Day 167

1 Kings 15:25–17:24; Acts 10:24-48; Psalm 134:1-3; Proverbs 17:9-11

VERY FEW OCCURRENCES in the Christian faith are more pivotal than what we witnessed in the book of Acts today. Yesterday, we read of Cornelius, a Roman centurion who was instructed by an angel to summon the apostle Peter. Meanwhile, Peter had a vision that expanded his understanding of “clean” and “unclean” within his Jewish heritage. Today, Cornelius and Peter met, having no idea why —other than the fact that God had led them to this encounter.

When Peter entered the centurion’s home, Cornelius bowed before him; he assumed he was a man of significant spiritual prominence because of the vision. Peter responded immediately, “Stand up! I’m a human being just like you!” (Acts 10:26). This left the two men as friends, but without any context or reason.

“You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you,” Peter said. “But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean. So I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me why you sent for me.”

Cornelius replied,

Four days ago I was praying in my house about this same time, three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly, a man in dazzling clothes was standing in front of me. He told me, “Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been noticed by God! Now send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.” So I sent for you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here, waiting before God to hear the message the Lord has given you.

With that, Peter began to share the Good News about Jesus as he had been doing among his Jewish brothers and sisters. The Holy Spirit fell on the Roman Gentiles assembled in Cornelius’s home, to the amazement of Peter and his Jewish companions.

This event may not seem monumental today, but it radically reframed, challenged, and expanded the understanding of the early believers. Up to this point, Jewish people saw followers of Jesus as simply an esoteric sect within Judaism. And Jesus’ followers assumed that faith in Him was wholly within a Jewish context. Gentiles receiving the Holy Spirit wasn’t even on the radar.

The awareness that God was doing something far more expansive than what they’d previously understood created tension —especially in the ministry of the apostle Paul —as we will see moving forward. From this point, the church was pulled into something new —everyone in the world was welcome to be grafted into the family of God through Jesus. This profoundly affects us today, because most of us would be considered Gentiles. What we take for granted began with this encounter between Peter and Cornelius. And thank God it did.

MEDITATION:

Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.