• The conversion of the Roman centurion Cornelius (10:1-11:18) is a major development in the narrative of Acts, as God confirms through Peter that Gentiles have the same access as Jews to the salvation available through Jesus Christ (see 10:34-35).
• This prepares the way for the Jerusalem Council’s decision (ch. 15) and Luke’s detailed account of the missionary journeys of Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles (chs. 13-28).
• Central to the Cornelius story is the theme that God, not Peter, orchestrates these events and initiates the mission to the Gentiles.
• Repetition demonstrates the story’s importance: Luke describes Cornelius’ vision four times (10:3-6, 22, 30-32; 11:13-14) and Peter’s vision twice (10:9-16; 11:4-10), and Peter recounts the whole episode to the Jerusalem church (11:4-17).

• Luke introduces Cornelius as a devout seeker of God, a prime candidate for entrance into the church.
• Yet it is God who initiates the advance of the gospel, this time through a vision given to Cornelius.

• Caesarea Maritima on the coast—the Roman administrative center of Judea.
• Herod the Great built it on a grand scale ca. 25-13 BC and named it for Caesar Augustus.
• A centurion was a commander of about 100 men.  They were the backbone of the Roman army.
• Regiments had both numbers and names and were made up of about 600 soldiers.
• Ten regiments made up a Roman legion (about 6000 troops).
• Although stationed in Caesarea, Cornelius would probably return to Rome soon.  Thus, his conversion was a major stepping-stone for spreading the Good News to the empire’s capital city.

• During the typical 20-year span of military service soldiers were officially prohibited marriage.  
• Officers usually looked the other way, however, at liaisons between soldiers and local women, and the government usually recognized these unions as marriages when soldiers retired.
• Most soldiers remained stationed in particular areas and were unhappy to be moved.
• Alternatively, hey could marry on retirement.
• By ancient definitions, “family” could also include servants (v. 7), though Cornelius has relatives in the more specific sense (v. 24).
• God-fearing.  Diaspora Jews recognized many Gentiles who had not become proselytes (converts) to Judaism and yet were attracted to the synagogues and the one true God.
• What will happen to the heathen who have never heard about Christ?  This question about God’s justice is often asked.  Cornelius wasn’t a believer in Christ, but he was seeking God and was reverent and generous.  Therefore, God sent Peter to tell Cornelius about Christ.  This shows that God “rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).  Cornelius’ story demonstrates God’s willingness to use extraordinary means to reach those who desire to know him.  Those who sincerely seek God will find him!  God made Cornelius’ knowledge complete.

• Cornelius was praying at this time, which was one of the regular times of prayer, corresponding with the evening offering in the temple.
• This notice underlines Cornelius’ devoutness.
• God speaks to his people in remarkably different ways—through the written Scriptures, through the words of others, through circumstances and events.  It is up to us to be listen, to be perceptive, to be alert.  What is God trying to say to you today?

• Memorial offering—may be the OT language of sacrifice (Leviticus 2:2, 9, 16; cf. Philippians 4:18), though it could simply mean “as a constant reminder (of your faithfulness).”

• Peter’s symbolic vision of “unclean” animals and God’s command not to “call anything impure that God has made clean” prepare Peter to meet the Gentile centurion Cornelius and emphasize God’s initiative in the church’s outreach to the Gentiles.

• People normally rested from the day’s activities for a period of time around midday.
• People used their homes’ flat roofs for a wide range of activities, from drying flax to sleeping, and, here, having a private place to pray.
• Joppa was some 30 miles south of Caesarea; given the time of Cornelius’ vision, to reach Peter around noon the next day would require hard riding on horses or walking through part of the night. (The return journey is less demanding.)

• Many people in the ancient world would have a light meal around noon.

• For a strict pietist, the presence of unclean animals such as reptiles would contaminate all the others.  
• During the Maccabean era, Jewish people suffered much for their food laws, which were a deeply engrained part of their upbringing.
• The food laws made it difficult for Jews to eat with Gentiles without risking defilement.  In fact, Gentiles themselves were often seen as “unclean.”  Peter’s vision meant that he should not look upon the Gentiles as inferior people whom God would not redeem.  Before having the vision, Peter would have thought that a Gentile Roman officer could not become a follower of Christ.  Afterward he understood that it was his responsibility to go with the messengers into a Gentile home and tell Cornelius the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ.

• Peter protests, as did Ezekiel when confronted with an exhortation to eat what appears impure (Ezekiel 4:14; God made a concession in 4:15).
• Peter probably thinks this is a test of his faithfulness and so refuses to eat.

• One of the most basic and practical lessons from this encounter is that when God speaks, we must not challenge what he says.  Doubting God is the rebellion of Eden.  When God says something is so, we must not debate with him.  The right response is humble submission to his revealed truth.  Are you trying to argue with God over some point that he has already made clear?

• Three times confirms its validity.

• Paired visions (here, those of Cornelius and Peter) were deemed very convincing, because they were independent attestations.
• Tanners would generally live in the same neighborhood as other tanners, naturally near water, as here.
• Once in a neighborhood, visitors normally located homes by asking directions.
• Homeowners with outer gates possessed more resources than average.

• The Spirit was often associated with prophetic insight and speech; Luke emphasizes the Spirit’s leading in crossing barriers (1:8; 8:29).

• Peter is already beginning to understand the significance of the vision since Jews would not normally stay under the same roof as an “unclean” Gentile.

• Bringing into one’s home Gentiles who had probably worshiped idols violated strict Jewish purity protocols; but then, the house already belongs to a tanner (9:43).
• Hospitality obligations demanded offering food to the guests; stricter Jewish circles, however, forbade eating with Gentiles.
• Because Joppa, though predominantly Jewish, included many Gentiles, some Jewish residents may have been less particular about such rules, but the Jerusalem church includes many conservative members (see 11:2-3).
• Cornelius was religious, devoted, generous, respected, and sincere.  However, he was still spiritually separated from God.  Because he needed to understand the gospel, God sent Peter to present to him the truth about salvation.  Be careful not to equate earnestness with righteousness before God.  We are brought into right standing before God by faith in Christ alone.  Have you trusted in Jesus?  Are you sharing with others—even those who seem religious—the truth that Christ is the only way to God?

• Peter’s journey to Cornelius’ house, his preaching there, and the reception of the Spirit by Cornelius and his household mark the first explicit Gentile conversion and reception of the Spirit in Acts.
• Some people call this episode the “Gentile Pentecost.”

• Caesarea was about 30 miles beyond Joppa; they had stayed overnight somewhere, probably lodging in a town that included both Jewish and Gentile residents.
• Peter wisely takes “some of the believers from Joppa”—Jewish Christians (“six brothers” according to 11:12)—as witnesses to whatever happens.
• In this period, soldiers were often stationed in the regions where they were recruited; the relatives, probably Syrians, could be relatives of Cornelius or of his wife (whether she was official or unofficial).

• Gentiles prostrated themselves before gods and rulers, or sometimes important persons from who they needed to beg a favor.

• Even Gentiles expected mortals to reject divine honors; Peter (like Paul in 14:11-15) behaves honorably here, in contrast to Herod Agrippa in 12:22-23).

• Strict Jews avoided eating with Gentiles.
• Ethnic division between Jews and Syrians in Caesarea (11:1) often led to violence; God, however, was working to transcend this barrier.
• Peter repeatedly affirms that he now understands the meaning of the vision.
• The separation between Jew (“clean”) and Gentile (“unclean”) is being broken down.

• Literally “from the fourth day until this hour,” which is equivalent to “three days ago.”

• Ancient literature often repeated events or messages when people recounted them, although by this period they preferred to vary the wording.

• It was customary to begin speeches by praising (or here, at least accepting) the hearers.
• God’s impartiality (cf. Deuteronomy 10:17; Romans 2:11) was a common emphasis in Jewish thought.
• Some Greek writers also appealed to this idea to underline the universality of chief deities.
• Perhaps the greatest barrier to the spread of the Good News in the first century was the Jewish-Gentile conflict.  We should not allow any barrier—language, culture, race, geography, economic level, or educational level—to keep us from telling others about Christ.
• Every nation has people who are restless for God, ready to receive the Good News—but someone must take it to them.  Seeking God is not enough—people must find him.  How then shall seekers find God without someone to point the way?  Is God asking you to show someone the way to him? (Romans 10:14-15)

• Evokes the promised era of restoration in Isaiah 52:7.
• The message goes first to the “people of Israel” (Romans 1:16-17) and then to all nations.
• Jewish people called God “Lord of all,” a title here applied to Jesus.
• Some scholars contrast this claim with the emperor’s title of “lord” and his claim to establish peace (cf. Luke 2:14).

• Jesus being anointed recalls Isaiah 61:1-2 in Luke 4:18 (“Christ” also is literally “anointed one,” evoking the anointing of kings).
• Peter concisely summarizes the key events of Jesus’ ministry as the Gospels record them: (1) the preaching of John the Baptist, (2) Jesus anointed with the Spirit at his baptism, (3) healing and exorcisms in Galilee, (4) journey through Judea to Jerusalem, (5) arrest and crucifixion, (6) resurrection on the third day, (7) resurrection appearances, (8) the Great Commission, and (9) Jesus’ future return as judge of all.
• “You know”—Peter says that they know of these events.  The fame of Jesus and John the Baptist has evidently come to the attention of Roman authorities in Caesarea (see Paul’s similar statement to Herod Agrippa II in 26:26-27).

• Despite the actions of evil men, God sovereignly accomplished his saving purpose through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
• This God-designed reversal is a major theme in Acts.

• Exalted humans sometimes judged the dead in Greek (Minos and Rhadamanthys) and occasionally Jewish (Abel and Enoch) sources, but in Jewish literature the ultimate judge depicted in these terms is God.

• A sermon or witness for Christ does not need to be long to be effective.  It should be Spirit-led and should center on Christ, the way and the truth and the life.
• Two examples of prophets testifying about Jesus and his forgiveness of sins are Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Ezekiel 36:25-26.

• In the OT, the Spirit normally “came on” people to empower them for God’s work (e.g., Numbers 11:17, 25-26; Judges 6:34).

• The prophets had promised the Spirit in the future time of restoration, but only explicitly for God’s own people (e.g., Isaiah 44:3; Ezekiel 36:27).
• Cornelius and Peter were very different people.  Cornelius was wealthy, a Gentile, and a military man.  Peter was a Jewish fisherman turned preacher.  But God’s plan included both of them.  In Cornelius’ house that day, a new chapter in Christian history was written as a Jewish Christian leader and a Gentile Christian convert each discovered something significant about the other.  Cornelius needed Peter in order to hear the Good News and know the way of salvation.  Peter needed Cornelius in order to know that Gentiles were included in God’s plan.  You and another believer may also need each other to understand how God works!

• The presence of the Holy Spirit confirms their salvation and proves that God has initiated and approved the mission to the Gentiles.
• In Acts “speaking in tongues” is sometimes (but not always) the external evidence of the Spirit’s coming (2:4, 11; 19:6).

• This may be an implicit “How much more” argument—a form of argument often used by Jesus and other Jewish teachers: if they have received the greater baptism to which the lesser one points (11:16), how much more is it appropriate to grant them the lesser one?

• Gentiles who converted to Judaism were circumcised (if male) and normally also baptized; here the believers are baptized but not circumcised.
• Staying with the converts a few days would entail eating with them, which stricter Jews deemed problematic (see 11:2-3).
• In this case, the people were baptized after they received the Holy Spirit, publicly declaring their allegiance to Christ and identification with the Christian community.
• Cornelius wanted Peter to stay with him for several days.  He was a new believer and realized his need for teaching and fellowship.  Are you as eager to learn more about Christ?  Recognize your need to be with mature Christians and strive to learn from them.

• When Peter returns to Jerusalem, some of the Jewish Christians challenge him for entering the home of an uncircumcised Gentile.
• Peter responds by recounting the Cornelius episode in detail, again demonstrating that Gentiles accepted the gospel because of God’s work rather than any human initiative.
• Repeating the story confirms its importance for Luke.

• The conservative wing of the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem who believed that Gentiles should become Jews (be circumcised and keep the OT law) in order to be saved.
• These Jewish Christians are concerned that Peter ate with the Gentiles, since table-fellowship demonstrated social acceptance and since contact with Gentiles ceremonially defiled Jews.
• In contrast to many Diaspora Jews, many Judeans had strict rules against eating with Gentiles (cf. 10:23, 28).  
• Those who have been Jesus’ followers for some time now act like the Pharisees and teachers of the law acted in Luke 15:2.
• God chose the Jews and taught them his laws so they could bring the message of salvation to all people (see Genesis 12:3; Psalm 22:27; Isaiah 42:4; 49:6; 56:3-7; 60:1-3; Jeremiah 16:19-21; Zechariah 2:11; Malachi 1:11; Romans 15:9-12).
• When Peter brought the news of Cornelius’ conversion back to Jerusalem, the believers were shocked that Peter had eaten with Gentiles.  After they heard the whole story, the praised God.  Their reactions teach us how to handle disagreements with other Christians.  Before judging the behavior of fellow believers, it is important to hear them out.  The Holy Spirit may have something important to teach us through them.

• Ancient writers often included recountings of events they already narrated; including such retellings might emphasize the point for the writer’s audience.

• God had promised throughout Scripture that he would reach the nations.  This began with his general promise to Abraham (Genesis 12:3; 18:18) and became very specific in Malachi’s statement: “But my name is honored by people of other nations from morning till night” (Malachi 1:11).  But this was an extremely difficult truth for Jews, even Jewish believers, to accept.  The Jewish believers understood how certain prophecies were fulfilled in Christ, but they overlooked other OT teachings.  Too often we are inclined to accept only the parts of God’s Word that appeal to us and support or own agendas.  We must accept all of God’s Word as absolute truth.

• Peter’s defense for eating with Gentiles was a simple restatement of what had happened.  He brought six witnesses with him to back him up, and then he quoted Jesus’ promise about the coming of the Holy Spirit.  These Gentiles’ lives had been changed, and that was all the evidence Peter and the other believers needed.  Changed lives are an equally powerful evidence today.

• Jesus had also demonstrated clearly that he and his message were for all people.  He had preached in Samaria (John 4:1-42); in the region of the Gerasenes, populated by Greeks (Mark 5:1-20); and he even had reached out to Romans (Luke 7:1-10).  The apostles shouldn’t have been surprised that they were called to do the same.

• The central theme of Acts, demonstrated throughout this passage, is that the advance of the gospel is the unstoppable work of God.

• Many Jewish people believed that the small minority of Gentiles who maintained a basic level of decency—no sexual immorality, idolatry or the like—would be saved.
• More conservative Jewish thinkers, however, demanded conversion, or expected a turning of Gentiles to Israel’s God only in the end time. (The conservative authors of key Qumran documents did not even believe that most Jewish people would be saved.)
• For the sake of conciseness, Luke may simplify the picture here 9cf. 15:1), which was an accepted practice in ancient histories and biographies, and, for that matter, in ordinary speech.
• The intellectual questions ended, and the theological discussion stopped with the report that God had given the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles.  This was a turning point for the early church.  They had to accept those whom God had chosen, even if they were Gentiles.  But joy over the conversion of Gentiles was not unanimous.  This continued to be a struggle for some Jewish Christians throughout the first century.