Acts 11:3 - Printer Friendly

Peter has returned to Jerusalem after witnessing the Holy Spirit fall on a houseful of Gentiles (Acts 10:44–48). The scene is reminiscent of Pentecostwhen the Holy Spirit first fell on Peter and dozens of other Jesus-followers (Acts 2:1–4). Now, Peter has returned to the church in Jerusalem where he is being accosted for his actions.

By this time, Jews of every spiritual variety have accepted that Jesus is the Messiah. They believe He brings forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God. Some of these converts are still very legalistic Jews, often referred to as "the circumcision party" (Acts 11:2). They may be former Pharisees. They don't necessarily have a problem with Gentiles receiving the Holy Spirit, but they do object to the idea of Gentiles remaining Gentiles, rather than also converting to Judaism. Specifically, they want Gentiles to be circumcised and to follow a kosher diet.

Peter is familiar with these beliefs: he held them as well until very recently (Acts 10). God sent him a vision of different types of animals—some allowed to be consumed as food by the Mosaic law and some not—as a metaphor to teach him that Gentiles are welcome to the church as they are. The moment the vision ended, three Gentiles arrived where he was staying and invited him to visit a Roman centurion. Peter greeted the centurion with the somewhat ungracious explanation: "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean" (Acts 10:28).

In Judaism, what you eat, how you eat, and who you eat with have serious theological implications. The Pharisees were horrified when Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners (Mark 2:15–17) and when the disciples didn't ceremonially wash their hands before eating (Mark 7:1–5). Jesus explained that food goes in one end and out the other—it can't make you unclean. And He wasn't afraid to eat with those Judaism considered "unclean," like tax-collectors and other "sinners." It is the heart that determines if a person is unclean.

This discussion will continue. Paul and Barnabas—and Peter—will have to fight for the rights of the Gentiles to retain their non-Jewishness in a council in Jerusalem. The council will decide to ask Gentile believers to refrain from sexual immorality and food that has been sacrificed to idols or that still has blood (Acts 15:19–21). The decision has less to do with what is required of the Gentiles and more about what would bring enough peace that Jewish believers would feel comfortable eating with Gentile believers. Even Peter will forget that Jesus died to reconcile sinners to God, but also people to each other (Galatians 2:11–14; Romans 11).

Acts 11:1–18 describes Peter defending his actions in Acts 10. The Holy Spirit led him to share Jesus' story with a house filled with Gentiles. As he had barely started, the Holy Spirit fell on the Gentiles and Peter had them baptized into the church. Now, he has returned to the church in Jerusalem and has some explaining to do. Despite Peter being the most prominent of Jesus' twelve disciples, the legalistic Jews have already gained significant influence in the church. It's a good reminder we must always follow God and be ready to defend our response to His leading.

Acts 11 accelerates the journey of the message of Jesus into the Gentile world. Peter returns to Jerusalem and explains to the church leaders how the Holy Spirit has fallen on a group of Gentiles in Caesarea Maritima (Acts 11:1–18). Then the church hears how Gentiles are coming to faith far north in Syrian Antioch; they send Barnabas to investigate and Barnabas brings in Saul (Acts 11:19–26). Finally, prophets travel from Jerusalem to Antioch to request aid for the Jerusalem church (Acts 11:27–30). The scene is almost set for Paul's extensive evangelism career to begin.

Until the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 7:54–60), the story of Jesus' followers remained mostly in Jerusalem. Saul started persecuting the church and the members fled, taking Jesus' story with them. This included Philip who shared Jesus' story with Samaritans and an Ethiopian official (Acts 8). Saul's persecution even led to his own conversion (Acts 9). And Peter brought the gospel to a group of Gentiles (Acts 10). After one more story about Peter and rising persecution by the Roman government, the book of Acts will turn to Saul, who will use the Greek variation of his name, Paul, and his missionary journeys to southeast Europe.

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.