SCRIPTURE: Acts 10
KEY POINTS TO PONDER: Acts steps away from Paul’s story for a time to focus on a surprising revelation which Jesus ushers in through Peter. Peter, standing on a roof by the ocean in a time of prayer, sees a vision from God of wild animals of all kinds and hears God’s command to “kill and eat” them. Eating wild animals like that was considered unclean in the Jewish tradition. Peter is entirely against this new command at first, but as the story continues we see him change his mind as the meaning of this vision is revealed. God wasn’t just talking about food being clean; he was talking about non-Jews (Gentiles) being called to have salvation in Jesus as well. We can see Peter’s heart softened and attentive to God’s leading through this realization. Peter invites Gentiles to stay with him (v. 23), then goes and stays in their home and shares Jesus with them. All of this was unheard of. The Jews weren’t supposed to be eating with and staying with Gentiles, let alone sharing the good news with them! But Peter realizes God’s plan of saving all people (think back to Luke 2:10), and his trust in God allows him to change his own long-held cultural standards, and risk being ostracized by the Jewish Christian community.
CHALLENGING TERMS: Cornelius is a Roman centurion, and is described as a God-fearing man, meaning that he worshipped the God of Israel but as a Gentile. In fact, he was even described as “well-spoken of by the whole Jewish nation” (v. 22). But it wasn’t till Jesus’ working through Peter that he received the full acceptance as a follower of Jesus and was sealed by the Holy Spirit.
Reflection: Has God called you to something which might ostracize you in some way, or which goes against previous ways of thinking? How does trust in God allow us to take these risks?
PRAYER: Father, thank you that you give us trust and faith in you, just as you gave Peter, to take bold steps in our faith!
Pray that God would strengthen and embolden you to live for him and listen to him above anything else.