Acts 10:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, "Cornelius."

NIV: One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, "Cornelius!"

NASB: About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, 'Cornelius!'

CSB: About three in the afternoon he distinctly saw in a vision an angel of God who came in and said to him, "Cornelius."

NLT: One afternoon about three o’clock, he had a vision in which he saw an angel of God coming toward him. 'Cornelius!' the angel said.

KJV: He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.

NKJV: About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!”

A Roman centurion named Cornelius is stationed in the regional capital, Caesarea Maritima. His job is to keep peace and order among the mix of Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles in Samaria and Judea. This is not an easy task; the Jews resent Roman occupation and the occasional sacrilegious acts that the Roman leaders impose on their temple. But Cornelius not only generously gives charitable donations to the people, he worships the Jewish God. His heart has made him the perfect candidate to be the first head of a Gentile household to receive the Holy Spirit.

The ninth hour is 3 pm. This is one of the traditional times that the Jews pray (Acts 3:1). A vision is an experience someone has with God while they are awake. It seems today that God does not typically give visions to those who have ready access to His Word, meaning the Bible. People in cultures that do not have Bibles, like Muslims, seem more frequently to experience visions which lead them to Christ.

Cornelius prays continually, which roughly means throughout the day. He is perhaps like the persistent widow of Jesus' parable (Luke 18:1–8), constantly pleading his case at God's court for recognition. God honors his request. In the vision, Cornelius will hear the angel direct him to send for Peter. Peter will tell Cornelius and his household about the saving work of Jesus. They will immediately complete the intended transition from devout God-seekers to Jesus-followers, fulfilling God's promise to Abraham that the nations will be blessed through him (Genesis 12:3).

Acts 10:1–8 introduces the first group of Gentiles to receive the Holy Spirit. Cornelius is a Roman military leader stationed in Caesarea Maritima, the coastal city that serves as the headquarters for Herod Agrippa I. Cornelius is a devout follower of the Jewish God, although probably not a full proselyte. While praying one day, an angel appears and tells him God has heard his prayers and appreciates his charity. He is to send for Peter in Joppa and hear what the apostle has to say. What follows is the opening of the gospel to all Gentiles.

Peter has been a dominant voice in the spread of Jesus' message to Jews and proselytes. Now he brings the gospel to Gentiles. An angel tells Cornelius, a centurion, to ask Peter to come to him. Peter is praying when he receives a vision of food—including non-kosher food—and God's voice telling him to eat. When the centurion's messengers arrive, Peter realizes the dream meant that Gentiles are no longer unclean. He follows the messengers and tells Cornelius' household about salvation through Jesus. Before Peter can lay his hands on them or baptize them, the Holy Spirit falls on them.

Jesus told the disciples they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Oddly, the disciples didn't understand this meant the Holy Spirit would come upon Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles alike. After several years reaching Jews and proselytes in Jerusalem (Acts 1—7) and Samaritans in Samaria (Acts 8:4–25), God calls Peter to bring the message to Gentiles. Peter's witness that Gentiles can be saved (Acts 11) clears the way for Paul's ministry to Gentiles in modern-day Turkey, Greece, and Italy (Acts 13—28).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.