“Acts 10:21-33”

Friday, January 08, 2016

“Peter went down to the men and said, ‘Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?’ They said, ‘Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear a message from you.’ So he invited them in and gave them lodging. And on the next day he got up and went away with them, and some of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him. On the following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter raised him up, saying, ‘Stand up; I too am just a man.’ As he talked with him, he entered and found many people assembled. And he said to them, ‘You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean. That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask for what reason you have sent for me.’ Cornelius said, ‘Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during the ninth hour; and behold, a man stood before me in shining garments, and he said, “Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Therefore send to Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you; he is staying at the house of Simon the tanner by the sea.” So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.’”

---End of Scripture verses---

Verses 25-26 – “When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter raised him up, saying, ‘Stand up; I too am just a man.’” It may have been the case that Cornelius was merely practicing the Oriental custom of paying honor to a person of high esteem and not worshiping Peter is if he was God. Just the same, Peter put a halt to any kind of reverential homage. Peter was just a man and he was deserving of no such treatment and he knew it. Of course, every time I read these verses I am reminded of the Pope and the way that people bow down to him and fawn over him. If Peter had been the first Pope as many claim him to have been (which he obviously was not), he would certainly not approve of such behavior. Peter was actually hand-picked by Jesus, inspired by the Holy Spirit and divinely authorized to speak with the authority of Christ (none of which any Pope has ever been), and yet he knew his proper place. Human beings were created to offer worship to God, not receive it from their fellowmen.

Verse 28 – “And he said to them, ‘You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him.’” Whether or not this was the spirit and intent of the Law of Moses is arguable, but nowhere have I found the prohibition against “associating” or “visiting” with a Gentile in it. The Jews were commanded to not intermarry with the idolatrous peoples living in and near the land of Canaan, and to not practice their religious atrocities (Deuteronomy 7:3-12); and yet we know that they often did the very things that God demanded they not do. Maybe the Jews of Peter’s day were just trying to be overly cautious and not get caught up in the same snares and trip over the same stumbling blocks that their forefathers did.

Verse 33 – “Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.” All uncertainty aside about some of the details of this passage, one thing is obvious and absolutely undeniable. Cornelius and his companions were primed and ready to hear the word of God. Not only were they eager to learn what God wanted them to know and do, they wanted to hear ALL of it! Cornelius didn’t have a complete understanding of the truth yet, but he possessed a keen awareness that the words he was about to hear amounted to the most important information that could fall upon human ears. Would to God that His covenant people would open up their Bibles and come to worship services with the same avid appetite and eager anticipation that Cornelius did in Acts chapter 10! It is an awesome blessing and privilege to not have to personally call for an apostle of Jesus Christ in order to hear the perfect word of God spoken and learn the truth. We have it readily at our disposal in our Bibles every minute of the day, and we can hear it taught every Lord’s Day by able-minded and dedicated Bible teachers and preachers in the Lord’s church.

Please avail yourselves!

Please Read Acts 10:34-48 for tomorrow.

God’s blessings.

- Louie Taylor

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