1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, 2 a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. 3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” 4 And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5 And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, 8 and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
9 The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” 16 This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.
17 Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood at the gate 18 and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. 19 And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. 20 Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.” 21 And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?” 22 And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” 23 So he invited them in to be his guests.
The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
In Caesarea, there was a Gentile (a non-Jew) named Cornelius. He was a centurion (a commander of about a hundred soldiers) of the Italian Cohort (about six hundred troops). He was a devout man who feared God along with his household. He would have been a man who worshipped God in the synagogue and tried to follow the Law as best he could, but not a full proselyte to Judaism (had not been circumcised). At about three in the afternoon, he saw a clear vision of an angel of God who called him by name. He was scared and asked, “What is it, Lord?” “Lord“ in this context is a title of respect, similar to “sir”. The angel spoke of how his prayers and generosity had been recognised by God. His disposition towards God had pleased Him. Now he was to send men to Joppa to bring Simon, also known as Peter, who was living by the sea with Simon, a tanner. When the angel had left, Cornelius called two servants and a soldier, who had a similar devout disposition towards God, told them what the angel had said, and sent them to Joppa.
The next day, while they made their way to Joppa, Peter went onto the rooftop of the house to pray. At about noon he became hungry. While his hosts prepared him something to eat he fell into a trance. This trance would be a state brought on by God Himself rather than a hypnotic altered state we might be tempted to imagine. Peter saw the heavens open and something like a great sheet being let down by its four corners to the earth. The heavens opening shows the source of this revelation. This sheet contained all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. Then a voice said to Peter, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter responded, perhaps thinking it was a test of his faithfulness to the law, that he had never eaten anything common or unclean. The voice replied, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” This vision happened three times showing the authenticity of the message. Then the sheet was retracted into heaven again showing the conclusion and reaffirming the source of the message, God Himself. While Peter pondered the meaning of the vision, the centurion’s envoy arrived by perfect God-ordained timing. The Spirit told Peter that the three men were looking for him and he was to accompany them immediately for they were sent by Him. Peter introduced himself as the one they were looking for and asked for the reason they had come. They explained how Cornelius, a God-fearing centurion, had been directed by an angel to find him and hear what he had to say. Because it was likely too late to travel back, Peter invited them to stay as his guests before they set out the next day.
Both Cornelius and Peter defaulted to obedience. Neither of them knew exactly what God had planned but they obeyed in faith. God calls you and me to obey Him and trust Him to do what‘s best in our lives. Where might you be hesitating to obey because you don’t have all the answers yet? Are you willing to take a step of faith and trust God to fill in the blanks as you follow Him?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
The Light of the Gospel: 2 Corinthians 3-4