Good Monday to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
We live at a time in human history when ethnic diversity is commonplace in big cities, large airports, universities, and large organizations of every kind. But it wasn’t always that way, was it? Did you know even the Jesus movement faced some major ethnic barriers not long after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension back to heaven? We’ve already seen that Philip, one of the ‘selected seven’, crossed a major ethnic barrier as the Holy Spirit led Philip to take the Gospel into Samaria in Acts 8:4-25. And then the Holy Spirit did it again, as Philip obediently approached a chariot with an African Ethiopian official, who after hearing Philip’s explanation, trusted Jesus to be his Messiah and Savior, and then was baptized! (Acts 8:26-38)
But both the Samaritans and the Ethiopian official were worshipers of the God of Israel. As we approach Acts 10, in our continued journey with Dr. Luke, who is giving us the account of what happened after Jesus ascended to heaven, we now see the Holy Spirit was ready to really test both the apostle Peter and all the Messianic Jews who had become the church Jesus had promised to build! (Matt. 16:18) Yesterday, I left you in the coastal town of Joppa where the apostle Simon Peter was staying in the home of a tanner named Simon. Pause.
Luke gives us no explanation how or why the apostle Peter found lodging in a tanner’s home, but that strange fact is very significant. Do you know WHY? For good Jews, touching a dead animal was defiling and required cleansing of both their body and their clothing. (Leviticus 11:24-28,39,40) A person whose business was dealing with dead animals, like a tanner, lived in a continual state of ‘defilement’. Therefore, association with such a person was unthinkable for a good Jew seeking to keep themself honorable before God.
The fact that apostle Simon Peter stayed with Simon the tanner for several days suggests Peter must have had a very good reason to risk such defilement and public shame. Perhaps the Holy Spirit had instructed the apostle to actually seek lodging there even though I’m sure he was offered many good places to stay after being used by God in Tabitha’s resurrection from the dead! (Acts 9:36-43)
I believe the reason apostle Simon Peter was staying with tanner Simon may have been that Jesus was stretching Peter’s restrictive prejudices. Already Peter has been sent by the other apostles to investigate Philip’s evangelistic adventures with the Samaritans, (Acts 8:14-17) and I’m sure that was a big stretch for Peter. Peter had heard Jesus say, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail.” (Matt. 16:18) but I’m fairly confident Peter could not have imagined Jesus would direct him to lodge in the home of a tanner!
But that was only the beginning, my friends. Acts 10 tells us that while Peter was in Joppa, God was working in Caesarea about 65 kilometers to the north, in the heart of a God worshiping Gentile. A Roman military officer, named Cornelius. Peter knew nothing about what God was doing in Caesarea, but Dr. Luke describes Cornelius with these words: “He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.” (Acts 10:1,2)
Luke tells us that one day in his prayer time, Cornelius had a vision in which an angel told Cornelius God had heard his prayer and he was instructed to send messengers to Joppa. Why? To find and bring back to Cornelius a man named Simon Peter, who was staying with a tanner named Simon. (Acts 10:3-6) My guess is Cornelius’ soldiers were frequently sent on such missions, since Cornelius was a Roman military officer serving in the regional military headquarters city. However, I find it interesting Cornelius did not receive any indication from his vision WHY he was to send for Simon Peter nor WHAT Cornelius should expect might happen if Simon Peter agreed and came to Caesarea?! But evidently Cornelius was such a devout worshiper of God that he required nothing further and Cornelius obediently sent messengers to find and bring Simon Peter to Caesarea. (Acts 10:7,8)
The following day Peter was on the roof of the tanner’s house praying when he too had a vision of a sheet full of animals being lowered from heaven. Peter heard a voice instructing him to kill and eat any of the animals he desired. But that was a problem for Peter because several of the animals in his vision were considered ‘unclean’ by the Mosaic Jewish law so, of course, he refused. But Peter distinctly heard the vision voice say: “Do not call anything impure which God has made clean.” (Acts 10:9-16) In fact Acts 10:16 tells us this vision repeated itself three times for emphasis!
While Peter, up on that roof, was trying to figure out his vision, he heard voices calling out his name! Before he could answer Peter sensed the Holy Spirit speaking to him: “Simon, three men are looking for you. Go downstairs and do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.” (Acts 10:19,20) Pause. Honestly now my friends, does this story seem outrageous to you? Visions and the Holy Spirit giving very clear specific instructions to both Cornelius and Simon Peter?
Do we see in the Bible that this seems to be the type of relationship God desires for us to consider NORMAL with Him? Is this what Jesus described in the upper room with His disciples as He explained the Holy Spirit’s role in their lives? (John 14:26; 16:7-13) Does God want His people to be ready to receive instructions from Him at any time? Does God want us to recognize WHEN God is speaking to us and to discern exactly what God is saying? Do we also see God’s desire that His people will OBEY God’s instructions? Both Cornelius and Peter did and it changed their lives and our world! Tomorrow we’ll watch to see what happened when Peter met these men Cornelius had sent to him.
For today, I urge you to not rush past those questions I’ve just asked about the relationship and communication God desires with His people. The “lessons learned” study notes are ready for you at the link just below and I hope you’ll consider them carefully. Then a wonderful worship song I’ve included and tomorrow let’s rejoin Acts 10 to see what God did with Peter and what we can learn in this remarkable situation.
Today’s Scripture: Acts 10:1-19.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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