Strato's Tower, but Herod the Great renamed it in honor of Augustus Caesar, his patron and the adopted heir of Julius Caesar. Herod the Great had modernized the city, made it the provincial capital of Judea (Pilate lived there), and built its magnificent harbor. It was at this time the major Roman seaport for Palestine and its most important center of Roman government and military activity.425
Cornelius was a common Roman name.426Centurions were non-commissioned officers of the Roman army who each commanded 100 soldiers and were on about the same level of authority as a captain in the United States army. A "cohort"contained 600 soldiers, and Cornelius' cohort had connections with Italy.427Every reference to centurions in the New Testament is positive (Matt. 8:5-10; 27:54; Mark 15:44-45; Acts 22:25-26; 23:17-18; 27:6, 43). These men were "the backbone of the Roman army."428Cornelius was similar to the centurion of Luke 7:1-10.429
"The legion was the regiment [cf. an American division] of the Roman army, and it consisted nominally of 6000 men. Each legion was divided into ten cohorts [Amer. battalion], and again each cohort contained six centuries or hundreds' of men [Amer. company]. The officer in command of a cohort was called a tribuneor in the Greek chiliarch: Such was Claudius Lysias of xxi 31 and xxiii 26. A century was under a centurionor kekatontarch."430
Cornelius represents a new type of person to whom the gospel had not gone before, as recorded in Acts. The Ethiopian eunuch was also a Gentile, but the Jews viewed his occupation favorably. There was nothing about his occupation that would have repulsed the Jews. However, Cornelius, in addition to being a Gentile, was a member of Israel's occupying army. The Jews would have avoided him because of his occupation even though he possessed an admirable character and was friendly to the Jews.
It is interesting to note that the first Gentile Jesus dealt with during His ministry was a Roman centurion and he, too, believed. In response to that man's faith Jesus announced that many would come from among the Gentiles to join Jews in the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 8:11).
10:2 Cornelius lived a moral life because he feared God, as did the other members of his household. His giving to the people (Gr. to lao, i.e., to the Jews) and his praying (Gr. deomai, lit. begging) were further evidences of his respect for Israel's God. His relations with God and people were admirable (cf. Matt. 22:37-39). Cornelius had not become a full Jewish proselyte (11:3), but he did pray to the Jews' God.431This type of Gentile constituted fertile soil for the gospel seed (cf. 8:26-40). It was mainly such God-fearing Gentiles who responded to Paul's ministry.432
Some students of Acts have contended that Cornelius was a believer (i.e., an Old Testament saint) before he sent for Peter.433It seems to many others and to me that in view of what we read in this chapter and the next he was not truly saved (i.e., justified) until verse 44 (cf. 11:14).434
10:3-4 The ninth hour (3:00 p.m.) was the hour of prayer (cf. 3:1), so Cornelius may have been praying. Again God prepared two people to get together by giving each of them a vision (cf. Paul and Ananias). Cornelius saw an angel, not Jesus (vv. 7, 22, 30; 11: 13; cf. 1:20). "Lord"here is a respectful address such as "Sir,"but the centurion undoubtedly felt great awe when he saw this supernatural visitor (cf. v. 30). Cornelius was not calling the angel his Savior or his Sovereign. God had noted Cornelius' piety (his prayers Godward, proseuchai, and his alms manward, cf. v. 2) and was now going to give him more revelation.
Modern missionaries have told stories of similar seekers after God. After they penetrated some remote tribe and preached the gospel, the natives explained how they had previously worshiped the God the missionary preached and had prayed for more light.
10:5-6 God told Cornelius to send some men to Joppa for Simon Peter who was staying with another Simon, the tanner, there (cf. 9:43). Tanners used quite a bit of water in practicing their trade, and this may be the reason this Simon lived by the Mediterranean sea.
10:7-8 Cornelius immediately (v. 33) sent two of his servants, probably to assist Peter, and a spiritually devout military aide to ask Peter to come. These servants appear to have been God-fearing individuals, members of his household (cf. v. 2), who were in sympathy with Cornelius' purpose.
"Though Peter was not by training or inclination an overly scrupulous Jew, and though as a Christian his inherited prejudices were gradually wearing thin, he was not prepared to go so far as to minister directly to Gentiles. A special revelation was necessary for that, and Luke now tells how God took the initiative in overcoming Peter's reluctance."435
10:9-10 Most Jews prayed twice a day, but pious Jews also prayed at noon, a third time of prayer (Ps. 55:17; Dan. 6:10). However, Peter may have been praying more because of the recent success of the gospel in Joppa (cf. 9:42) than because praying at noon was his habit.436He probably went up on the flat housetop for privacy and the fresh sea air. Luke's reference to Peter's hunger, which God evidently gave him, explains partially why God couched His vision in terms of food. Food was what was on Peter's mind. Peter's trance (Gr. ekstasis, v. 10) was a vision (horama, vv. 17, 19; 11:5).
". . . on weekdays Jews ate a light meal in mid-morning and a more substantial meal in the later afternoon."437
10:11-13 The sheet-like container, similar perhaps to an awning on the roof or a ship's sail, was full of all kinds of animals, clean and unclean (cf. 11:6). The issue of unclean food was the basic one that separated observant Jews like Peter from Gentiles.
". . . the point is that the Lord's command frees Peter from any scruples about going to a Gentile home and eating whatever might be set before him. It would be a short step from recognizing that Gentile food was clean to realizing that Gentiles themselves were clean' also."438
10:14 Peter resisted the Lord Jesus' command strongly, as Ezekiel had done when he received similar instructions from God (Ezek. 4:14).439He had either not understood or not remembered Jesus' teaching in which He had declared all foods clean (Mark 7:14-19, cf. Rom. 14:14). Peter's "No, Lord,"is, of course, an inconsistent contradiction. Nevertheless Peter's response was very consistent with his impulsive personality and former conduct. He had said, "No,"to the Lord before (cf. Matt. 16:22; John 13:8). His reaction to this instruction reminds us of Peter's similar extreme reactions on other earlier occasions (e.g., John 13:8-9; 21:7). Paul's response to the voice from heaven on the Damascus road had not been negative (9:5-8).
"The cliché, If He is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all' is simply that--a cliché and not a biblical or theological truth. He can be Lord of aspects of my life while I withhold other areas of my life from His control. Peter illustrated that as clearly as anyone that day on the rooftop when the Lord asked him to kill and eat unclean animals. He said, By no means, Lord' (Acts 10:14). At that point was Christ Lord of all of Peter? Certainly not. Then must we conclude that He was not Lord at all in relation to Peter's life? I think not."440
10:15-16 Peter's Jewish cultural prejudices were overriding the Word of God in his thinking. For this reason God repeated the vision two more times so Peter would be sure he was understanding God's command correctly.
"The threefold repetition might also remind Peter of an interview on a familiar beach [cf. John 21:15-17]."441
"The message pervading the whole [of Peter's vision] . . . is that the disciples are to receive the Gentiles, not beforecleansing, but afterGod has cleansed them as He will do later through the cleansingGospel which Peter will share with them the next day."442
"The particular application had to do with nullifying Jewish dietary laws for Christians in accord with Jesus' remarks on the subject in Mark 7:17-23. But Peter was soon to learn that the range of the vision's message extended much more widely, touching directly on Jewish-Gentile relations as he had known them and on those relations in ways he could never have anticipated."443
I wonder if Peter remembered Jonah as he thought about the mission God had given him of preaching to the Gentiles. God had also called that prophet to carry a message of salvation to the Gentiles in Nineveh, but Jonah had fled from that very city, Joppa, to escape his calling. Now Peter found himself in the same position.
10:17-18 Peter did not understand what the vision meant. While he pondered the subject, Cornelius' messengers called out below inquiring about Simon Peter's presence in the house.
10:19-20 Somehow the Holy Spirit convinced Peter that God wanted him to accompany the messengers to Cornelius' house.
". . . it is both exegetically and experientially difficult, if not impossible, to draw any sharp lines between an angel of God [vv. 3, 22],' the Holy Spirit [v. 19], and the ascended Christ [vv. 4, 14]."444
"A God-fearer had no objection to the society of Jews, but even a moderately orthodox Jew would not willingly enter the dwelling of a Gentile, God-fearer though he were."445
Peter was to feel free to enter the house of Cornelius since the centurion was not unclean. Perhaps as Peter "was reflecting"(v. 19) he remembered Jesus' teaching in which He terminated the clean unclean distinction (cf. v. 29).
10:21-22 Peter probably descended from the roof by using a stairway on the outside of the house, as was common, and met the messengers outside the door where they had been standing. They described Cornelius as a man well spoken of by the whole nation (Gr. ethnos) of the Jews as well as a righteous and God-fearing man (cf. v. 2). They obviously wanted their description of their master to influence Peter to accompany them back to Caesarea.
10:23a After learning their intent, Peter invited them inside and acted as their host. This was very unusual since Jews normally did not provide hospitality for Gentiles. Peter had apparently already begun to understand the meaning of the vision he had seen and began to apply it in his relationships with these Gentiles.
10:23b-24 Peter wisely took six other Jewish Christians with him (11:12). A total of seven believers witnessed what took place in Cornelius' house. The trip from Caesarea to Joppa took part of two days (v. 30). Cornelius was so sure Peter would come that even before the apostle arrived he gathered a group of his relatives and friends to listen to him. The text gives no reason to assume that Cornelius knew that Peter was the foremost apostle among the early Christians (cf. v. 5). Cornelius had an exemplary concern for the spiritual welfare of others even before he became a Christian (cf. v. 27).
10:25-26 Cornelius met Peter like the apostle John responded to God's angelic messenger on another occasion. Nevertheless Peter, like the angel, refused this unwarranted veneration (cf. Rev. 19:10; 22:8-9).
". . . Simon Peter would never have let you get down to kiss his big toe [as pilgrims to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome do to the statue of Peter there]. He just wouldn't permit it."446
Later Paul and Barnabas received a similar reception from the Lystrans and likewise refused worship (14:11-15).
10:27-29 It was taboo for Jews to associate with Gentiles and to visit them in their homes.447Gentiles did not observe the strict rules Jews followed in eating, preparing, and even handling food, nor did they tithe or practice circumcision. Any physical contact with Gentiles laid a Jew open to becoming ceremonially unclean because of the Gentiles' failure to observe these Mosaic laws. Food was the crux of the issue that separated them. However, Peter had gotten the message of the sheet full of food: food does not make a person unholy or unclean. Consequently he had come without further objection. Peter's explanation in these verses stressed the fact that God had convinced him to go against traditional Jewish custom, which was well-known among the Gentiles.
"If the food laws of the Jews no longer were valid, there was no real reason to avoid social contact with gentiles, for those distinctions lay at the heart of Jewish clannishness."448
"He [Peter] violates the first rule of homiletics when he begins his message with an apology. What he says is not a friendly thing to say. In fact, it is an insult. . . . How would you feel, especially if you are a lady who is a housekeeper, if some visitor came into your home and his first words were, I am coming into your home, which I consider dirty'?"449
Nevertheless Peter quickly and humbly explained that he had been wrong about how he formerly felt about Gentiles (v. 29).
10:30-33 Cornelius then related the vision he had had to Peter. The angel in Cornelius' vision (v. 2) had looked like a man dressed in shining garments (v. 30). The vision God had given him was a response to the centurion's prayers and alms.
". . . there are certain things that do count before God. These are things which can in no way merit salvation, but they are things which God notes. . . . Wherever there is a man who seeks after God as Cornelius did, that man is going to hear the gospel of the grace of God. God will see that he gets it."450
Cornelius had responded to God admirably by sending for Peter immediately (cf. Peter's "By no means, Lord,"v. 14). Cornelius then invited Peter to tell him and his guests what God wanted him to say to them. What a prepared and receptive audience this was!
Luke stressed the significance of Cornelius' experience by repeating certain details (cf. 11:4-10). This is another example of his doublet style, which increases emphasis. Other examples are the repetition of Jesus' miracles by his followers and the repetition of the same types of miracles that Peter performed by Paul.
Peter's sermon on this occasion is the first sermon in Acts addressed to a Gentile audience (cf. 14:15-17; 17:22-31). It is quite similar to the ones Peter preached in 2:14-40 and 3:11-26 except that this one has more information about Jesus' pre-crucifixion ministry. This emphasis was appropriate since Peter was addressing Gentiles who would have known less about Jesus' ministry than the Jews did.
10:34 "Opening his mouth"is a phrase that typically introduces something very important (cf. 8:35; 18:14; Matt. 5:2; 13:35).
". . . in Luke's eyes what Peter was about to say was indeed momentous in sweeping away centuries of racial prejudice."451
What Peter confessed he now understood was something God had revealed throughout the Old Testament (e.g., Amos 9:7; Mic. 6:8) but that most Jews had not grasped due to centuries of ill-founded pride. God had now clarified this revelation.
Since God is not one to show partiality (cf. Deut. 10:17; 2 Chron. 19:7; Job 34:19), certainly Christians should not do this either. Peter proceeded to prove that God deals with all people equally through His Son (cf. vv. 36, 38, 42, 43), not on the basis of their race (cf. John 10:16). Whenever Christians practice racial discrimination they need to reread Acts 10.
10:35 God requires faith in Jesus Christ for totalacceptance (v. 43; cf. 11:17). However anyone who fears God and does what is in harmony with His will, as Cornelius did, meets with His initialacceptance.
10:36 All of this verse is a kind of caption for what Peter proceeded to announce to Cornelius and his guests. Its three main emphases are, first, that the message to follow was a presentation of revelation that God had sent to the Jews. Second, it was a message resulting in peace that comes through Jesus Christ. Third, Jesus Christ is Lord of all, both Jews and Gentiles. "Lord of all"was a pagan title for deity, which the Christians adopted as an appropriate title for Jesus Christ.452"He is Lord of all"expressed Peter's new insight. It is probably the main statement in the verse.
"Since Jesus is Lord over all, Peter could proclaim to Cornelius and other Gentiles that the gospel is available to all. This is one of the most central points in Luke-Acts."453
"What is the nature of Jesus' lordship [v. 36]? Because of His lordship, He had a ministry of power as He healed all who were oppressed by the devil (v. 38). As Lord, He was the object of a testimony that declared Him to be the Judge of the living and the dead (v. 42). He is the one of whom all the prophets testified that forgiveness of sins is found in His name (v. 43). Again [as in 2:21, 32-39; 5:14; and 9:42] lordship described the authority that Jesus has as the Bearer of salvation--an authority that involves work in the past (exorcising demons), present (granting forgiveness of sins), and future (serving as Judge)."454
10:37 Peter proceeded to outline Jesus of Nazareth's career for his listeners assuming some knowledge that was common but adding more details than Luke recorded in Peter's previous speeches. These details would have been appropriate since Peter's hearers here were Gentiles. Peter's sketch followed the same general outline as Mark's Gospel, which, according to early Christian tradition, Peter influenced.
Luke undoubtedly summarized Peter's message, as he did the other addresses in Luke-Acts, and stressed points important to his readers. These points included the fulfillment of Isaiah 61:1 (in v. 38, cf. Luke 4:14-30), the importance of apostolic witness (in vv. 39-41, cf. Acts 1:8), and Jesus' post-resurrection eating and drinking with his disciples (v. 41, cf. Luke 24:41-43). "The thing"to which Peter referred was the earthly ministry of Jesus.
10:38 Jesus' anointing by God with the Holy Spirit took place at His baptism by John (cf. Luke 3:21-22) when He became God's officially Anointed One (i.e., the Messiah). The "all"whom Jesus healed were the many He healed. This is hyperbole since Jesus did not heal every needy person He met.455This is another verse advocates of the "prosperity gospel"cite to prove their case.456Jesus' good deeds and supernatural miracles testified to God's presence with Him (cf. Gen. 39:2).
10:39 The apostles regularly mentioned that they were eye-witnesses of Jesus' ministry in their preaching (2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 10:41; 13:30-31). This had tremendous persuasive appeal to their hearers. Peter divided Jesus' acts into those that He performed in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, their capital city. Those who put Jesus to death were the Jews (3:15; 4:10; 5:30; 7:52) and the Gentiles (4:27). Here Peter referred generally to all those involved in the Crucifixion. "Hanging him on a cross"emphasizes the horrible way the enemies of Jesus killed Him.
"It is difficult, after sixteen centuries and more during which the cross has been a sacred symbol, to realize the unspeakable horror and loathing which the very mention or thought of the cross provoked in Paul's day. The word cruxwas unmentionable in polite Roman society (Cicero, Pro Rabirio16); even when one was being condemned to death by crucifixion the sentence used an archaic formula which served as a sort of euphemism . . ."457
"The cross of Christ reveals the love of God at its best and the sin of man at its worst."458
10:40-41 In contrast to man's treatment of Jesus, God raised Him from the grave after three days. Jesus also appeared to selected individuals whom God chose to be witnesses of His resurrection. Among these was Peter, who even ate and drank with the risen Lord, proof that He really was alive.
"The resurrection appearances were not made to the people at large. The reason appears to have been that those who saw Jesus were constituted to act as witnesses to the many people who could not see him, and this obligation was not laid on people who were unfit for it but only on those who had been prepared by lengthy association with Jesus and by sharing his work of mission."459
10:42-43 Peter referred to the Great Commission, which Jesus gave his disciples after His resurrection (v. 41), in verse 42. Jesus Christ will one day judge all people as forgiven or not forgiven (cf. Acts 17:31). To be forgiven one must "believe in Him"(cf. 5:14; 9:42; 11:17). Peter said this is what the Old Testament prophets taught (e.g., Isa. 53:11; Jer. 31:34; Ezek. 36:25-26; et al.). The Messiah (Christ) would be the Judge of all people, and Jesus of Nazareth is that Messiah (cf. John 5:27). The Lord of all (v. 36) is also the Judge of all (v. 42).
Note how Peter stressed the universal benefit of Jesus' ministry in this message to Gentiles; it was for Gentiles as well as Jews. Not only is Jesus Lord of all (v. 36), but He went about healing all (v. 38). Furthermore He is the Judge of all (v. 42) to whom all the prophets bore witness (v. 43a), and God forgives all who believe in Him (v. 43b).
"This simple outline [vv. 34-43] . . . is perhaps the clearest NT example of the kerygma, the earliest form in which the apostolic proclamation of the gospel was apparently couched."460
10:44 Peter did not need to call for his hearers to repent on this occasion. As soon as he gave them enough information to trust Jesus Christ, they did so. Immediately the Holy Spirit fell on them filling them (v. 47; 11:15; cf. 2:4) and baptizing them (11:16; cf. 1:5).
God gave His Spirit to individuals from both groups, Jews and Gentiles, solely because of their faith in Jesus Christ (11:17). The Gentiles did not have to do anything but believe on Jesus. They did not need to become Jewish proselytes, experience baptism in water, undergo circumcision, turn from their sins, or even say they were willing to turn from them.461
Note that Spirit baptism took place here without the laying on of an apostle's hands. The identification of Spirit baptism with the apostles was not necessary here, as it had been with the Samaritans (cf. 8:17-19). Here the important point was the connection between faith in Jesus Christ alone, apart from any external Jewish rite, and Spirit baptism.
10:45 The outward evidence that God had given His Spirit to these Gentile believers as a gift was that they spoke in tongues and praised God (cf. 11:15-16).462This amazed Peter's Jewish companions because it proved that God was not making a distinction between Jewish and Gentile believers in Jesus regarding His acceptance of them.
10:46a Probably Peter and his Jewish companions heard these Gentiles praising God in Aramaic, which these Gentiles would not have known previously since Aramaic was a language the Jews spoke. The Jews present would have understood Aramaic immediately and would have recognized that the ability to speak in an unstudied language was an evidence of Spirit baptism, as it was at Pentecost.
10:46b-48 There was no reason to withhold water baptism from these Gentile converts; they could undergo baptism in water as a testimony to their faith immediately. They had believed in Jesus Christ and had experienced Spirit baptism. Baptism with the Spirit was Jesus' sign of His acceptance of them, and baptism with water was their sign of their acceptance of Him. They had done everything they needed to do. They did not need to experience anything more such as circumcision, or admission into the Jewish community, or the adoption of traditional Jewish dietary laws, or anything else.
"I have heard people say sometimes that if you are baptized with the Holy Ghost you do not need to be baptized in water. It is not a question of what you need--it is a question of what God has commanded."463
The events Luke recorded in 9:32-10:48 prepared Peter for the Lord's further expansion of His church to include Gentiles. Peter had unlocked the door of the church to Jews on Pentecost (Matt. 16:19; cf. Eph. 2:14). What happened in Cornelius' house was "the Pentecost of the Gentile world."464By pouring out His Spirit on these Gentiles, God showed that in His sight Jews and Gentiles were equal. The Jew had no essential advantage over the Gentile in entering the church. God observes no distinction in race when it comes to becoming a Christian (cf. Eph. 2:11-3:12).
The Ethiopian eunuch was probably a descendant of Ham, Saul was a descendant of Shem, and Cornelius was a descendant of Japheth (cf. Gen. 10).465Thus with the record of their conversions in chapters 8-10 Luke told us that the church is equally accessible to all branches of the human family.
Why was the conversion of Cornelius rather than the earlier conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch the opening of the church's door to the Gentiles? The conversion of the Gentile eunuch was a case of individual private salvation. The conversion of Cornelius, on the other hand, involved several Gentiles, and it was public. God had saved individual Gentiles by faith throughout history (e.g., Ruth, Naaman, et al.). With the conversion of Cornelius, He now, for the first time, publicly brought Gentiles into the church, the new creation of God, by Spirit baptism. The eunuch became a Christian and a member of the church, but that was not evident to anyone at the time of his conversion. With Cornelius' conversion, God made a public statement, as He had at Pentecost, that He was doing something new, namely forming a new body of believers in Jesus. In chapter 2 He showed that it would include Jews, and in chapter 10 He clarified that it would also include Gentiles. The sole prerequisite for entrance into this group (the church) was faith in Jesus Christ regardless of ethnicity, which had separated Jews from Gentiles in Judaism for centuries. The distinctive difference between becoming a Christian and becoming a Jew (religiously) was that God gave the Holy Spirit to every Christian. The sign of this, for the benefit of the Jews, was that He enabled those to whom He gave the Spirit to speak in tongues.
Peter's actions in Caesarea drew criticism from conservative Jews. Luke wrote this pericope to enable his readers to understand and appreciate more fully God's acceptance of Gentiles into the church as Gentiles. An additional purpose was to present this acceptance as essential to the fulfillment of the Great Commission. The leaders of the Jerusalem church recognized what God was doing in bringing Gentiles into the church, as they had done formerly with the Samaritan believers in Jesus (8:14-25). Luke documented this recognition in this pericope because it plays an important role in proving the distinction between Israel and the church and explaining the worldwide mission of the church.
