Commentary on Acts 10:23-35

By Bob Myhan

²³Then he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him. ²⁴And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends.

The men arrived on day two, spent the night, headed to Caesarea on day three and arrived on day four. An unknown number of brethren accompanied them. No reason is given for this but it will prove serendipitous. Peter finds quite a crowd awaiting his words.

²⁵As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. ²⁶But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I myself am also a man."

Good angels and men do not accept worship. It is clear that Peter was not the first pope. He did not receive worship, he was married and he was sent to Samaria with John by the apostles as a whole.

²⁷And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. ²⁸Then he said to them, "You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

Though the Law of Moses had been nailed to the cross, the New Testament was now in force and the gospel was now being preached, it had not occurred to the apostles that they were to preach to Gentiles who had not become proselytes. Though there had been intense prejudice against Samaritans, also, Jesus had specifically commanded them to preach in Samaria. He had also commanded them to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15) and to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19) but they had mistakenly thought this was limited to those who had been born Jews or had converted to Judaism. The word, “unlawful,” according to some, would be better translated as “taboo.” Peter’s coming to the home of a Gentile was not forbidden by law but by custom; it simply was not done. But Peter finally understood, due to the vision, the communication by the Holy Spirit and the messengers from Cornelius, that God no longer made a difference between Jews and Gentiles.

²⁹Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?"

Peter has already heard from the messengers why Cornelius sent for him but he is giving the centurion an opportunity to state the reason, perhaps for the benefit of those who came with him, who may not have heard it from the messengers.

 ³⁰So Cornelius said, "Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, ³¹and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God. ³²Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.'

Seventy-two hours have passed since Cornelius saw the vision. We would call that three days ago not four. This demonstrates the legitimacy of Jesus having been crucified and entombed on Friday and raised on Sunday, after three days yet on the third day.

³³So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God."

Cornelius is an example of one who realized the ever close proximity of himself to God. And he was not alone in this attitude or in the desire to hear the gospel. He had not wasted any time in sending for Peter or gathering his family and friends together to hear what God had commanded.

³⁴Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. ³⁵But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

Here Peter states more fully the lesson he had learned from the vision and events that followed. To fear God and work righteousness by keeping His commandments “is the whole duty of man” or “man’s all.” (Eccl. 12:13)

 (To be continued)

Why Hath Satan Filled Thy Heart?

By Doug Matlock

This question was asked Ananias by the apostle Peter. "But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land” (Acts 5:3)? Both Ananias and his wife died as a result of their sin. Satan had filled their heart. It seems they wanted to be able to say, "We have given everything we have to the Lord's cause." This is the result of the pride of life. They wanted others to consider them as dedicated, sacrificing Christians. At the same time they were covetous, and wanted to hold on to part of the price received from the sale of their land. The only way for them to, "have their cake and eat it too," was to lie about the purchase price. When they did this they were not serving God, but the devil. How often do we allow Satan to fill our hearts?

When we engage in the works of the flesh we are allowing Satan to fill our hearts. "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like... that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal.5:19-21). The “such like” includes more than the sins that have been mentioned. They are not given lodging in the heart of one that has crucified the flesh. Paul writes, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal.2:20). In the fifth chapter He commands, "Walk in the Spirit" and "Be led of the Spirit.” Also he teaches us to "Live in the Spirit" (vs.2S). This is the way to guard our hearts, and to bear the fruit of the Spirit listed in vs. 22-23.

We must be diligent, and work at the job. These things will not happen in our lives unless we make them happen.

"The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh….” (vs.17) Our hearts will be filled with good works or the works of the flesh. We have all that is necessary for a fruitful and productive life in Christ. Let us not lower ourselves to allow Satan to fill our hearts.--D.M. (Via The Westview Weekly, Vol. 7, Number 40, October 16, 1988) &

Gratitude

By Gerald Denny

“Thanks. I appreciate it. I am grateful to know you." Such words bring sweetness to life and joy to the heart of the recipient--even the speaker feels better.

All it takes is a little time and effort to express appreciation to another. Yet how many days do we let go by without one word of gratitude being expressed.

One person of whom I read writes at least one "Thank you" note each day. If we paused to think, each of us could easily do the same. We have so many who do so much for us daily that we take for granted--almost as if they owed it to us. Then, too, so many have done things for us in the past and we never said one word of thanks. We could spend the rest of our lives just trying to catch up in telling these people of our appreciation.

One of my boyhood joys was summer camp. Recently, I attended the funeral of a saintly elder who served that camp. When this was mentioned in the service, it struck me that though I enjoyed the camp and thought much of him, I had never once thanked him for his part in making the camp possible. I just took it for granted, enjoyed it, and went on my merry way--insensitive and lacking gratitude.

Jesus taught an unforgettable lesson about gratitude (Luke 17:11-16). Does the parable fit you as well?

Let's resolve to cultivate the grace of gratitude, and make ourselves a congregation full of grateful Christians, beginning with those closest to us--relatives, fellow Christians. Let's speak or write a word of appreciation to some past school teacher, work associate, or clerk who waited on us, etc. Above all, let's daily express gratitude to our Heavenly Father. Let's take time to state specifics rather than quickly generalize. (Via The Westview Weekly, Vol. 7, Number 40, October 16, 1988) &