Click to open audio and follow along with the text.
Good afternoon friends,
Today, we are looking at one of the most important chapters in the Bible… Acts 10.
Jesus was born into a human Jewish family. Humanly speaking He was of the Royal line of King David. He spent his entire earthly life in Israel, with the exception of a short while in Egypt when Joseph took Him as an infant there to escape king Herod’s slaughter in Bethlehem. He is the Jewish Messiah and He came speaking to and associating primarily with Jews. His disciples were all Jews, and of course Jesus death, burial and resurrection in Jerusalem was at the Jewish Passover time. Jesus’ ascension back to heaven was from Jerusalem 10 days before Pentecost, and His sending of the Holy Spirit was indeed on the Jewish festival of Pentecost. Get the point… this is a Jewish thing!
Jesus’ followers turned Jewish Jerusalem upside down as more than 5000 Jews trusted their proclamation that Jesus is both Messiah and Lord (Acts 2:36). The persecution which broke out with the stoning of Jew turned Christian Stephen and Saul’s house to house search for Jesus followers, resulted in many of those 5000 Jewish Christians fleeing Jerusalem for their lives. As they went, they told everyone and anyone who would listen… Jew and Gentile alike. (You understand a Gentile is every person in the world who is not a Jew by lineage to one of the 12 tribes of Israel).
The Apostles had clearly heard Jesus use the word WHOEVER and He made it clear His death payment was for the entire world and anyone who would trust Him for Salvation. But they were Jewish men and their focus was Jewish exclusive, it’s that simple. Their upbringing as good Jewish boys; their traditions as Jewish men; their Synagogue teaching, everything about their Jewishness kept them focuses on bringing the wonderful message of Jesus ONLY to Jews.
Until Acts chapter 10! Cornelius was not only a Gentile, He was a Roman officer in their select Roman guard, the Italian Regiment. It would be fair to say in Peter’s eyes, few could be further from Jesus than Officer Cornelius!
Yet Peter had learned many lessons with Jesus the hard way. Jesus even once said to Peter “Get behind me Satan, you do not have in your mind the things of God.” (Matt.16:23).
Peter had become a deeply prayerful man and it seems to me he was determined to have his mind and heart open to anything Jesus might ask him to do, even if it was way outside his comfort zone.
The visitors from Roman officer Cornelius, asking Peter to come to Caesarea and tell Cornelius about Jesus, was way outside his comfort zone, but confident the Holy Spirit was leading him, he went. You’ll love reading how the Holy Spirit convinced Peter to go with those guys!
After the people in Cornelius’ house heard Peter’s explanation about Jesus a most unusual thing happened. It was essentially a repeat of what took place when Peter and the other Apostle were first filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke to visitors in Jerusalem in their own languages, even though Peter and the disciples did not know those languages! (Acts 2:4,7,8).
Peter was shocked…but couldn’t deny what he was seeing and hearing. The Gospel was taking root in the lives of Gentiles…yes Gentiles. Jesus was saving Gentiles in a Roman Officer’s house in Caesarea!
Peter and the others couldn’t deny it and so they baptized those Gentiles. And my dear friends the global church, Jew & Gentile, began that day in that place. Tomorrow we’ll hear Peter’s defense of it to his fellow Apostles in Acts 11.
Years later the radical Paul who was at first Saul the terrorist, wrote a whole chapter to the Ephesians about this miracle of Jew & Gentile becoming one in Christ… Ephesians 2. We’ll read that in September if you’re still tracking with me by then..
For today… take a deep breath and read Acts 10 slowly. You might need to read it twice to get it all. It’s trail blazing, breathtaking, earth shaking!
God loves doing things like that… and it’s because of Acts 10 that if you are a Gentile and you have trusted Christ as your Savior, then you are considered part of the People of God (1 Peter 2:9).
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
Archived back issues of “Walking with Jesus” and other resources are available by clicking here to open our ‘home page’ (or go to HOME at upper right of this page).
Share with friends. Subscribe below for daily “Walking with Jesus”.