Acts 10:23b-29 23On the next day, after getting up, he went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went with him. 24And on the next day, they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them having called together his relatives and close friends. 25And when Peter entered, aftering meeting him, Cornelius, falling down at his feet, worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself too am a man.” 27And as he talked with him, he went in and found many people gathered. 28And he said to them, “You yourselves know how it is forbidden for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me not to call any person common or unclean. 29And for this reason when I was sent, I came without objection. I ask then, why did you send for me?”
The mystery of all the events did not stop Peter from following through with obeying the directions of the Holy Spirit. By this point in his life, Peter had learned to obey the voice of the Spirit. The next event would be a test of his faith and obedience as his long-held Jewish perspectives would be challenged and his vision for mission expanded. No reason is given for the delegation of some brothers, but this event seemed signfificant that it became a group activity. Peter showed the same leadership quality as Paul by taking others on his trips and providing mentoring. Of course, additional people would provide safety, but there is no evidence anywhere in this story that Peter was afraid to speak with Cornelius. The presence of the Holy Spirit overcame any human hesitation Peter may have had. The bigger issue was Peter’s thinking that needed to be changed.
Cornelius was expecting Peter and the group and showed his readiness by inviting his family and close friends to come to his house. Grace prompts hospitality. Often, the best evangelists are those who are being changed by the gospel. In this case, Cornelius was expecting great things, but he was still confused. He was an uninformed God-fearer with poor theology, indicated by how he fell down and worshiped Peter. The word translated worshiped (prosekynēsen) can be used in a religious sense, which seems to be the case based on Peter’s response in verse 26, or as deep respect and honor, which Cornelius also showed Peter. Cornelius’ faith in God could have been syncretistic with blurring his faith in an ultimate God with possibly his Roman beliefs in divine appearances. It is clear that he was significantly impacted by his vision of the angel. Peter had to correct any wrong thinking about him being special or divine. By making it clear that he was only human would plant in Cornelius the seed of optimism in God’s grace to transform and guide any person with faith, submission, and obedience. It was a significantly reaffirming moment for him.
Cornelius’ house must have been a large enough villa to hold many people, possibly in an inner courtyard, as was typical of many nicer Greco-Roman style houses. His extended household likely included many types of people, including his personal family, servants, and various military attendants. It is obvious he was a man of influence, and he used his influence to gather people for this occasion. A church had already been planted in Cornelius’ house without the gospel being preached. No doubt, everyone had heard of his vision and was also anticipating what Peter might say. God’s grace was already drawing people to the good news of Jesus. Jesus was the answer these people were seeking, even though they did not know it yet.
Peter’s response in verses 28-29 shows that he was starting to put the puzzle together and connect his vision with Cornelius’ invitation. His narrow worldview about Jews’ association with Gentiles was being broken down. As verse 28 indicates, he would not let the “law,” at least as interpreted by the Judaism of his day, overpower God’s revelation. People were not clean or unclean. All persons are loved by God. Perhaps Peter was remembering the words of Jesus about God’s love for the world (John 3:16). In spite of such a strong religious and social compulsion, Peter went to Cornelius anyway. Peter had won the battle against culture and obeyed God’s command. His faith was making a giant leap with this experience. The question remains how the rest of the church would respond.
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