Acts 10:1–31

This change was momentous, and the circumstances around it carried unmistakable marks of divine authority. Yet the Lord Himself had announced it long before (Luke 24:47), to disciples whose ears were unwilling and therefore did not understand. Peter had stated it plainly too (Acts 2:39), though he seems to have grasped little of the force of what he then said... But He would not have the activity of His grace wait any longer for the dull sons of men. His message of love to the lost must run out in power. And the great apostle to the Jews must be the one to open the gates of the kingdom officially, not to Jews only but to Gentiles also. The moment was come; the man with whom to begin appears.

A "legion" was a body that contained within itself all the grades of the army... Every legion at times contained 10 cohorts of 600 each; every cohort 3 maniples of 200; and every maniple 2 centuries of 100. So we get the name centurion, meaning commander of 100 men, as in Acts 10:1, 22. ... A cohort is translated "band" in Acts 10:1.

The first Gentile to receive the call was Cornelius, an officer in the Roman garrison at Caesarea. Toward God, he was devout and a man of prayer. Toward people, he was generous and kind, and this to a conquered nation. In choosing such a man, and not a character like the Philippian jailer, God showed consideration for Jewish feeling. Philip and Saul had both already visited Caesarea, yet neither seems to have preached the gospel there (Acts 8:40; Acts 9:30). In this we see the sovereignty of God. He has His own time and His own instruments for carrying out His work in every place.

He feared God "with all his house." There are very few people of whom that can be said. "With all his house" would include his servants and children... This Gentile centurion, then, could not have been an unconverted man, for an unconverted man has no fear of God before his eyes. Cornelius, on the contrary, was a prayerful man, a man in whom the Spirit of God had worked, and had produced spiritual desires in his heart. He is a type of hundreds and thousands of Gentiles today. He was an awakened man — anxious, devout, prayerful, and God-fearing; but had you gone and asked him if his sins were forgiven, he would not have dared to say so.

He was already a converted man, though a Gentile. But he did not know the salvation proclaimed in the gospel. That is why Peter was to be sent for, as Peter himself afterwards explained (Acts 11:13-14)... The devout centurion was only entitled to know his sins forgiven on God's message of grace through the blood of Jesus.

God entrusted the keys of the kingdom of the heavens to a home-born Jew, from the city of Bethsaida on the western shore of the Lake of Galilee. He had already used them to admit Jews into the kingdom on the day of Pentecost. Soon he would use them again, to admit Gentiles in the house of the centurion Cornelius at Caesarea. There seems a fitness in this... A home-born Jew was the fitting instrument to open the door of the kingdom to them. In doing so he acted against Jewish teaching, national feeling, and the habits of a lifetime (Acts 10:28). But the Holy Spirit guided what he did. No one could have suspected Peter of favouritism toward Gentiles.

An angel appeared to Cornelius while he was praying at the ninth hour. That hour had long been set apart for the evening sacrifice on the altar, and in Jerusalem it was known as the hour of prayer (Acts 3:1). The centurion learned that God, known to Israel as the LORD of Hosts, had noticed and cared for the Gentile soldier. Grace had really reached him in the gift of spiritual life, though he was neither an Israelite nor a convert to the Jewish religion.

He sees an angel of God in a vision, but not a vision of the night. It was broad daylight, in the afternoon. He was not asleep either. When he asks, he learns that God has not forgotten his prayers and alms. God tells him to fetch Simon Peter from Joppa. The great apostle to the Gentiles wrote at the end to teach the slow minds of believing Jews. In the same way, at the beginning God commanded the great apostle to the Jews to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. Does this beautiful interlacing offend you? If so, it shows how little you have grasped God's ways, which leave no room or excuse for human independence.

The Spirit of God is careful to make known the godly life of Cornelius. He was already a converted man, though a Gentile. But he did not know the salvation proclaimed in the gospel. That is why Peter had to be sent for, as Peter himself later explained (Acts 11:13-14). Otherwise he could only have hoped for his soul in the mercy of God… The devout centurion could know his sins forgiven only through God's message of grace, by the blood of Jesus.

The angel, you notice, did not cut a long story short by telling the message to Cornelius himself. Only a man who has himself received grace can tell the message of grace properly. So Peter must be called. God took notice of the prayers and alms of Cornelius, because they expressed his heart sincerely seeking God. If, after hearing the gospel, he had ignored its message and gone on with his prayers and alms, it would have been a different matter. Then they would not have "ascended as a memorial before God."

He was in prayer, and clearly saw a vision, about three o'clock in the afternoon, of "an angel of God coming in to him, and saying to him, Cornelius." He was frightened. So is every man when God gets near to him… There never yet was a man who was not afraid when the Lord drew near. Conscience tells him — just what conscience told me — that a sinner in his sins is not fit for God.

We are apt to suppose that our breath in prayer is lost if an answer is not received at once. But exercise of heart in prayer is never fruitless, though the result may be long delayed. "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God," Cornelius was told. We do not know how long God kept him waiting before sending Peter with the answer. It may have been years (Acts 10)… There is a time as well as a way of answering, and it rests in the wisdom and grace of God.

An angel appeared to Cornelius while he was praying at the ninth hour. That hour had long been set apart for the evening sacrifice at the altar, and Jerusalem knew it as the hour of prayer (Acts 3:1). The centurion now learned that God, known to Israel as the Lord of Hosts, had watched over and cared for the Gentile soldier. Grace had really reached him in the gift of spiritual life, though he was neither an Israelite nor a convert to the Jewish religion. God had heard his prayers and carefully noted his gifts to the Jews, and both had gone up as a memorial before God.

He was frightened; and so is every man when God gets near to him. Sinner, you will get frightened when you sense that God is drawing near to you. Jacob was afraid when God came near that night by the river, when he was alone. The shepherds were afraid when God sent the angels to tell them the Saviour was born. Cornelius was afraid. No man ever escaped fear when the Lord drew near. Conscience tells him — just what conscience told me — that a sinner in his sins is not fit for God.

What right have we to imagine that Cornelius was praying, fasting, and giving alms to earn salvation? None at all... The angel told him that his prayers and his alms had gone up as a memorial before God. Is this not clear proof? These prayers and alms were not the trappings of self-righteousness. They were the fruit of a righteousness based on the knowledge he had of God. Surely the fruits of self-righteousness and legalism could never have gone up as a memorial to the throne of God.

He feared God, and his prayer and his alms came up as a memorial before Him. He was no more unconverted than the disciples were before Pentecost, or the Old Testament saints... Yet he needed to hear words from the apostle by which he and all his house should be saved (Acts 11:14). Salvation is more than being made alive. It is knowing you hold that deliverance through the work of Christ, which the gospel now announces. Cornelius may have been safe before; he was saved after he received the message of grace and the gift of the Spirit.

We easily think we waste our breath in prayer if no answer comes at once. But exercise of heart in prayer is never fruitless, even though the result may be long delayed. The angel said to Cornelius, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God." We do not know how long he waited before God sent Peter with the answer. It may have been years (Acts 10)... There is a time as well as a way of answering, and that rests in the wisdom and grace of God.

Another point worth noticing is that angels are not mentioned as preaching the gospel. When God sent the angel to Cornelius to guide him in his search for truth, the angel did not preach the gospel to him. He told him to send for a man. Cornelius heard of the Saviour not from the mouth of the mighty angel but from the lips of a sinner saved by grace.

God sent the angel to Cornelius to guide him in his search for truth. The angel did not preach the gospel to him, but told him to send for a man. Cornelius heard of the Saviour not from the mouth of the mighty angel, but from the lips of a sinner saved by grace. Again, the angel of the Lord directed Philip to intercept the Ethiopian official. Philip, not the angel, preached Jesus to him, and did it with great effect. So we see that in service a man in grace enjoys a privilege that angels are denied.

The Lord keeps closely to His own methods and appointments. He goes ahead of the messengers from Caesarea to the house of Simon the tanner by the sea. That house is the lowly birthplace of a wide and far-reaching movement in His ways with men.

The Spirit of God is careful to make known the godly life of Cornelius. He was already a converted man, though a Gentile. But he did not know salvation proclaimed in the gospel. That is why Cornelius had to send for Peter, as Peter himself explained afterwards (Acts 11:13-14): otherwise he could only have hoped for his soul in the mercy of God.

He had some light and he lived up to the light that he had, and God sent him more. The Lord instructed Simon Peter to carry the full light of the gospel to him. God's word gives light when it enters, and Cornelius had to hear words by which he and all his house would be saved.

Peter had been given "the keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 16:19). He had used those keys on the day of Pentecost to admit the chosen from among the Jews. Now it is his to admit this chosen company from among the Gentiles.

It is generally taught that Peter used the keys on the day of Pentecost, and when he preached to Cornelius and his household (Acts 10). People assume that the Lord gave this commission to him alone, and that His words were fulfilled on those occasions. However, this cannot be proven from the Scriptures. And Peter himself does not refer to any special authority when he preaches on the day of Pentecost or in the house of Cornelius.

Here is a new and important fact. God was thinking about the Gentiles, and desired to admit them to the assembly without their becoming Jews or submitting to the law.

The gospel is preached to Cornelius in the same way: "Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is also called Peter. He will tell you words by which you and all your house will be saved." You may be saved by "words"; by "works" never. What does God mean by words? It is the story of the work of another, the love and goodness of another, the life and death of another. It tells how God has raised Him from the dead and put Him into glory. You hear, and believe, and are saved before you know it.

Look at this earnest seeker! As soon as the angel has gone, he obeys the instructions God gave him. He feels that not a moment is to be lost... The moment this man hears God's word, he sends off his three servants on their forty-mile journey along the coast to Joppa... God loves to meet an anxious soul, and often does it straight away.

Here is a new and important fact. God was thinking about the Gentiles, and desired to admit them to the assembly without their becoming Jews or submitting to the law. Cornelius was a truly devout man, humble, and fearing God. He acts at once on the angel's word. He calls two of his servants and a devout soldier, tells them everything that had happened, and sends them to call for Peter.

Here is another point worth noticing. Angels are not mentioned as preaching the gospel. When God sent the angel to Cornelius to guide him in his search for truth, the angel did not preach the gospel to him. He told him to send for a man. Cornelius heard of the Saviour not from the mouth of the mighty angel, but from the lips of a sinner saved by grace. So we see how in service a man in grace enjoys a privilege denied to angels.

Look at this earnest seeker! No sooner has the angel departed than he obeys the instructions God gave him (Acts 10:7-8). He feels that not a moment is to be lost. And, my reader, can you afford to wait another day to settle the concerns of your soul? The moment this man hears God's word, he sends off his three servants to Joppa, a forty-mile journey along the sea-coast. Travelling was not very fast in those days, and they no doubt stayed somewhere for the night (Acts 10:9). But Cornelius was not kept waiting long. God loves to meet an anxious soul, and often does it straight away.

The angel tells him not to go to Joppa himself, but to send men to bring Simon Peter from there, and gives directions for finding him. This was the occasion when Gentiles were publicly admitted into the kingdom of heaven. So it was important that Peter should present the gospel to many of them together. Cornelius chose two household servants and a devout soldier he could depend on to carry the message to Peter.

He feared God "with all his house." There are very few people of whom that can be said. "With all his house" would include his servants and children.

Man's will had to be shut out, as well as man's wisdom. What could do that better than the vision of Cornelius on one side and the vision of Peter on the other? The "three men" from Caesarea, and the six believers who came with Peter from Joppa, bore witness to their agreement, which was of high value and unmistakable meaning. Men were largely used here, and they were deeply involved, but in a way that showed every honest mind that God was the moving spring in it all.

The "devout soldier" with two household servants has his lowly but valuable place. He was soon to share the blessing, and so was the devout centurion he waited on so closely. That blessing is marked by the power of grace. It brings down people far higher than Cornelius, and lifts up people far lower than the Roman soldier. It unites all believers, even here below, in one heavenly and unbreakable relationship to Christ.

Look at this earnest seeker! No sooner has the angel departed than he obeys the instructions God gave him (Acts 10:7-8). He feels that not a moment is to be lost. And, my reader, can you afford to wait another day to get the concerns of your soul settled? The moment this man hears God's word, he sends his three servants off to Joppa, a forty-mile journey along the sea-coast. Travel was not very fast in those days, and no doubt they stayed somewhere for the night (Acts 10:9). But Cornelius was not kept waiting long. God loves to meet an anxious soul, and often does it at once.

To this interesting Gentile, then, the gospel of Christ was to be declared. The angel told him to send for Peter, who was then at Joppa, staying with Simon a tanner. His obedience was prompt, his heart simple before God. He sent off two household servants with a devout soldier.

Independently of the Jews, He sends His angel to Cornelius. His prayers and alms are recognised as being acceptable to God. He is told to send men to Joppa to call for Simon, who, the angel tells him, was staying with one Simon, a tanner. He would tell him what he ought to do. Here is a new and important fact. God was thinking about the Gentiles. He desired to admit them to the assembly without their becoming Jews or submitting to the law. Cornelius is a devout man, humble, and fearing God. He acts at once on the word of the angel. He calls two of his servants and a devout soldier, tells them all that had happened, and sends them to call for Peter.

No difficulty arose here, for Cornelius did at once what he was told. The angel, you notice, did not cut a long story short by telling Cornelius the message himself. The message of grace can only be rightly told by a man who is himself a subject of grace. So Peter must be called.

He is told not to go to Joppa himself, but to send men to bring Simon Peter from there, with directions where to find him. This was the occasion of openly admitting Gentiles into the kingdom of heaven. So it was important that Peter should present the gospel to many of them together. Cornelius chose two household servants and a devout soldier he could depend on to carry the message to Peter (vv.7-8).

But it was of the greatest importance that man's will should be shut out as well as man's wisdom. What could be more effective for this than the vision of Cornelius on the one hand and that of Peter on the other?... Men were much used here, and were concerned in the deepest way. But it was all done so as to show every honest mind that God was the moving spring in it all. The "devout soldier" with the two servants has his lowly but valuable place. He was soon to share the blessing, and so was the devout centurion he waited on so closely. That blessing is marked by the power of grace which brings down one far higher than Cornelius, and lifts up one far lower than the Roman soldier. It unites all believers, even here below, in one heavenly and unbreakable relationship to Christ.

The messengers had nearly covered the thirty miles between the two towns. Peter, unaware of the special work waiting for him, had gone up to the roof of Simon's house to pray. It was about the sixth hour, the hour of noon. The third, the sixth and the ninth hours were hours of prayer with the Jews. Hungry, and while waiting for food to be prepared, he fell into a trance.

Peter still lived in that dependence on God which he had voiced when the seven were chosen for their service in Jerusalem... That is certainly what he was doing now, when God was giving him a special mission. He had withdrawn to be alone before Him. It was not a question of going to the temple as once, or even to a place of prayer. The housetop was enough; but it is well, when forms vanish, if the Spirit remains and grows stronger, as here.

Peter went up to pray on the housetop, and he did pray. In the next chapter he says, "I was in the city of Joppa praying." It was the sixth hour, noonday — not the time people usually go up to pray. Once the Lord told Peter to watch and pray, and he did not, so he fell. Now we find him praying, and the Lord speaks to him in a vision.

In this chapter you have Cornelius on the one hand, praying at Caesarea, and another man praying forty miles away, on the housetop. Both are being prepared by God for each other. He sends to the anxious man an angel and says, in effect, I know what you want, Cornelius; you will get what you want. And He says, by the vision, to Peter on the housetop, I want you to get rid of all your old Jewish ideas... So He prepares the servant before he meets the troubled Gentile to whom he is to carry the gospel news.

There was more difficulty here, for he was still bound by his Jewish thoughts, and from these he had to be delivered. The hearers were ready, but the preacher had to be made ready to go. The record is that he "went up upon the housetop to pray," so he was in the right attitude to receive the necessary guidance. There was not only a praying seeker but a praying servant also. Hence remarkable results followed.

Two servants of the Lord, one a prophet and the other an apostle, went to that place. God entrusted both with a message to the Gentiles. The prophet of the Old Testament carried a warning of judgment. The apostle of the New carried a message of salvation, grace and peace through Jesus Christ. The prophet went to Joppa in disobedience to the will of God, but the apostle under the guidance of the Spirit. Their gracious Master had to train them both in His school for their service.

Now we see the servants of Cornelius arriving at the precise moment to fix the divine instructions in Peter's mind. The thing was of God, and Peter was irresistibly carried forward.

The thirty-mile journey between the two towns was nearly over. Peter knew nothing of the special work ahead of him. He had gone up to the roof of Simon's house to pray. It was about the sixth hour, the hour of noon. The third, the sixth, and the ninth hours were hours of prayer with the Jews. He was hungry, and while he waited for food, he fell into a trance (or, an ecstasy came upon him). Paul was in a similar state at the temple (Acts 22:17) when the Lord appeared to him. The Spirit of God was now about to teach His servant the special service that lay before him.

The word is ekstasis, 'ecstasy.' In it the mind is, as it were, carried beyond the body. It is translated 'astonishment' in Mark 5:42, and 'amazement' in Acts 3:10. It is translated 'trance' when Peter saw the sheet let down from heaven. It is 'trance' again when Paul in the temple saw the Lord and heard Him speak to him. Acts 10:10; Acts 11:5; Acts 22:17. The Greek Old Testament uses the same word for the deep sleep of Adam and of Abram. Gen. 2:21; Gen. 15:12.

It is interesting to see how the Lord prepares His servant in this chapter. He let him fall into a trance: he was not asleep; he was in a trance.

Though he became very hungry, God did not allow him to eat. While they were preparing a meal, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened, and a vessel like a great sheet, knotted at its four corners, let down from heaven to earth.

God is preparing both men for each other. He sends the anxious man an angel, and says, in effect, I know what you want, Cornelius; you will get what you want. And by the vision He says to Peter on the housetop: I want you to get rid of all your old Jewish ideas. You must have your old ideas and prejudices knocked out of your head, and you must go and do what I tell you.

Next comes the account of God's preliminary dealings with Peter by means of a trance. There was more difficulty here. Peter was still bound by his Jewish thoughts, and God had to free him from them. The hearers were ready, but the preacher had to be made ready to go. The record is that he "went up on the housetop to pray," so he was in the right attitude to receive the necessary guidance. There was not only a praying seeker but a praying servant also.

Peter is staying with Simon, a tanner, in Joppa. He does not yet know that God wants to use him to open up the kingdom of heaven to the "nations", that is, to believers from a non-Jewish background… The work of redemption was complete. The curtain of the temple had been torn. The Holy Spirit had come to dwell on the earth, and Peter himself had preached a great message on the day of Pentecost. But he had not yet seen that Gentiles would be invited too, that they would share fully in Christian blessing, and that they would belong to the church of God.

God first dealt with Peter through a trance. There was more difficulty here, for he was still bound by his Jewish thoughts, and God had to free him from them. The hearers were ready, but God had to make the preacher ready to go. He "went up on the housetop to pray," so he was in the right attitude to receive the guidance he needed. There was not only a praying seeker but a praying servant also.

On the third occasion the heaven is not opened above nor for Christ. It opens to help Peter grasp the tremendous change that comes from the work of redemption accomplished on the cross… The curtain of the temple had been torn. The Holy Spirit had come to dwell on the earth. Peter himself had proclaimed a great message on the day of Pentecost. But he had not yet seen that Gentiles should be invited too, should fully share in Christian blessing, and be part of the church of God.

How strange it must have seemed to a man taught from his earliest days in the principles of the Mosaic ritual! He saw a vessel coming down from heaven, and "in it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air." He did not only see the vessel, so filled; he also heard a voice saying, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." How wonderful. No examination of hooves or habits! There was no need of it. The vessel and its contents had come from heaven. That was enough… but the tide of divine grace was rising above all such fences, to take into its mighty compass "all kinds" of objects.

It was a great sheet "let down by its four corners", which gives us the thought of what is universal. The vessel coming down would show Peter that the gospel was to go out to everyone.

The great sheet set out the worldwide scope of the grace of God today. In former times the river of God's mercy kept overflowing its banks. It overflowed to Rahab the Canaanite, Ruth the Moabitess, Naaman the Syrian, and a whole city full of Ninevites. But there are no banks for it to overflow in this day. It is like a shoreless ocean, flowing free to all mankind. It brings those whom it reaches to better blessing than Israel ever knew.

Peter receives a threefold testimony that God purifies the Gentiles by faith, instead of separating Israel by circumcision. The cross had changed everything, and put no difference between believers, Jew or Gentile… From the open heaven light streamed on the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus. Grace declared that the uncleanness was gone — the uncleanness the law given at Sinai had condemned strictly for a time… A Jew until then could no more eat an unclean animal than he could eat with a sinner of the Gentiles.

The vessel comes down from heaven and returns there again. It is the Church, heavenly in origin, and heavenly in destination. Those within it are alike those whom God has cleansed, and no one must call them common.

Some have imagined this to be the Church, but I do not believe that is the thought here. Peter was not the vessel through whom God was going to bring out the truth of the Church — that was given to Paul. I believe the vision taught Peter that the Cross had done away with all the barriers that once stood between Jew and Gentile.

God takes it back again, and that is just what one would expect. Nothing goes into heaven except what comes out of it… There is nothing in either you or me that fits us for heaven… The contents of the vessel show us that there is no limit to the grace of God. His grace meets and saves the most unlikely, and those who seem the least suited.

The great sheet which Peter saw descended out of an opened heaven. It embraced within its folds all kinds of creatures, both clean and unclean. It was received up into heaven. Peter was told to satisfy his hunger by eating, and he might have done this by selecting a clean animal for his food. Yet they were all jumbled up together, so he declined. He was told, however, that God could cleanse the unclean. In fact He had done so, and what He had cleansed Peter was not to call common. This happened three times, so that its meaning might sink into Peter's mind.

Up to that time he seems to have taken this eleventh chapter of Leviticus, and scriptures like it, only literally... But now, under the direct teaching of God, he finds that these beasts, birds and creeping things stand for men who are completely unclean in themselves. Yet by divine grace the precious blood of Jesus can cleanse them.

Domesticated animals would speak of the classes of men who are cultured and refined. Creeping things would speak of the more despised classes, in lowly and humbled places. The beasts of the earth remind us of men in their wild, rebellious state. This third class is even more common than the others.

How wonderful. No examination of hoofs or habits! There was no need of this. The vessel and its contents had come from heaven. This was enough... It did not matter what was in the vessel, if God had cleansed it. The Author of the Book of Leviticus was about to lift the thoughts of His servant above the barriers that book had put up. He was raising them into all the magnificence of heaven's grace.

The cross had changed everything, and put no difference between believers, Jew or Gentile... It was no longer a question of the law, or of becoming a convert to the Jewish religion, or even of holding on to the edge of a Jew's robe. From the open heaven, light streamed down on the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus. Grace declared that the uncleanness was gone — the uncleanness that the law given at Sinai had condemned so strictly for a time.

What is the meaning of that? Nothing goes into heaven but what comes out of it. How am I to get there? That is a serious question. If there is no work of God in my soul and yours, let us not dream of heaven.

The vessel is a picture of the church. The four corners represent the four corners of the earth. The clean animals it contained are the Jews; the unclean, the Gentiles. But all in that vessel are cleansed... Believing Jews and Gentiles are redeemed by blood, saved by grace, washed and sanctified. God's purpose is to put them all into one body.

Some have imagined this to be the church, but I do not believe that is the thought here. Peter was not the vessel through whom God was going to bring out the truth of the church — that was given to Paul. I believe the vision taught Peter that the cross had done away with all the barriers that had once stood between Jew and Gentile.

It was about the sixth hour, the hour of noon. The third, the sixth, and the ninth hours were hours of prayer with the Jews. He was hungry, and while he waited for food, he fell into a trance... Peter saw what looked like a sheet let down from heaven by its four corners. It held all kinds of four-footed animals, creeping things, and birds of the air. To him these were clean and unclean beasts, all mixed together. A strange sight for one brought up in the strict rules of Judaism!

How strange it must have seemed to a man taught the principles of the law of Moses from his earliest days... to hear a voice saying, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." How wonderful. No examination of hoofs or habits! There was no need of this. The vessel and its contents had come from heaven. This was enough... God would teach him that true cleanness — the cleanness heaven demanded — no longer meant chewing the cud, dividing the hoof, or any such ceremonial marks. It meant being washed in the blood of the Lamb, which cleanses from all sin.

It seems that up to then he had read this eleventh chapter of Leviticus, and scriptures like it, in a literal way only... But now God teaches him directly. He finds that these beasts, birds, and creeping things stand for people who are completely unclean in themselves. Yet by divine grace they can be cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus.

The great sheet which Peter saw came down out of an opened heaven. It held within its folds all kinds of creatures, both clean and unclean. Heaven received it back again... We can see in the vision a fitting picture of the gospel. It comes from an opened heaven. It gathers a crowd into its folds, and among them are many Gentiles who were unclean under the ceremonial law. But grace cleanses all of them, and in the end they are taken up into heaven.

Even at this hour Peter had no thought of what the voice commanded from heaven, and he dared to object to it in the vision. The free grace that marks the gospel owed nothing to the hearts or minds of its most blessed preachers. God's word proves beyond doubt that what matters to us more than anything else, for time and eternity, came from God alone.

The cross had changed everything. It put no difference between believers, Jew or Gentile... Light streamed from the open heaven on the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus. Grace declared that the uncleanness was gone which the law given at Sinai had condemned so strictly for a time... The Saviour speaks from heaven, where a distinction like Jew and Gentile has no place... Until now a Jew could no more eat an unclean animal than he could eat with a sinner of the Gentiles.

It may mean 'unclean' in reference to animals forbidden by the law as food, or to Gentiles in contrast with Jews, Acts 10:14, 28; they were not sanctified.

God prepares Peter's heart for a mission he was, until then, in no way ready for. But God wanted the Gentiles… Peter fell into a trance and saw what looked like a great sheet let down from heaven to earth, full of all kinds of four-footed animals… and birds of the air, which it was not lawful for the Jews to eat. A voice said, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." Peter, faithful to Judaism, refuses; he had never eaten anything common or unclean.

Peter receives a threefold testimony that God purifies the Gentiles by faith, instead of separating Israel by circumcision. The cross had changed everything. It put no difference between believers, Jew or Gentile… Until then a Jew could no more eat an unclean animal than he could eat with a sinner of the Gentiles. But the sheet came down from heaven and went back up there. In time it taught Peter the immense change that hinges on the cross.

Peter had learned the principles of the law of Moses from his earliest days. How strange it must have looked to him to see a vessel coming down from heaven, and to hear a voice saying, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." How wonderful. No examination of hoofs or habits! There was no need of this. The vessel and its contents had come from heaven. This was enough… It did not matter what was in the vessel, if God had cleansed it… He would teach His servant that true cleanness — the cleanness heaven demanded — no longer meant chewing the cud or dividing the hoof, but being washed in the blood of the Lamb, which cleanses from all sin.

Even the least attentive reader of the inspired story can see how far the saints, or even the apostles, saw the grace of the gospel in advance. Up to this hour Peter had no thought of what the voice commanded from heaven. In the vision he dared to object to it. The gospel in its free grace owed so little to the hearts or minds of its most blessed preachers.

The answer came: "What God has made clean, do not call common." To make it all the more emphatic, this happened three times, and then the vessel went back up into heaven. So the Lord was patient with His servant's conscience and taught him about the new work of grace now in hand. Distinctions of birth were to hold no longer. God would bring uncircumcised Gentiles in and bless them on common ground with the believing Israelite.

We may do certain things because of pressure, but this is always wrong… The Lord showed Peter the vision in Acts 10. The Lord Himself taught him that what God had sanctified he should not call unholy. Peter preached in the house of Cornelius. Even after all that, he failed in this respect. Can such a well taught man fail about this truth? Yes, that can happen. It can happen to the best one, and so it can happen to me and to you.

The Jew might shelter behind the narrow fences of the Jewish ritual and say, "By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean." But the tide of divine grace was rising in majesty above all such fences. It gathered "all kinds" of objects into its mighty sweep and carried them up to heaven, on the authority of those precious words, "What God has made clean, do not call common." It made no difference what was in the vessel, if God had cleansed it.

He had gone unwillingly at first — he had even dared, so to speak, to argue with the Lord in the vision of the great sheet… But again and again he received the rebuke, "What God has made clean, do not call common"; and at last he profited by the lesson.

Up to that time he seems to have taken this eleventh chapter of Leviticus, and scriptures like it, only literally… But now God teaches him directly. He finds that these beasts, birds and creeping things stand for men utterly unclean in themselves, yet whom divine grace can cleanse by the precious blood of Jesus.

The cross had changed everything, and put no difference between believers, Jew or Gentile… Light streamed from the open heaven on the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus. Grace declared that the uncleanness Sinai had strictly condemned for a time was gone.

The great sheet which Peter saw came down out of an opened heaven. It held within its folds all kinds of creatures, both clean and unclean. It was taken up into heaven… We can see in the vision a fitting picture of the gospel. It comes from an opened heaven. It gathers into its folds a crowd, and among them are many Gentiles who were counted unclean under the law. But grace cleanses all of them, and in the end they are taken up to heaven.

Some have imagined this to be the Church, but I do not believe that is the thought here… I believe God gave the vision to teach Peter one lesson. The Cross had done away with every barrier that once stood between Jew and Gentile. The grace of God was going out to each alike, and the same cleansing power was to bring both into blessing.

The answer came: "What God has made clean, do not call common." To press it home, this happened three times, and the vessel was taken up again into heaven. So the Lord in His grace bore with His servant's scruples and taught him about the new work of grace now in hand. Distinctions of birth were to hold no longer. Uncircumcised Gentiles were to come in, blessed on the same ground as the believing Israelite.

He remembered the Lord's words at Joppa : "What God has made clean, do not call common." With thanks he recognised these uncircumcised men as brothers in Christ. He not only had open fellowship with them in the assembly. In everyday life too, he ate with the Gentiles.

The answer came, "What God has made clean, do not call common." To make it all the more emphatic, this was done three times, and "the thing was taken up at once to heaven." So the Lord graciously bore with His servant's objections and taught him about the new work of grace now in hand. Distinctions of the flesh were to hold no longer. Uncircumcised Gentiles were to be brought in and blessed on the same ground as the believing Israelite.

Peter receives a threefold testimony that God is purifying the Gentiles by faith, instead of separating Israel by circumcision. The cross had changed everything, and put no difference between believers, Jew or Gentile. The Jew had lost his old superiority according to the flesh. Both were now open alike to incomparably better blessings in Christ by faith… A Jew until then could no more eat an unclean animal than he could eat with a Gentile sinner. But the sheet, which came down from heaven and was taken up there, taught Peter in due time the immense change that hinges on the cross.

This happened three times so that the significance of it might sink into Peter's mind. We can see in the vision a fitting picture of the gospel. It comes from an opened heaven. It gathers a crowd into its folds, and among them are many Gentiles who were ceremonially unclean — but all of them cleansed by grace, and taken up into heaven at the end.

Some have imagined this to be the Church, but I do not believe that is the thought here. Peter was not the vessel through whom God was going to bring out the truth of the Church — that was given to Paul. I believe the vision was given to teach Peter one lesson. The Cross had done away with all the barriers that previously existed between Jew and Gentile, and the grace of God was going out to each alike.

Even up to this hour Peter had no thought of what the voice commanded from heaven, and in the vision he dared to object to it. The free grace at the heart of the gospel owed so little to the hearts or minds of its most blessed preachers. The word of God proves beyond dispute that what matters to us more than anything else, for time and for eternity, came from God alone.

This was done three times to emphasise its importance (Acts 10:9-16). The age of law was over. Its regulations must not be carried into Christianity. The cross had broken down the dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles. With it, of course, the rules about avoiding certain foods were done away (Eph. 2:14-15).

At first Peter doubted what all this meant, because old prejudices die slowly. But while he kept thinking it over, the messengers from Cornelius arrived and cleared it up. The Spirit told him plainly to go with them and so carry the Gospel to the seeking Roman. God would save the "unclean" Gentile.

But Peter could not interpret the vision. While he was wondering what it meant, the men sent from Cornelius stood before the gate… I believe Peter now begins to get some idea of what the Lord means by the vision. It was to teach him that with God there was from now on to be no distinction between Jew and Gentile. Peter had been a good Jew up till this time… and Peter was the man God chose to begin this work and to call in the Gentiles, even though Paul was clearly the Apostle to the Gentiles.

Under God, the great apostle Peter owed the answer to his vision to a Gentile's invitation. But the Spirit is the agent of all blessing, understanding, and power in the believer, and so His place stands out here (verses 19, 20). It must be a divine impulse, not a conclusion worked out by reasoning. For us and for all, this is a lesson of priceless value.

In Acts 8 we saw how exactly God timed Philip's meeting with the Ethiopian's chariot. Now we see the servants of Cornelius arriving at the precise moment to settle God's instructions in Peter's mind. The whole thing was of God, and it carried Peter forward with a force he could not resist.

But for this to happen, Peter and Cornelius must meet, and Peter must bring Cornelius the Gospel. A Jew and a Gentile to meet! Who could arrange that? Who could persuade Peter to agree to it? God must do it.

But it mattered above all that man's will should be shut out, and man's wisdom with it. What could do this better than the vision of Cornelius on one side and the vision of Peter on the other? The character of each man gave special weight to what they saw and heard. The "three men" from Caesarea and the "six brothers" who came with Peter from Joppa confirmed that the two visions agreed, and that agreement carried great weight and a clear meaning. God used men a great deal, since they were the ones most deeply concerned, but in such a way that every honest mind can see that God was the driving force in it all.

Peter also told them how the three men from Cornelius, a Gentile, stood in person before the house in Joppa at that very moment. He told them how the Spirit said to go with them without asking a question. Such a threefold cord could not be broken, each part was independent of the other, and all of them from God. For Cornelius in Caesarea had a vision no less than Peter in Joppa. But Peter had more than that. While he was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit directed him to go with the messengers of Cornelius. This was before he knew that the three men were asking for him at the gate.

Peter's address at this time was the house of a Christian, Simon the tanner, by the seaside. Ananias had no difficulty in finding Saul. The messengers of Cornelius found the house and the man they were sent to just as easily. The Shepherd knows the sheep. The Holy Spirit can point out the place and the house where they will be found. Some may be strangers to the people right around them on earth. If saints, they are, however, under the watchful eye of One in heaven — a comfort for any in such a position on earth.

The angel, you notice, did not cut a long story short by telling the message to Cornelius himself. Only a man who has himself received grace can tell the message of grace rightly. So Peter must be called.

The Lord goes ahead of the messengers from Caesarea to the house of Simon the tanner by the seaside. That house is the lowly birthplace of a wide and far-reaching movement in His ways with men.

Understandably Peter was in doubt, wondering why the vision was given. But he had not long to wait for an answer, for the men sent from Cornelius were at the gate asking for him. He does not go because they ask, however, but at the direction of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit tells him about the three men looking for him. The Spirit tells him to go with them without personal reservations, for God had sent them.

So it was made plain, beyond doubt, that it was God who opened the door to the nations just as to the Jews — not man, not the church, not even the apostles. That is how the gospel itself worked and was preached. But even the believer is slow to grasp the full meaning of what he has really received. He depends entirely on God's word and Spirit to give him growth and progress.

It is often a valuable thing to go over again in our minds the Scriptures we have recently read, the substance of a talk we have heard, or some experience we have been through. That way we make sure we have taken in its special message. We do not often think of Peter as a man given to reflection. Yet twice we find him doing so at critical moments in his life. "And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him ... And he broke down and wept" (Mark 14:72).

Notice "the Spirit said" — it is not an angel who speaks. When it is a question of dealing with the soul, and carrying the truth to the soul, the Spirit speaks. The Holy Spirit whispers to Peter, and what does He say? "Behold, three men are looking for you. Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them" (vv. 19, 20).

What a clear message to Peter, when the Spirit followed up his vision by applying it! Nothing could be plainer than the divine authority with which the Spirit speaks and acts, here as elsewhere — "I have sent them": He is God.

But the Spirit is the agent of all blessing, intelligence, and power in the believer. So His place here stands out (vv. 19, 20). It must be a divine impulse, and not a mere deduction of reasoning: for all of us this is a lesson of great value. At first, visible signs and extraordinary power announced His presence and showed the new truth of His action in man. But the reality remains, and He remains with us for ever. In divine wisdom, those outward signs are no longer given.

Peter was not serving as Philip was, but praying, and that was a good condition to be in for the Spirit's voice to be heard. The Spirit said, "Go, do not doubt." How often we find a matter put before us, and our minds start to think and reason. Before we know where we are, we have a thousand reasons not to do the thing pressed upon us... He sent the three men and then He awakened Peter. The whole thing was timed together. They went down to the house of Cornelius, and there was great blessing for the Gentiles.

God does not send an angel — a servant — to call Peter and tell him about the messengers standing at the gate... How beautiful this is. I believe Peter now begins to get a hint of what the Lord means by the vision. It was to teach him that with God there was from now on to be no distinction between Jew and Gentile. Under the law, God had forbidden the Jew to mix with the Gentile. Now the Lord taught Peter that that day had gone by — that what God had cleansed, he was not to call common.

He does not learn this lesson at once. He was puzzled about what the vision he had seen could mean (v. 17). But while Peter was thinking about the vision, the Spirit told him that three men were looking for him. Notice that it is the Spirit who speaks, not an angel. When it is a question of dealing with the soul, and carrying the truth to the soul, the Spirit speaks. The Holy Spirit whispers to Peter.

But the Spirit is the agent of all blessing, intelligence, and power in the believer; so this passage puts His place in full view (vv. 19, 20). It must be a divine impulse, not a conclusion drawn by reasoning. For us and for all, this is a lesson of priceless value. At first, no doubt, visible signs and extraordinary power announced His presence and showed the new truth of His work in man. But the reality remains, and He remains with us for ever. In His wisdom, God no longer gives those outward signs.

He does not go because they ask him, however. He goes at the direction of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit tells him about the three men looking for him, and tells him to go with them with no reservations of his own, because God had sent them.

Peter was not serving as Philip was, but praying, and that was a good state to be in to hear the Spirit's voice. The Spirit said, "Go, do not doubt." How often a duty comes before us, and our mind starts to think and reason. Before we know where we are, we have a thousand reasons not to do the thing pressed upon us. The Spirit said to Peter, "Do not doubt, you go. I have sent the three men." He sent the three men and then He awakened Peter. The whole thing was synchronised.

Peter told them also how the three men from the Gentile Cornelius stood in person before the house in Joppa at that very moment. He told them how the Spirit told him to go with them without a question. Such a threefold cord could not be broken; each part was independent of the other, and all of them from God... But Peter had something more. While he was thinking about the vision, the Spirit directed him to go with the messengers of Cornelius. That was before he knew that the three men were asking for him at the gate.

This made it plain, beyond doubt, that God opened the door to the nations as fully as to the Jews. It was not man, not the church, not even the apostles.

I believe Peter now begins to get an inkling of what the Lord means by the vision. It was to teach him that from now on there was to be no distinction with God between Jew and Gentile. Peter had been a good Jew up till this time. But the special thought of the Church is this: "there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all" (Col. 3:11).

Peter obeyed the Spirit's word. He went down, met the men, introduced himself as the one they were asking for, and asked why they had come. Now he heard about Cornelius in Caesarea. An angel had told Cornelius to send for Peter, to hear words from him.

How often a matter comes before us, and our minds start to think and reason. Before we know where we are, we have a thousand reasons not to do the thing pressed upon us. The Spirit said to Peter, "Do not doubt, you go. I have sent the three men." He sent the three men and then He awakened Peter. The whole thing was synchronised.

What a clear message to Peter, when the Spirit followed up his vision by applying it! And nothing is plainer than the divine authority with which the Spirit speaks and acts, here as elsewhere. "I have sent them" — He is God.

But let us follow Peter down from the housetop. He goes to the door and asks the men, "What is the reason for your coming?" Peter interests me very much, although he is so slow at his work. He had not yet fully grasped this new direction in God's ways.

At first Peter doubted what all this meant, because old prejudices die slowly. But while he kept thinking it over, the messengers from Cornelius arrived and made the situation clear. The Spirit told him plainly to go with them and so carry the Gospel to the seeking Roman. The "unclean" Gentile was to be saved.

At once Peter goes down. There are the men at the door. They have found out where Simon lives. They are looking for the evangelist — and meanwhile God has prepared the evangelist to carry His message to an anxious soul.

But it was of great importance to shut out man's will as well as man's wisdom. What could do this better than the vision of Cornelius on the one hand and the vision of Peter on the other? … Their agreement carried high value and unmistakable meaning, confirmed by the "three men" from Caesarea and the "six brothers" who went with Peter from Joppa. Men had a large part, since they were the ones most deeply concerned, but in a way that shows every honest mind that God was the moving spring in it all.

This made it plain, beyond doubt, that God opened the door to the nations just as He had to the Jews — not man, not the church, not even the apostles.

The message delivered by the men from Caesarea was to the point. For a Roman officer in a garrison town, the good report of the whole Jewish nation was no small thing. It meant even more that his own household could testify he was a righteous man who feared God — as his soldier attendant plainly was too.

It is beautiful to see how the Lord sends His messenger to one whose outward character was blameless: even the Jews bear record of him, that he was a just man, and one who feared God, in spite of the fact that he was a Gentile, and a Roman, and very likely oppressing them while carrying out the laws of his master, the Emperor of Rome — still the whole nation said he was a just man. He did not have the gospel, it is true; but he was now to get it.

When God was going to send the gospel of His grace to the Gentiles, whom does He pick as the first vessel to hold His treasure? It is not a scandalous man: it is not a blasphemer, or a cursing man. That would have been to awaken Jewish opposition. He selects a man about whom the Jews had already issued a "good report," since he was a "devout man."

God had clearly begun a good work in him. There was life in his soul, because otherwise his works could not have been acceptable to God. He had some light and he lived up to the light that he had, and God sent him more.

To think that a man with no spiritual life could live like this is absurd. Cornelius was born of God and lived like it, though he did not yet have peace. God was now about to meet the wants and longings of his soul by fully revealing His grace in the gospel.

Peter was to tell him "words," by which he and all his house should be "saved." The law demands works from men. The gospel brings words to men, and those words lead them to salvation if they believe them. Note also that they were not "saved" until they had heard the gospel and believed it. Yet without doubt God had already worked in the hearts of these people, and that work led them to seek after God.

He was no more unconverted than the disciples were before Pentecost, or the Old Testament saints. … Yet he needed to hear words from the apostle, by which he and all his house should be saved. Salvation is more than being made alive. It is knowing for yourself the deliverance won by the work of Christ, which the gospel now announces. Cornelius may have been safe before; he was saved after he received the message of grace and the gift of the Spirit.

Why this method? Why did not the angel tell him straight away about the dead and risen Saviour? The answer is very simple. The privilege of preaching Christ belongs only to those who have themselves tasted redeeming grace. In the same way an angel directed Philip towards the court official in Acts 8:26.

It was of the greatest importance to shut out man's will as well as man's wisdom. … God used men a great deal, since they had the deepest stake in it. But He used them in a way that showed every honest mind that God was the moving spring in it all. The "devout soldier," along with the two household servants, has his lowly but valuable place. He was soon to share the blessing, and so was the devout centurion he waited on so closely.

Under the law, God had forbidden Jews to mix with Gentiles. Now the Lord taught Peter that those days were over. What God had cleansed, he was not to call common. He began to act on that truth at once, for we read that he called the men in and gave them a bed for the night.

Of course Peter was ready to go. He had the messengers put up for the night in the home of his host. The next day he went back with them to Caesarea, along with other brothers from Joppa. This was wise. Peter knew his Jewish brothers would need some witness in a matter of such huge importance to Jewish minds. He was very glad he had done this when he was later challenged for going into a Gentile's home and eating with Gentiles.

We have seen that Peter was impulsive, eager and careless. It is striking to see how careful he became here. He took six brothers with him to be witnesses of what God was about to do.

By this wise act he made sure there were plenty of witnesses of what actually happened. He also removed any suspicion that he had acted behind his brothers' backs. He did nothing in secret, and he did not try to settle a hard question apart from fellowship with his brothers.

But it was of the highest importance to shut out man's will as well as man's wisdom. What could do this better than the vision given to Cornelius on the one hand and the vision given to Peter on the other? ... The two visions agreed, and the 'three men' from Caesarea and the 'six brothers' who came with Peter from Joppa confirmed that agreement. It carried great weight and a clear meaning. Men had a large part in it, since they were deeply involved. But it was all done in a way that showed every honest mind that God was the moving spring in it all.

I have often said I would have liked to be the seventh man to go down with Peter that day, and see the wonderful tide of blessing that was about to roll into the house of Cornelius. ... It was clearly a two days' journey from Joppa to Caesarea, and four days had passed from the time the men were sent off for Peter, until he returned with them to Caesarea.

Would a Jew obey the summons of a Gentile? Would Peter enter under his roof? Some might have questioned that. Cornelius, however, did not. Not a shadow of a doubt existed in his mind, and he had reckoned on an immediate response. And he was not mistaken. Peter arrived as soon as he could well have been there — the fourth day after the angel's visit — and found a warm and full welcome. The centurion's relatives and close friends had gathered to meet him... For the first time Peter had crossed the doorway of a Gentile's home.

When someone is interested in a truth they are not clear about, they want another person to come and hear about it too. I should not be surprised if there are men in this hall who are not clear about the gospel themselves. Yet they have said to others, "Come along with us; we will go and hear what this preacher has to say." That was exactly Cornelius' position. He had not got the light himself, but he could say, "I know I am going to get it. I have had a message from God, and light is coming." So he fills his house with his friends and relatives.

Dear reader, have you nothing to learn from the zeal of this Roman centurion? We saw his settled piety and devotion before (verses 2, 22). Are we to have less zeal because we are more familiar with the grace and truth that came by Jesus Christ? That would be a sorrowful fruit. It would come not from better light, but from indifference of the flesh and worldly ease. These block the proper working of divine affections — the affections by which others may live and our own souls grow through the knowledge of God.

Cornelius, his relatives, and close friends are the first Gentiles to hear the glad tidings of the grace of God. Paul was above all the apostle sent to the nations. Yet Peter is the one chosen to speak the word to them first. For this purpose God brings him the whole way from Joppa to Caesarea, so that he may tell Cornelius words by which he and all his house should be saved.

When Peter received Cornelius and his friends into the assembly, it may be said to pave the way. Even so, it did not announce the glorious truth of the true nature, calling, and destiny of that assembly. Paul, already called, was to unfold that in due course... These events showed that in every nation anyone who feared God was acceptable to Him. They also showed that no one had to become a Jew to receive the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory... The doctrine was not preached, because it was not yet known, but the thing itself was enacted.

It was all the more remarkable, since a Roman normally never bowed to the ground before a stranger. But the angel's message had raised this lowly, devout man's expectation so high that he failed to separate the preacher from the truth he was sent to make known. So he was ready to pay more honour than was fitting to the man God had told him to send for.

The word most often used for worship is proskuneo. It comes from pros and kuneo, "to fawn or crouch," and "to kiss." Its first use in Scripture is in Genesis 18:2 [in the Greek Old Testament] when Abraham bows to the ground… It takes in all acts of outward honour, such as kneeling and bowing to the ground. People paid such honour to kings and other superiors, and also to a divine person, or to someone they regarded as such… So the word in itself does not decide whether the homage goes to God (which is its most constant use) or not. In most passages it could be translated "do homage."

Fully expecting Peter, Cornelius had already gathered his relatives and close friends to hear the word of God. However, out of deep reverence for the things of God, he made the serious mistake of falling at Peter's feet to worship him. Some men would proudly accept this, but not Peter, who knew that only the Lord is to be worshipped. Peter lifted him up, telling him to stand, for he was just like Cornelius, a mere man, and not God.

It is remarkable that the Spirit of God has put it on record. Men offered homage to both Peter and Paul, and both stopped it at once and with force. "Stand up: I myself also am a man," was Peter's command to Cornelius when that centurion threw himself at his feet (Acts 10:26)… These were true men. They would not let anyone think they were more than men. They would not accept adoration even for a moment, because adoration belonged to God alone. From these events in the lives of His servants we learn by inference that Jesus was God when He accepted the adoration of Thomas. If not, what was He?

Oh, you who claim to be Peter's special and exclusive successor, are you not ashamed? Why are you of all men the furthest from his ways and the most opposed to his spirit? You have silver and gold, which he did not. But you deny and corrupt the faith he preached. And the lowliness he showed even to a Gentile who was not yet baptised is the most solemn rebuke to your pride, while the cardinals adore you again and again, each one falling down before you and kissing your slippered toe. Can the contrast be more complete? And this is "succession"!

It was all the more remarkable, since a Roman would not usually bow to the ground in greeting a stranger. But the angel's message had lifted the humble and devout mind of Cornelius to such a pitch of expectation that he failed to separate the preacher from the truth he was sent to make known. So he was ready to pay more honour than was right to the man God had told him to send for. On the other hand, the dignity that goes with the truth fits with the deepest humility. It even produces and increases that humility, in proportion to the power grace gains over the soul.

The word most often used for worship is proskuneo, from pros and kuneo, "to fawn or crouch," and "to kiss."... It covers all acts of outward honour, such as kneeling and bowing to the ground — the wide sense the word "worship" once had in English (see 1 Chronicles 29:20). People paid such honour to kings and other superiors, as well as to a divine person, or one regarded as such... So the word in itself does not tell us whether the homage goes to God (which is its most common use) or not. In most passages you could translate it "do homage."

Cornelius falls at the feet of this messenger, who he knew was God's messenger to his soul. This only shows how earnest the man was. "But Peter lifted him up, saying, 'Stand up; I too am a man.'" You are a man, and so am I: we are on the same level.

It is remarkable that the Spirit of God has put it on record that men offered homage to both Peter and Paul, and that both of them stopped it at once and with force... These were true men. They would not let anyone think they were more than men, and they would not accept adoration even for a moment, since it belongs to God alone. From these incidents in the lives of His servants we learn, by inference, that Jesus was God when He accepted the adoration of Thomas. If not, what was He? Let the objectors supply the answer.

We all recognise the tendency to make much of man. Without knowing it, we fall into idolatry. We give the glory to some instrument God in His grace has seen fit to use, instead of to Himself. We lean too heavily on the hand that would point us to Christ. Too often we make priests of the very people who remind us that we are all priests... When loved and honoured servants of Christ are taken away, one lesson at least we may learn is not to make too much of them — to "cease from man" — to cling more simply to Christ alone.

He accepted Peter's gentle rebuke, "I too am a man." Yet he knew God was at work, and that they must hold the meeting as in His presence. So he set himself and the whole audience "here present before God," ready to hear from the preacher "all things that God has commanded you." They were ready to hear ALL. Plenty of people do not mind hearing pleasant and comforting things, but they object to the sterner announcements the gospel makes.

Would a Jew obey the summons of a Gentile? Would Peter enter under his roof? Some might have questioned that. Cornelius, however, did not. Not a shadow of a doubt existed in his mind... The centurion had gathered his relatives and close friends to meet him. What a sight it must have been! For the first time he had crossed the threshold of a Gentile's home. And for the first time in the world's history, Gentiles came together to hear the gospel of God's grace.

Notice that God has "broken down" the wall He Himself had raised long ago. It would have been sin for anyone else to break it down. The LORD said to His people, "You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine" (Leviticus 20:26). The godly gloried in this... So Peter was right to tell Cornelius that it was unlawful. A Jew could not visit or mix with anyone of another nation. But such distinctions belong to the past. God's present work is forming the one body. God now proclaims peace to those far off and those near, and both draw near to the Father.

Now that the true light shines, the old distinction is gone. It was not so at the beginning; it is no longer in force. If God was entitled to set up such a difference, He was just as free to annul it... Peter came "without objecting," as was fitting for him. For what has faith to do in such circumstances but obey?

Peter lifts him up, and they go into the house together. Peter finds "many persons gathered." The house was full of souls that God was going to bless... Peter has learned his lesson now; he has the key to the difficulty he pondered over on the roof. When he had gone down and obeyed, he saw quite clearly that the grace of God was going out to the ends of the earth.

You will always find it this way. Someone is interested in the truth but not clear about it, and they want another person to come and hear about it too... That was exactly Cornelius' position. He did not have the light himself, but he could say, "I know I am going to get it. I have had a message from God, and light is coming." So he fills his house with his friends and relatives.

He was also sure that this was of God. So he had no doubt Peter would come, and he had called together many people who, like himself, were seekers after God... They were ready to hear everything God had to say. Plenty of people do not mind hearing pleasant and comforting things, but object to the sterner announcements the gospel makes.

We must not pass over in silence this energy which embraced whole houses and brought them under the Christian faith. We only see it, however, when it is a question of bringing in the Gentiles. But Cornelius, Lydia, and the jailer of Philippi are all witnesses to this power.

Peter tells the people gathered there that they knew the rule. It was unlawful for a Jew to keep company with someone of a foreign nation, or even to come as a friend to his home. Israel's law had not said exactly this, but it was how the Jews of that time understood it. The Lord sent Elijah to stay with a Gentile widow (1 Kings 17:9). More importantly, God sent Joseph and Mary with the child Jesus to Egypt, where keeping this Jewish rule would be impossible. The Lord Himself also spoke kindly to a Samaritan woman. She was surprised at this, because the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans (John 4:9). But Peter's rigid thinking had to give way to what the Lord showed him: he must not call any man common or unclean, whatever nation he belonged to.

God forbade Israel certain creatures only because of what they pictured, not because there was any evil in the creature itself. In a vision the Lord told Peter to eat all kinds of animals. Peter objected, but the Lord insisted. Then he realised that the unclean animals stood for people — that is, Gentiles. Peter says in Acts 10:28 that God had shown him he should not call any man unclean. Before the cross, Israel kept strictly apart from Gentiles, since they counted Gentiles unclean. But the sacrifice of Christ cleanses all who trust Him as Saviour, whether Jew or Gentile.

Peter had entered not only the house but the room where Cornelius had his company waiting to hear the gospel. He explains first what they all knew, then what God had just shown him. They knew that for a Jew to be familiar with a Gentile was unlawful. As for Peter, God had shown him that he was not to call any man common or unclean. Now that the true light shines, the old distinction is gone. It was not so at the beginning; it is no longer in force. If God had the right to set up such a difference, He was just as free to cancel it... In such a case, what is faith to do but obey?

Prejudice — that sad hindrance then, now, and always — stood in the way. He needed his mind enlarged to take in God's purpose for the Gentiles. To someone trained inside the Jewish system, admitting Jews into the kingdom seemed one thing, and admitting Gentiles quite another... but now all was changed. The middle wall was broken down — the barriers were swept away. It was a wonderful lesson for him to learn on the roof of Simon the tanner's house. There he learned for the first time that "God shows no partiality," and that what God has cleansed no one may call common.

Peter has learned his lesson now; he has got the key to the difficulty that he pondered over on the roof. When he had gone down and obeyed, he saw quite clearly that the grace of God was going out to the ends of the earth.

Paul began his protest by asking Peter a question about his earlier way of life, before the sudden change. Peter had given up the strict Jewish customs for the freer life of the Gentiles, as he himself had stated in Acts 10:28. How could he now retreat from that position without contradicting himself? Such a retreat amounted to saying that, after all, Gentiles should live by the customs of the Jews.

Peter tells the gathered audience that they knew it was unlawful for a Jew to keep company with a foreigner, or even to visit his home. This was not exactly what Israel's law had said, but it was the meaning the Jews had accepted by then. The Lord sent Elijah to stay with a Gentile widow (1 Kings 17:9)... Also, the Lord Himself spoke kindly to a Samaritan woman. She was surprised at this, for Jews had no dealings with Samaritans (John 4:9). But Peter's rigid thinking had to give way to what the Lord had shown him: he must not call any person common or unclean, whatever nation he came from. That is why he came at once, without objection.

Notice that God has "broken down" the wall which He Himself put up long ago (it would have been sin for anyone else to do so). The LORD said to His people, "I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine" (Leviticus 20:26)... So Peter was right to tell Cornelius that it was unlawful for a Jew to visit, or keep company with, someone of another nation. But such distinctions belong to the past.

If God had the right to set up such a difference, He was just as free to cancel it. He had shown this to Peter, preparing him for Cornelius. God had told Cornelius to send for Peter, and Peter had come at that word "without objection", as was fitting for him. For what has faith to do in such a case but obey? If Christ Himself was, beyond all others, the Obedient Man, then the apostles stood apart from other people as much by the measure of their obedience as by their gift and power.

Prejudice — that sad hindrance then, now, and always — stood in the way. To someone raised under the Jewish system, it seemed one thing to let Jews into the kingdom, and quite another to let Gentiles in... That is how it had been in the past. But now everything was changed. The middle wall was broken down — the barriers were swept away.

I must say that I never quite understood that question. I cannot understand a man, who knows the grace of God, and is in the presence of anxious people, asking, "I ask then why you sent for me?" I think, if I got into such a gathering, I should know, and I would say, I know what you want; you want the gospel: the Lord help me to give it to you.

Cornelius answers his question by telling him how he saw the vision of the angel in response to his prayer, and how he was told to send for Peter. Peter's own vision fully confirmed that this was miraculous, so there was no possibility of deception here... So God Himself had arranged this gathering in the home of Cornelius, and they were ready to hear all that God had commanded Peter.

Listen, you who want to honour Peter truly, so that you may be saved from the destructive superstitions of his false successors. See how quickly he comes, with not a word to say against it, when Cornelius asks. Ah! It is not Peter who demanded or received worldly pomp and human honour. It is you who have lost the word of truth, the gospel of salvation, and who are ruled by dark and evil traditions that make God's word of no effect.

Then he probes Cornelius, and tries to find out the state of his soul. He says, "I ask then why you sent for me." It is a good thing to let a soul who is anxious about divine things speak out for itself. Cornelius tells his own story... Here you have another indication of Cornelius's moral state; he was fasting as well as praying, pouring out his soul to God.

An angel appeared to Cornelius while he was praying at the ninth hour. That hour had long been set apart for the evening sacrifice on the altar, and Jerusalem knew it as the hour of prayer. God, the centurion learned, had observed and cared for the Gentile soldier. Grace had really reached him in the giving of spiritual life, though he was neither an Israelite nor a convert to the Jewish religion... Never before had a heavenly visitor appeared in that house. So Cornelius was frightened at first, and asked, "What is it, Lord?"

Cornelius may not have heard of the Sermon on the Mount, but his practical righteousness quite matched what is laid down there. Verse 1 of Matthew 6 speaks of "righteousness" in general. The verses that follow give its branches: giving to the poor, praying and fasting.

Another point worth noticing is that angels are not mentioned as preaching the gospel. God sent the angel to Cornelius to guide him in his search for truth. The angel did not preach the gospel to him, but told him to send for a man. Not from the mouth of the mighty angel but from the lips of a sinner saved by grace did Cornelius hear of the Saviour... So we see how in service man in grace enjoys a privilege denied to angels.

To be saved, he was not told to do works. He was to hear words when Peter came: "He will speak to you." Later Peter tells the story in Jerusalem. He says the angel had told Cornelius, "Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household." Mark that now! ... Many souls think that if they are to be saved, it must be by works of some kind. But when God opens the way to the Gentiles, He rules out the thought of works.

He was an awakened man — anxious, godly, prayerful, God-fearing. But if you had gone and asked him whether his sins were forgiven, he would not have dared to say so. Up to that moment the testimony of the Gospel had not gone out, and forgiveness had not been preached to the Gentiles.

Before he heard Peter's address, it would have been wrong for Cornelius to say that he was forgiven. It would be just as wrong for you and me now, if we believe on Jesus, to say we do not know it. Cornelius did not know this great blessing, but it is clear that he longed for it with all his heart. He tells Peter that the angel had said to him, "Cornelius, your prayer has been heard." What does that mean? That God read his heart, and knew what he desired — light. Remember that he was not a convert to the Jewish religion. He had not embraced Judaism. The Jews plainly thought well of him, but he had never put himself under the law.

What right have we to imagine that Cornelius was praying, fasting, and giving alms in order to earn salvation? None at all — at least if we let the inspired account govern us. We have no other way of knowing anything about this truly excellent and interesting man. The angel told him that his prayers and his alms had gone up as a memorial before God. Is this not clear proof? These prayers and alms were not the trappings of self-righteousness. They were the fruit of a righteousness based on the knowledge he had of God.

When did the prayers and alms of an ungodly man ever "come up for a memorial before God"? Such are "dead works," as worthless, if not as offensive, as wicked works.

To be saved, he was not told to do works. He was to hear words, when Peter came. "He shall speak to you."... Many souls think that they must be saved by works of some sort. But when God opens the way to the Gentiles, He rules out the thought of works.

The angel, you notice, did not cut a long story short by telling the message to Cornelius himself. Only a man who is himself a subject of grace can rightly tell the message of grace. So Peter must be called. God valued the prayers and alms of Cornelius, because they expressed the sincere seeking of his heart after God. Suppose that, after hearing the gospel, he had ignored its message and gone on with his prayers and alms. That would have been a different matter. Then they would not have "come up for a memorial before God."

Exercise of heart in prayer is never fruitless, though the result may be long delayed... and we do not know how long he waited before God sent Peter to him with the answer: it may have been years (Acts 10). As with Daniel, so with Cornelius, and so with us, God chooses both the time and the way of answering, and that choice rests in His wisdom and grace.

God never fails an expectant heart... He sent a Philip to the eunuch in the desert of Gaza. He sent a Peter to the centurion, in the town of Caesarea. He sent a Paul to a seller of purple, in the suburbs of Philippi. And He will send a message to the reader of these lines, if he is truly earnest in seeking God's salvation.