Acts 10:1-23
A Door Opens to the Nations
Read the passage
1At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was called the Italian Regiment.
2He and all his household were devout and God-fearing. He gave generously to the people and prayed to God regularly.
3One day at about the ninth hour, he had a clear vision of an angel of God who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
4Cornelius stared at him in fear and asked, “What is it, Lord?” The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God.
5Now send men to Joppa to call for a man named Simon who is called Peter.
6He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
7When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among his attendants.
8He explained what had happened and sent them to Joppa.
9The next day at about the sixth hour, as the men were approaching the city on their journey, Peter went up on the roof to pray.
10He became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.
11He saw heaven open and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners.
12It contained all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, as well as birds of the air.
13Then a voice said to him: “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!”
14“No, Lord!” Peter answered. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
15The voice spoke to him a second time: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
16This happened three times, and all at once the sheet was taken back up into heaven.
17While Peter was puzzling over the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house and approached the gate.
18They called out to ask if Simon called Peter was staying there.
19As Peter continued to reflect on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you.
20So get up! Go downstairs and accompany them without hesitation, because I have sent them.”
21So Peter went down to the men and said, “Here am I, the one you are looking for. Why have you come?”
22“Cornelius the centurion has sent us,” they said. “He is a righteous and God-fearing man with a good reputation among the whole Jewish nation. A holy angel instructed him to request your presence in his home so he could hear a message from you.”
23So Peter invited them in as his guests. And the next day he got ready and went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Cornelius, a centurion in Caesarea, fears God, gives generously, and prays regularly. An angel tells him that his prayers and gifts have been remembered before God. He is to send to Joppa for Simon Peter, who is staying with Simon the tanner.
The next day, while the messengers approach Joppa, Peter goes onto the roof to pray. Hungry and waiting for food, he sees something like a sheet lowered from heaven containing animals, reptiles, and birds. A voice tells him to kill and eat.
Peter objects that he has never eaten anything impure or unclean. The voice tells him not to call impure what God has made clean. This happens three times, and Peter is still puzzling over it when Cornelius' men arrive.
The Spirit tells him to go with them without hesitation, because He has sent them. Peter hears why they have come, invites them in as guests, and goes with them the following day. Believers from Joppa accompany him.
God is preparing both the person who will hear the message and the person who will bring it. Peter does not yet have a full explanation of the vision, but he has a clear instruction about these visitors. His willingness to receive them opens the next part of the story.
Questions
1 What does the passage tell us about Cornelius?
AnswerHe is a centurion who fears God with his household, gives generously, and prays regularly. An angel tells him to send for Peter.
2 What does Peter see the next day?
AnswerHe sees something like a sheet lowered from heaven containing animals, reptiles, and birds. A voice tells him to kill and eat.
3 How does the voice answer Peter's objection?
AnswerIt tells him not to call anything impure that God has made clean. Peter is still considering the vision when the messengers arrive.
4 What does Peter do after the Spirit tells him to accompany the men?
AnswerHe speaks with them, welcomes them as guests, and leaves with them the next day, taking some believers from Joppa along.
What This Means for Us
Peter has to listen while God challenges a deeply established boundary. He does not invent a meaning for the vision before hearing what comes next. The visitors' arrival and the Spirit's instruction lead him forward.
We should be slow to treat a private impression as permission to disregard Scripture. This account gives us God's recorded direction to Peter, which the following events will explain. Read the next passage to see how he comes to understand it.
Meanwhile, consider whether an assumption about someone's background keeps you from a conversation. A welcome and a willingness to listen can be a beginning.
Prayer
Father, thank You for preparing Cornelius and Peter to meet. Help us listen to Your word and recognize assumptions that need correction. Give us a willing heart toward the people You bring near us. Amen.