Acts 10:40 - Printer Friendly

ESV: but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear,

NIV: but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.

NASB: God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He be revealed,

CSB: God raised up this man on the third day and caused him to be seen,

NLT: but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear,

KJV: Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;

NKJV: Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly,

Peter is speaking to a houseful of Gentiles in Caesarea Maritima about Jesus. They know vaguely who He is, and they follow the Jewish God, but they don't know the specifics. Because they are not Jews, like Stephen's audience (Acts 7), Peter does not go into detail about how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament prophecies, although he does mention it (Acts 10:43). Instead, he starts with John's baptism—the public admission of sin and choice to repent and follow God more faithfully. It's not stated if Peter's host, a Roman centurion named Cornelius, knew John, but he does know of him and seems to follow his teaching (Acts 10:1–2, 37).

When Pilate was governor of Judea, he seemed to spend much of his time in Jerusalem. He was removed from his position and Herod Agrippa I was given the title of king of Samaria and Judea. He kept his capital in Caesarea, on the coast of the Mediterranean. As a soldier, Cornelius would have heard the rumors surrounding Jesus' death. The story of what happened after is more nebulous.

In Matthew 27:62–66, the chief priests and Pharisees approach Pilate, requesting security measures for Jesus' tomb so the disciples can't steal His body and claim He rose from the dead. When the angels arrive, the guards prove ineffective (Matthew 28:4). The guards report back to the priests that Jesus is gone; the priests pay them off, telling them to say they fell asleep and the disciples stole the body (Matthew 28:11–15).

Tradition says these guards were Roman soldiers. Cornelius certainly would have heard something about the account. For one, news spreads quickly and widely in the military. For another, if a Roman soldier fell asleep during guard duty, he was vulnerable to execution. But it's not clear what Cornelius heard about the events after Jesus' crucifixion—probably rumors and half-truths that Peter is now clearing up.

Acts 10:34–43 describes the first group of Gentiles receiving salvation. A Roman centurion in the Roman capital of Caesarea Maritima has filled his house with friends and family to hear from Peter, one of the leaders of a new Jewish sect. As a God-fearing Gentile in Samaria, the centurion knows about the prophets and the events around Jesus' ministry and crucifixion. He apparently needs to know about the resurrection and Jesus' role in God's plan of forgiveness. Before Peter is even finished speaking, the Holy Spirit falls on the group, and the era of Gentile Jesus-followers begins.

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.