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.
