A vision that changed the world
Acts 10:9-15
9 …. Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.
10 But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance;
11 and he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground,
12 and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air.
13 A voice came to him, “Rise Peter; kill and eat!”
14 But Peter said, “Not so, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.”
15 Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.”
Peter had a vision: Peter wanted to pray at 3:00pm, but he was hungry and fell into a trance, seeing a vision. (v 9,10)
I’ve joked in preaching about this story, saying that “I personally take comfort from the life of Peter in this story. He was having a time of prayer, but he got hungry and fell asleep!” But Peter didn’t fall asleep, but he saw a vision from heaven. (Ok … this illustration above looks a bit corny, but this is what you get when you ask AI to create images sometimes.) All said, this vision was a challenging message from God to Peter, (and to the church) declaring that non-Jewish people are all called to receive the gospel of Christ.
The preceding verses are a beautiful preparation for Cornelius and his household to hear the gospel, but it wasn’t only Cornelius, an Italian man, that this is speaking about. It was about all entire non-Jewish races and ethnicities (Gentiles). A few days before, an angel appeared to Cornelius, a devout, God fearing man, giving him instructions. “Send men to Joppa,” and ask for Peter. “He will tell you what to do.”
In my life as a missionary, I’ve personally met people and have learned their of stories, where they had dreams, preparing them to receive Christ. These happened in what are considered “closed countries,” where the preaching of the gospel is not free and sometimes dangerous.
Concerning Cornelius and Peter: About that same time a few days later, Peter went to the rooftop to pray, and saw the vision of the sheet filled with unclean animals that no Jewish person would eat, according to the law of Moses.
When Peter saw the sheet, the Lord spoke to him, “Rise Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter responded, “Not so, Lord …” (v14), declaring that these animals were unclean to eat under Jewish law. But God responded – “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” This happened three times! While Peter was pondering this, three men sent by Cornelius were looking for Peter, while at the same time, God spoke to Peter’s heart … “Three men are looking for you. Go down and go with them …” These men explained the vision of Cornelius, and Peter accompanied them to Cornelius’ home. Ultimately Peter realized that the vision was being fulfilled, in that Cornelius a non-Jew, likened unto the unclean animals in the vision, was ready to receive the gospel of Christ. Peter prefaced his preaching with these words.
“In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.” (v34)
The household of Cornelius, and all those present received Christ, and were baptized, paving the way for the gospel to reach every nation, every race, and every ethnicity.
A few thoughts on this text.
Cornelius: (v1-8) He was being prepared by God to receive the gospel of Christ. God supernaturally prepares men’s hearts in many ways to hear the gospel and to believe in Jesus for their salvation. This is what Jesus was referencing when he was talking about a “spiritual harvest.” (Mt. 9:38,39). Many peoples hearts are “ripe” and ready to hear the gospel and to respond. We should be ready to share the message.
The Vision of Peter: (v11,12) A sheet with four corners represents the universality of the message of the gospel. N,S,E,W are commonly understood as dimensions that express the whole earth, and the whole of humanity. It is unquestionably true that the burden and passion for God is that the gospel will be preached to ALL people. The clarion call of God is for the church to “GO into all the world and make disciples of all nations.” – Mt. 28:19, for God ” … desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” – 1 Tim. 2:4
Unclean Animals: (v12), Rise Peter; Kill and Eat: (v13) Jews meticulously maintained no contact with Gentiles to maintain their religious purity. We are called to enage all men, and to reach nations for Christ, and not to isolate ourselves from non-believers, but rather to intentionally develop relationships. With regret, I’ve realized that in the past, I’ve cultivated relationships in and about town with believers in Christ. My mechanic, my barber (when I had hair), my accountant, etc. were all Christians. I intentionally pursued relationships with Christians. it would have been so much wiser to develop prayerful, intentional, purposeful relationships with pre-believers! It took me a few years to learn this, and I’ve been glad to develop some ongoing relationships with those outside of the church. Unclean Animals: Nutritionally speaking, when food is consumed, it becomes part of us. God was giving a message to Peter that non-Jewish people were being called to be joined and part of the church. The present day church should be a reflection of the demographic of the societies in which we live. The demonstration of Rev. 7:9 of a people from “every tribe and tongue, and people and nation.” This vision of the Gentiles receiving the gospel precluded the work of Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles.
Not so, Lord: (v14) The antithetical statement of Peter is “No, Lord.” The word, “No,” when spoken to the Lord, negates His Lordship. When Christ is Lord of our lives, the only answer to his commands and promptings are, “Yes, Lord.” May we always have a heart to say yes to the Lord, our commander-in-chief. His commands are not grevious. This speaks to the idea that God’s commandments are given for our benefit, and aren’t given to impose hardship and drudgery. God’s Word guides us to live better, more fulfilling lives, and this is a powerful reminder that faith and obedience bring joy and peace, rather than being burdensome.
Closing thoughts and an outline on some pertinent points. We see in this narrative:
- The preparation of men’s hearts by God: Cornelius and the visitation of the angel (10:1-8)
- The preparation of the messenger, Peter on the rooftop (10:9-21)
- The clear and concise message of the gospel shared by Peter(10:34-43)
- The reception of the gospel; the power of the Holy Spirit; Believers baptized (10:44-48)
Featured Image: Courtesy of Microsoft Co-Pilot AI
