Acts 10:42 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

NIV: He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.

NASB: And He ordered us to preach to the people, and to testify solemnly that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.

CSB: He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be the judge of the living and the dead.

NLT: And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all — the living and the dead.

KJV: And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.

NKJV: And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.

Cornelius, a Roman centurion, is a devout man, meaning a Gentile who faithfully worships the Jewish God but has not fully converted to Judaism. He is generous and prays continually (Acts 10:1–2). Several days before, an angel appeared to him and said, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God" (Acts 10:4). Outward behavior and faith in God are not required to "earn" an invitation—however, Cornelius' actions have demonstrated that his is the kind of heart open to hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Peter is explaining to Cornelius that Jesus of Nazareth is the judge who found Cornelius worthy. God came in the chosen human form of Jesus (John 5:22–27), and Jesus knows our hearts (John 2:23–25). Years later, Paul will say something similar to the philosophers in Athens: "The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead" (Acts 17:30–31).

Many of the Athenian philosophers will reject Paul's words because they don't believe the dead rise again. Peter is telling Cornelius and his guests that he and, apparently, some of the men he brought from Joppa witnessed Jesus alive after the crucifixion. Jesus then commissioned Peter and the other apostles to share this witness to whomever would listen—"in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). They are currently in Samaria, but considering the Gentile audience, Peter is reaching the end of the earth.

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.