SUBSCRIBE NOW

SIGHT

Be informed. Be challenged. Be inspired.

OPEN BOOK – HINTS FROM THE SPIRIT OF HOLINESS: PETER’S VISITORS ARRIVE

BRUCE C WEARNE looks at what a passage in Acts shows us about how God was stretching Peter…

Now at the same time that Peter was in turmoil as to what this vision might require of him, the men sent by Cornelius, having located Simon’s house, were there standing at the gate and calling out, asking if a Simon called Peter happened to be lodging there. And while Peter was thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Now hear this, three men are looking for you. Rise and go down to them, and accompany them without delay; for it is I who have sent them.” And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for; why have you come?” And they said to him, “It is from Cornelius, a centurion, that we have come, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, who has been directed by a holy messenger to send for you to come to his house, so he can hear what you have to say.” So he invited them to come in and be his guests. – (Acts 10:17-22/transliteration by Bruce C Wearne)

 

KNOCKER: The messengers from Cornelius came knocking on the door of the house where Peter was staying. But would he let them in? PICTURE: Tony Clough/www.freeimages.com


IN A NUTSHELL

Peter was ready and welcomes visitors from Caesarea.

Peter was staying with another Simon, a tanner who owned a house near the coast. Peter had a place of honour there. Some scholars say that Luke mentions the occupation of Peter’s host to emphasise that Peter was already willing to have contact with a Jew who had an ‘unclean’ occupation. If so, Peter was already able to mix as his Master had done when He ate with tax collectors and sinners.

Peter could hardly have forgotten the persistent criticism that had come from over-scrupulous religious leaders. But, I suppose, Luke was writing to help us understand how Peter was led by the Holy Spirit one step at a time to where he was at this point. Would he be able to openly and without hesitation have contact with Gentiles? Would he shake hands with them? Would he be able to be warm-heartedly hospitable to Cornelius’ messengers?

Remember the occasion when the centurion at Capernaum had a servant on the point of death? Luke told us about this in his former book (Luke 7:1-10). On that occasion the centurion had sent Jewish elders to Jesus soliciting His aid. Jesus went and near the house the centurion sent others saying, in effect, “You don’t have to break your customs for me!” For Jesus that was a miracle of faith – the servant was healed without Him entering the house of that well-loved Gentile.

Luke doesn’t tell us if the servants Cornelius had sent were Jewish; they may have been proselytes and we are told the soldier was “devout”. But then neither did the Holy Spirit who spoke to Peter before introductions were made. Peter, however, could be in no doubt as to what his response had to be. He was to “accompany them without any hesitation” and then the Spirit of Jesus added “for I have sent them.” So Peter went, having been told it was Jesus who had sent Cornelius’ servants.

It was the Holy Spirit who told Peter that these were His messengers. Luke tells us that Peter obeyed. He invited them in to be his guests. This says something about the respect in which Peter was held in that household. It also tells us that Peter realised his everyday conduct involved a transformation to some age-old customs.

The Holy Spirit was prodding and prompting Peter to a wider vision, a vision that encompassed the whole earth. Cornelius’ vision of the messenger and Peter’s strange dreams are now inseparable parts of the same story.

Got a verse or a short passage you’d like us to look at? Just send an email to [email protected].

Donate



sight plus logo

Sight+ is a new benefits program we’ve launched to reward people who have supported us with annual donations of $26 or more. To find out more about Sight+ and how you can support the work of Sight, head to our Sight+ page.

Musings

TAKE PART IN THE SIGHT READER SURVEY!

We’re interested to find out more about you, our readers, as we improve and expand our coverage and so we’re asking all of our readers to take this survey (it’ll only take a couple of minutes).

To take part in the survey, simply follow this link…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

For security, use of Google's reCAPTCHA service is required which is subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.