Cornelius and Peter Have Visions
Acts 10Now there was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Battalion. He and his entire household were devout and feared God, doing many charitable deeds for the people and praying to God continually. At about three in the afternoon, he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God coming to him and saying to him, “Cornelius!”
Staring at him in fear, he said, “What is it, Lord?”
The angel told him, “Your prayers and your charitable deeds have gone up for a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to summon Simon, who is also called Peter. He is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea.
When the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. When he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
The next day, while they were traveling and approaching to the city, Peter went up to pray on the rooftop at about noon. He got hungry and wanted to eat, but while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a huge sheet coming down, being lowered to the earth by its four corners. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, along with reptiles and the birds of the sky. A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter! Kill and eat!”
But Peter said, “Never, Lord! For I have never eaten anything that is profane or ritually unclean.”
The voice came to him a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not consider profane.” This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into heaven.
Now while Peter was nonplussed as to what the vision he had seen might mean, suddenly the men who were sent by Cornelius, having asked where Simon’s house was, stood at the gate. They called out and asked if Simon, also called Peter, was staying there. While Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon! Three men are looking for you. So get up, go downstairs. You are to go with them without hesitation because I have sent them.”
Peter went down and said to the men, “Here I am, the one y’all are looking for. Why have y’all come?”
They said, “Cornelius the centurion, a righteous man who fears God, and who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish ethnic group, was divinely directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and listen to what you say.” So Peter invited them in and received them as guests.
On the next day Peter got up and set out with them, and some of the siblings from Joppa accompanied him.
Peter Visits Cornelius’s House
The following day he entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshiped him. But Peter pulled him up, saying, “Stand up! I am just a human.” As he talked with him, Peter went inside and found many people gathered together. He said to them, “Y’all know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or visit one of another ethnicity, but God has shown me that I shouldn’t call any human profane or unclean. So I came without complaint when I was sent for. So may I ask why did y’all send for me?”
Cornelius said, “Four days ago at this very hour, three in the afternoon, I was praying in my house, when suddenly, a man in shining clothes stood before me and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your charitable deeds have been remembered in the sight of God. Therefore, send someone to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter. He is staying in the house of Simon the tanner, by the seaside.’ So immediately, I sent for you, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the sight of God to hear all things that you have been commanded by the Lord.”
Opening his mouth, Peter said, “Truly I now grasp that God is not one to show favoritism, but in every ethnic group the one who fears ʜɪᴍ and does what is right is acceptable to ʜɪᴍ. Y’all know the message ʜᴇ sent to the children of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. Y’all know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who under the power of the devil, because God was with him. We are witnesses of everything he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also killed him by hanging him on a tree. God raised him up the third day and caused him to be seen, not by all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that this is the one whom God appointed as the judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that through his name everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins.”
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard the message. The circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the ethnic groups too. For they heard them speaking in other tongues and praising God.
Then Peter answered, “Surely no one can withhold water for these people to be baptized? They have received the Holy Spirit just like us.” So he gave orders that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for a few days.