Acts 10:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

NIV: Then a voice told him, 'Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.'

NASB: A voice came to him, 'Get up, Peter, kill and eat!'

CSB: A voice said to him, "Get up, Peter; kill and eat."

NLT: Then a voice said to him, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.'

KJV: And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.

NKJV: And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

God is explaining to Peter that the message of Jesus is open to all people, including Gentiles, but He's doing it in a very creative way. He has presented Peter with all different types of animals. Some, including reptiles and birds of prey (Acts 11:6), are forbidden by the Mosaic law to be consumed as food (Deuteronomy 14:7–21). At this time, almost all the Jesus-followers are Jews or part-Jews such as Samaritans, and they understand their faith as a natural extension of Judaism—Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, after all. While modern culture sees a distinct separation between Jews and Christians, to Peter there is no such divide. Without a major change in thinking, he's not going to willingly break the Mosaic law.

Food is an appropriate metaphor for the situation because of the importance of sharing meals in the culture. To host someone in a meal was to accept them and accept responsibility for their well-being. For a Jew to eat with a Gentile would have been considered a horrible breach of custom. It would be showing public approval to their lifestyle. When Jesus ate with tax collectors and "sinners," the Pharisees were horrified, even though the sinners were Jews (Mark 2:15–17).

Unbeknownst to Peter, three men are coming to see him. They have been sent by a Roman centurion named Cornelius who wants to know more about the Jewish God he has been faithfully serving (Acts 10:1–8). Peter will have to enter the home of a Gentile and share a meal. God is showing Peter the food is okay to eat and the host is acceptable to host.

Acts 10:9–23 occurs as Peter is in Joppa, after having healed a paralyzed man in nearby Lydda and raising Tabitha from the dead in Joppa (Acts 9:32–43). Peter doesn't know that a Roman centurion who worships the Jewish God is sending three men to bring Peter to Caesarea. The centurion wished to learn what God has planned for him, which he will find is to be saved in Jesus' name. First, God makes Peter understand that Jesus' offer of salvation is as available for Gentiles as it is for Jews.

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.