Peter is on a rooftop outside the town of Joppa on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, east and a bit north of Jerusalem. As he prays, he has a vision of a sheet with different types of animals dropping from heaven. A voice tells him to kill and eat the animals, but some of the animals are unclean—prohibited by the Mosaic law—so he refuses (Acts 10:9–14).

"Common" is from the Greek root word koinos. Like the English term common, it literally means "ordinary," but it's often used to describe something unrefined, vulgar, or low-class. In that sense, to the Jews, it means ceremonially unclean: not fit for the worship of God. It is something that is not holy. If someone touched or ate or did something "unclean," they were prohibited from coming to the temple to worship. Some things, like moving a dead body, were inevitable. Some, like eating unclean foods, were avoidable and religiously attended to. That which is "unclean" is not necessarily evil, or sinful, in and of itself; it's simply prohibited.

Peter has already witnessed Jesus putting unclean food into its proper perspective. The Pharisees had confronted Jesus because His disciples didn't ceremonially wash their hands before they ate (Matthew 15:1–11). The Pharisees did so in case they had accidentally touched something that had been touched by someone who was unclean—they didn't want that uncleanness to get inside of them. This attitude assumed that it was the literal physical substance, itself, which carried uncleanness, regardless of a person's intentions.

Jesus responded in frustration. He knew those religious leaders would rather follow manmade rules than do something as obvious and as God-ordained as properly take care of their elderly parents. Jesus pointed out that true uncleanness comes from the sin in a person's heart, not from what physical thing they put in their bodies. He graphically pointed out that even clean food would eventually come out the other end! Mark, who likely got the information for his Gospel from Peter, explained that Jesus' illustration was His declaration that there were no more unclean foods (Mark 7:1–23).

Mark followed a line of logic from unclean hands, to unclean hearts, to an understanding that the kosher dietary laws were fulfilled and no longer in force. Peter's vision and application goes from unclean foods, to unclean dinner mates, to salvation to the Gentiles. The food the Jews eat is a part of the deeply cultural tradition of the meal. To share a meal with someone is to publicly declare your allegiance with them. This is why the Pharisees were so offended when Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners (Mark 2:13–17). The vision and Peter's impending company (Acts 10:17–23) teach Peter that what had been "unclean"—prohibited food, prohibited company, prohibited friends—has now been made clean through Jesus' sacrifice.

This is an extremely difficult lesson for Peter. He does go to the Gentiles (Acts 10:23–33), he does share Jesus' story with them (Acts 10:34–48), and he does defend his actions to the other Jewish Jesus-followers in leadership in Jerusalem (Acts 11:1–18). But years later, visiting the church in Syrian Antioch, he forgets. He gets influenced by the legalistic Jewish Jesus-followers and withdraws from Gentile company. Paul sets him straight, but it shows how incredibly hard it was for the Jews to accept that Jesus is for everyone (Galatians 2:11–14).

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.

Accessed 4/29/2024 10:31:36 AM

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