Acts 11:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’

NIV: Then I heard a voice telling me, 'Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.'

NASB: I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’

CSB: I also heard a voice telling me, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat.'

NLT: And I heard a voice say, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.’

KJV: And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter; slay and eat.

NKJV: And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’

To this point, the church in Jerusalem is made of Jews and proselytes to the Jewish religion. The "Hellenists" mentioned in Acts 6:1 are not ethnically Greek; they're Jews who lived outside of the traditionally Jewish regions of Judea and Galilee. Hellenized Jews were more familiar with the Greek language and culture. Many of the people who heard Peter preach on the day of Pentecost had similar backgrounds (Acts 2:7–11).

The "uncircumcised" with whom Peter ate in Caesarea Maritima, however, were Gentiles. Their host was Cornelius, "a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort" (Acts 10:1). That means Cornelius and at least some of his soldiers, friends, and family are Roman. Jews do not eat with Gentiles. Although Jesus had told the disciples they would be His witnesses "to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8), they didn't really understand that meant Gentiles would be part of the church.

So, when Peter was praying on a rooftop, waiting for a meal, God gave him a vision of a sheet lowering from heaven containing all types of animals, some clean and some very much against the Mosaic law regarding food. Peter is explaining to the church leadership that God told him to eat these unclean animals. After the vision, when three messengers came to take Peter to Cornelius, Peter realized the vision was about the food, but it was also about people with whom he ate the food. Both the food laws and the laws against associating with Gentiles are lifted; it's hard to say which revelation is hardest for people like Peter to accept (Acts 10:9–23).

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.