Get Up, Peter. Kill And Eat.
Acts 9:32-10:23a Key Verse 10:15
“15The voice spoke to him a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’”
Last week we studied the passage of Saul’s dramatic conversion. God showed great mercy on Saul to be His chosen instrument to carry His Name to the Gentiles. But Peter the top disciple of Jesus was still not on board with God’s plan. Even though Peter had grown up much from the days when he abandoned Jesus, he still needed to have God’s heart and vision for the whole world. In today's passage we see God help Peter to get rid of his stubborn thinking and to see the whole world as his mission field.
Part I - Aeneas and Dorcas (9:32-43)
Look at verse 32a. “As Peter traveled about the country...” Here we see that Peter had grown up a lot. At one time, he thought only of himself. But God helped him to see all of God’s flock as under Peter’s care. Peter did not just shepherd over the flock in Jerusalem, but Peter began taking care of God’s scattered flock throughout Judea and Samaria. In this verse we see that Peter traveled about the country helping to strengthen the church who had been scattered because of the persecutions begun by Saul. With Saul’s conversion the persecutions had stopped and the church enjoyed a time of peace. But the church still needed encouraging and strengthening.
When all the believers were located in Jerusalem, they devoted themselves to the Apostle’s teaching, and to the fellowship of believers; they met together every day in the Temple courts and then they would go home and enjoy eating fellowship together. They also shared everything in common and each gave to one another as was needed. But after the believers began scattering; a few went this way and a few went that way. Those who scattered no longer had the Apostles to teach them, nor did the scattered believers have such a large fellowship of believers to cowork with and to draw strength from. It was a challenging time for them to keep their faith. So Peter was traveling throughout Judea strengthening the feeble hands and knees that were ready to give way.
Last week we saw how he went to Samaria to lay hands on the new believers that Philip preached to, and who repented, but who had not yet received the Holy Spirit. In today's passage we see Peter traveling throughout Judea, helping to strengthen the believers and the growing church.
In today's passage we first see Peter go to Lydda and there Peter met a believer named Aeneas. Look at verses 32b-33, “[H]e went to visit the saints in Lydda. 33There he found a man named Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years.” This man Aeneas had been bedridden for eight long years. Eight years is a long time. When Peter saw this man he had compassion on him. Look at verse 34, “34‘Aeneas,’ Peter said to him, ‘Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat.’ Immediately Aeneas got up.” This event reminds us of the man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years that Jesus healed with the words, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” Peter said, ‘Jesus Christ heals you.’
While Peter was still in Lydda, two men came from Joppa urging him to come, because a woman named Tabitha had died. This woman Tabitha was always doing good and helping the poor. But she became sick and died. The believers in Joppa cried over her untimely death. So they begged Peter, “Please come at once!” These people were under the power of death. It broke Peter’s heart to see them like this so he went with them. When he arrived he was taken upstairs to where she was lying and all the widows were showing them all the robes and clothing that she had made, between all their tears.
When Peter saw this scene, he sent everyone out of the room and then he got on his knees and prayed. After praying, he turned to Tabitha and told her, “Tabitha, get up!” And she did! Then he presented her to the disciples and the widows alive. This scene also is reminiscent of Jesus’ healing of Jairus’ daughter (Mat. 9:23-26; Mk. 5:35-43; and Lk. 8:49-56). Through this event many believed in the Lord.
In both of these events we can see what a good student Peter had become of Jesus. He followed the example of His Lord Jesus almost exactly. Peter had really become a shepherd, looking after and caring for those who were in need.
In these two events we see the Holy Spirit was leading Peter to travel around encouraging and strengthening the believers. Jesus had appointed Peter to be their shepherd and Jesus was shepherding over them through Peter. For Peter this must have been a satisfying time for him. He was working hard to serve God’s flock and the church was growing under his care.
But God had a much bigger plan than this. Peter only took care of Jews who repented and believed. Even the Samarians were mixed Jews and Peter could tolerate helping them to receive the Holy Spirit once they repented, but Peter had no plan to share the Gospel with Gentiles, even though God had such a plan. Even though Peter had grown up to be a shepherd of God’s flock he was still lacking God’s vision and heart for all people. So how did God help Peter?
Part II – Cornelius calls for Peter (10:1-8)
Peter had become a faithful shepherd of God's flock and Peter was taking care of the ninety-nine really well and this was wonderful, but God had bigger plans. God was not only concerned about the ninety-nine sheep who represent the children of Israel, i.e. the Jews, but God was even more concerned about the one lost sheep, the Gentiles. There was one sheep in particular that God had in mind, his name was Cornelius. Look at 10:1-2, “1At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.”
Cornelius was a Roman officer who was part of the occupying army of Rome in Judea. He was a man of power and authority. He could have easily been proud and arrogant toward the Jews, but strangely he was much different. He and his whole family were devout and God-fearing; most men in his position abused the local population for their own benefit, because those under him were powerless to stop him, but this man gave out of his own wealth generously to those in need and he prayed to God regularly. Instead of taking from the people, he gave to them in their need from his own salary. This man had a good influence on others, including his own family. He was a man of integrity and grace and mercy. He feared God, which means that he lived as though God were keeping His eyes on him all the time. No one told him to pray, but this man prayed.
One day at 3 in the afternoon while Cornelius was praying he had a vision. He saw an angel who told him, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.” God took notice of this man and loved him. Later after Peter had visited Cornelius Peter learned a great lesson about God. Peter confessed in verses 34 and 35, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35but accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right.” Even though Cornelius was a Gentile, God did not show favoritism. Cornelius was a man who feared God and had done what was right and God listened to his prayers. God listens to the prayers of such a person. God seeks those who seek Him.
After Cornelius received this vision he called two of his servants and a devout soldier and shared with them everything that had happened and sent them at once to find Simon Peter.
Part III – Peter’s vision (10:9-23a)
About noon the following day as Cornelius' servants were approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. While the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice from Heaven told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." In this short phrase, "Kill and eat," we see God's passion for world salvation is dramatically revealed to Peter. God loves the whole world and He wants Peter to have God’s heart just as much.
How did Peter respond to the voice? Look at verse 14. “‘Surely not, Lord!’ Peter replied. ‘I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.’” We understand why Peter protested. He was brought up in a society where dietary laws were strictly kept. According to Leviticus 11, the Jews could eat only animals that chewed the cud and whose hoofs were cloven. God gave them these laws to help them discern between clean and unclean and to live as a holy people in an ungodly world. Keeping these food laws was part of their identity as Jews. However, because of these food laws, the Jews despised the Gentiles who ate all kinds of things without any distinction. They looked at the Gentiles as unclean animals. As long as this prejudice remained in their hearts, they could never accept Gentiles as human beings, but only as dogs. In order to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus to the ends of the earth, Peter had to unlearn some old habits and traditions of the Jews. According to the voice, Peter had to kill and eat.
So how did God help Peter to overcome his strong bias? Look at verses 15 and 16. “The voice spoke to him a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.” The first thing we see here is that God has made men clean through Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for all our sins. It is God who makes man clean.
In these verses, all kinds of animals represent all kinds of peoples on earth. “Kill and eat,” meant, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mk 16:15). Peter needed to change his outlook on the Gentiles. He needed to see the Gentiles with the heart of God who loved them and wanted to save them. He needed to root out the prejudice that was like a concrete wall in his heart toward the Gentiles. Peter needed to rise above his own culture and traditions and learn the universality of God's love.
While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found Simon's house. While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit told him to go downstairs to meet them and go with them without hesitation. In this way, Peter and the men from Cornelius met together at the house of Simon.
Peter was not really ready to invite them into the house as guests. Of all the people God could have sent to Peter, Roman soldiers must have been the very hardest for Peter to accept. Not only were they Gentiles, but they were the very ones who were the instruments of Rome to occupy Peter’s beloved nation of Israel. Not only this, but it was Roman soldiers who actually nailed Jesus on the cross. But the Holy Spirit helped him to do so.
Peter’s good point was that when the Spirit gave him the direction to not hesitate, Peter obeyed and welcomed them, had them stayed overnight, and even later went with them to Cornelius. Peter overcame his prejudice.
In this passage we learn that God accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right. Jesus Christ allows it so that all people can be made pure in the sight of God, when they repent and believe. So God wants to give them the Good news of forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ. God’s servants must know God’s heart. God’s servants must accept men of every nation as their brothers and share the Gospel with genuine respect and the love of God. This is possible only by the help of God.
Sinful human beings seem to be a bundle of prejudices and opinions. Such things keep us from accepting people whom God wants to save with the Gospel. They make us to be old wineskins that ultimately bring to ruin what God is trying to accomplish through us. Our prejudices and strong opinions make us to divide one another. May God help us to remove our stubborn opinions and views and to accept others whom Christ died so that we can preach the Gospel effectively.
From today’s passage we can ultimately see that God has desire that all men might be saved and He calls all of us to participate in His redemptive history. May God help us all to overcome ourselves and participate in God’s world salvation plan.
One Word: Get up Peter. Kill and Eat!
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