Bible Study series: Acts 11:1-18. Peter returned to Jerusalem and had to answer for his visit with Gentiles.
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I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click on this link:
At the link to the original post, next, I write more commentary and dig a little deeper into the Greek. I also offer a section titled Observations for Discipleship at the end. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided in the commentary section for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Acts 11:1-18
1 Now, the apostles and brothers and sisters who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. 2 When Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers took issue, saying, 3 “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
4 Peter began to set forth things in an orderly sequence for them and said, 5 “I was in the town of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision of an object descending, something like a huge sheet being lowered by four corners from heaven, and it came right in front of me. 6 As I stared at it, I began to observe and saw four-footed domesticated animals, wild animals, and reptiles, and birds of the sky. 7 Then I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter, slaughter and eat!’ 8 I replied, ‘No way, Lord! Nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth!’ 9 A voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has made clean don’t you call common!’ 10 This happened a third time, and everything was pulled back up into heaven.
11 Then look! Three men sent from Caesarea for me were standing at the house where I was. 12 The Spirit spoke to me to go with them, without overthinking it. These six brothers went with me and entered the man’s house. 13 He recounted to us how he saw an angel in his house, standing and speaking. ‘Send to Joppa and summon Simon, nicknamed Peter, 14 who shall speak a message to you by which you shall be saved and also your household.’ 15 Just as I was beginning to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as upon us at the beginning. 16 I remembered the word of the Lord, how he was saying, ‘John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If therefore God gave to them this gift equally, as we also believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to stop God?”
18 When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Indeed, God has also given to Gentiles the repentance leading to life!” (Acts 11:1-18)
Comments:
Luke repeats this episode about Cornelius and God’s acceptance of Gentiles three times (Acts 10:1-48, 11:4-17; 15:7-9). Paul’s conversion is also repeated three times. He is initially converted, and the Lord tells Ananias, the disciple who prayed for him, that Paul will be sent to the Gentiles (9:1-19, see especially v. 15). Paul speaks to a crowd in Jerusalem (Acts 22:3-16) and before king Agrippa (26:9-18). Further, the entire narrative that goes from 10:1 to 11:18 is the longest one of a single piece in Acts. Clearly Luke intends his Gentile readers of Acts to understand that God accepts them. Jewish followers of Jesus must also realize the same thing.
Bock places this event before A.D 41 (comment on vv. 1-2).
This section summarizes Acts 10. Please go there for more comments.
1-3:
Entering the house of Gentiles was bad enough but eating with them went too far. It takes a long time to break away from old traditions. Some people never give them up.
Jerusalem is getting powerful in the Messianic Jewish world. Even Peter has to answer to a coterie of men who quickly formed. Is it time for Messianic Jews to break free from this committee? But it seems even Saul / Paul, apostle to the Gentiles, felt the need to honor this city as the new capital of the very earliest Christianity. (Acts 15; 21-23:22; Gal. 1:17-18; 2:1; Rom. 15:19, 25-26, 31; 1 Cor 16:3; 2 Cor. 1:16). I suppose there is nothing wrong with a Christian presence there to this day, but I prefer decentralization.
“circumcised believers”: in this context, it refers to overly scrupulous and extra-strict Messianic Jews. They were harder to convince than the six Messianic Jews who accompanied Peter (10:45-46). Yet even these Jews of Jerusalem relented and celebrated the Gentiles’ salvation without their obeying food laws or getting circumcised (v. 18). This is a message to the Hebrew Roots Movement today in America. They say or imply that if we don’t follow the law as they closely and devoutly as they do, we are inferior in some way. No, sorry. Slow down, Hebrew Roots Movement!
What Does the New Covenant Retain from the Old?
Do Christians Have to ‘Keep’ the Ten Commandments?
Ten Commandments: God’s Great Compromise with Humanity’s Big Failure
4-6:
“I stared”: it comes from the verb atenizō (pronounced ah-teh-nee-zoh) and also means “stare intently or intensely.” Luke is fond of it: Luke 4:20; 22:56; Acts 1:10; 3:4; 3:12; 6:15; 7:55; 10:4; 11:6; 13:9; 14:9; 23:1. Then Paul uses it twice: 2 Cor. 3:7, 13.
“praying”:
What Is Biblical Intercession?
Most of these words and ideas are covered in Acts 10, but the one fact that Peter omits in his retelling is that “the man” (v. 12) was a Gentile centurion! He was the occupier! Despite Peter’s quick acceptance of Gentiles receiving the Spirit, he still gave in to peer pressure when Jewish believers came to Antioch and he stopped eating with Gentile believers (Gal. 2:11-21).
In v. 11, “I stared”: F. F. Bruce (1990) calls it “master the mystery” or intellectual domination of a mystery or a supernatural event like a burning bush that is not consumed (Acts 7:31). I did not choose his rich and wonderful suggestion this time. So “I stared” could be freely translated as “I tried to master the mystery.” However, the standard definition encompasses “notice,” “observe,” “look at, contemplate,” “consider, notice in a spiritual sense.”
Peter is tempted to overthink things, so the Spirit has to tell him not to do this. Obey.
“overthinking it”: This comes from one Greek verb, which is a mental activity and means these things, depending on the contexts and verb form: “make distinctions, differentiate, single out”; “pass judgment, judge correctly, recognize, render a decision;” “take issue, dispute, doubt, waver.” But when it comes to this verse the Greek dictionary guys would have us translate it as “hesitate.” Yes, hesitation is a mental activity in the mind, so I translate the verb in its fullest sense. Peter, who is famous among current preachers as being a blabbermouth and speaking without thinking, was actually a thoughtful man. In this verse the Spirit has to tell him to put away his doubts and mental gymnastics and just obey. But let’s not be too hard on him, because he had a difficult time visiting and eating with non-Jews, even after this visit with Cornelius (Gal. 2:11-21).
“trance”: the noun literally means “standing outside (oneself).”
It befell him; he did not ginger it up or use soul power.
“vision”: It is mostly translated as “vision,” or it could be a supernatural sight (Matt. 17:19; Acts 10:3, 17, 19; 18:9). You’ll know it when you see it, with no room for misinterpretation. And Renewalists believe that visions still happen today. They get them all the time. It’s biblical. But our visions must be submitted to the written Word because our vision may not be right, but self-serving. In contrast, Scripture has stood the test of time. Your dream or vision has not. Scripture is infallible; you are not.
Dreams and Visions: How to Interpret Them
8-10:
“No way!”: it can be translated “Certainly not!” “By no means!” I use a more updated phrase.
“common”: the opposite is holy, which means “set apart.” “Common” means everybody acts this way and has the same degraded moral status. It’s common! However, you personally are set apart by God; you are not common in the sense of profane or unclean or “unkosher.”
Peter learned that Cornelius is just as set apart for God as the Jewish nation is. Gentiles too can be grafted into God’s Chosen People. They too can be consecrated to God and made holy.
And as to God making something holy, he has to declare it to be holy. Those classes of animals are not holy or unholy, kosher or unkosher in themselves, by their nature; they are just animals. But God decreed some animals to be kosher or holy or clean, and other animals to be the opposite. (It is odd that a locust is clean or kosher [Lev. 11:22], for example.) Yes, scientists have figured out that a pig is a scavenger and can eat bad food, but what about a pig that is given special treatment and is fed only the best food? So it is all about God’s declaration, not about the animals being who they are by nature. The same goes for humans. All humans are sinful and unclean by their nature, so God has to get them ready for judgment and declare them clean. Then he sends his Holy Spirit into them to work out what God has declared over them.
God did this to Cornelius and his household and gave them the Holy Spirit.
11-12:
“look!” it comes from the standard Greek (and Hebrew) term “Behold!” I updated the word because that is the sense of the context.
Peter and the six make seven, the number of completeness. Now it becomes clear whey Peter needed them to witness God’s gift of the Spirit on Gentiles. He was being cross-examined by hardcore Jewish traditionalists.
“house”: Acts is about salvation of entire households and meeting in those saved households (2:2, 46; 5:42; 8:3, but be careful of persecution in 8:3! 10:2; 11:14; 16:15, 31, 34; 20:20; 21:8).
13:
“angel”: An angel, both in Hebrew and Greek, is really a messenger. Angels are created beings, while Jesus was the one who created all things, including angels (John 1:1-4). Renewalists believe that angels appear to people in their dreams or in person. It is God’s ongoing ministry through them to us.
Here is a multi-part study of angels in the area of systematic theology, but first, here is a summary list of the basics:
Angels:
(a) Are messengers (in Hebrew mal’ak and in Greek angelos);
(b) Are created spirit beings;
(c) Have a beginning at their creation (not eternal);
(d) Have a beginning, but they are immortal (deathless).
(e) Have moral judgment;
(f) Have a certain measure of free will;
(g) Have high intelligence;
(h) Do not have physical bodies;
(i) But can manifest with immortal bodies before humans;
(j) They can show the emotion of joy.
Angels: Their Duties and Missions
Angels: Their Names and Ranks and Heavenly Existence
Angels: Their Origins, Abilities, and Nature
14:
“saved”:
Acts is about salvation of entire households and meeting in those saved households (2:2, 46; 5:42; 8:3, but be careful of persecution in 8:3! 10:2; 11:14; 16:15, 31, 34; 20:20; 21:8).
What Is the Work of Salvation?
How Do We Respond to God’s Salvation?
The verb “saved” is in the passive voice, so we have another instance of a divine passive, which means that God is behind the scenes working, doing the saving. He is the subject of the verb.
“household”: this verse of salvation is a promise for your household. Pray for them, and never give up. Trust God that he is working behind the scenes, even when you don’t see any progress. Another great verse of promise for your household is Acts 16:31. Read it and base your prayers on v. 14 here and 16:31.
15:
“just as I was beginning to speak”: Here is a perfect example of Peter compressing his account (through Luke), for Peter did preach a brief sermon of ten verses (10:34-43). We simply have to get used to these variations and literary techniques of condensing, expanding, omitting, including, telescoping, and so on. The Scriptures are still infallibly inspired, yet the original authors were not androids who received and then dictated a message. They kept their minds intact and varied their message as they saw the need.
Then the Holy Spirit fell on them. In Acts 10:44-48, heavenly and Spirit-inspired prayer languages were given to Cornelius and his household. Here in v. 15 Luke through Peter (or Peter through Luke) omits this detail, and he (they) will omit the detail in Peter’s shorter account in Acts 15:7-11. Why the omission? Probably because Luke assumes we will fill in this gap with the fullness of the Spirit, and now Luke wants us to focus on Gentile salvation. So how does this relate to the overall very charismatic book of Acts? We should always read verses about the fullness and infilling and power of the Spirit in light of manifested gifts of God, like prayer languages, even when they are not openly stated.
“beginning”: this refers to Pentecost. Later believers can experience their own Pentecost, even as we can today. Remember what this same Simon Peter said at that time: “For the promise is for you and your descendants and all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to himself” (2:39). This Pentecost is for us, if we want it.
16:
“how he was saying”: This is in the imperfect tense, indicating more than one reminder to the disciples.
“baptized”: This too is in the passive voice, so we have another divine passive in this verse. The Father sends the Spirit, and the Son baptizes repentant believers in or with the Spirit. However it may be worded, God the Father is the source.
Baptized, Filled, and Full of the Spirit: What Does It All Mean?
Are ‘Tongues’ the Sign of Baptism with Spirit in Acts?
Cornelius and his household had heard the message. Faith and trust were sparked in their hearts. The Spirit baptized them. And then they were water baptized. Conversion first. Water baptism second. Water does not save, but Jesus does. Salvation goes beyond initial justification or initially being declared righteous. It involves one’s whole life. And being water-baptized for the washing away of sins means that water symbolically washes away one’s sins.
17:
The fulness of the Spirit is God’s gift to us. I hope no one around the world sneers at it, even when it comes with heavenly languages.
“believed”:
Remember this true acronym:
F-A-I-T-H
=
Forsaking All, I Trust Him
Here it is connected to “saved.”
Let’s discuss the verb believe and the noun faith more deeply. It is the language of the kingdom of God. It is how God expects us to relate to him. It is the opposite of doubt, which is manifested in whining and complaining and fear. Instead, faith is, first, a gift that God has distributed to everyone (Rom. 12:3). Second, it is directional (Rom. 10:9-11; Acts 20:21). We cannot rightly have faith in faith. It must be faith in God through Christ. Third, faith in Christ is different from faith in one’s ability to follow God on one’s own. It is different from keeping hundreds of religious laws and rules. This is one of Luke’s main themes in Acts, culminating in the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) and Paul’s ministry for the rest of Acts. Faith in Jesus over faith in law keeping. Fourth, there is faith as a set of beliefs and doctrines, which are built on Scripture (Acts 6:7). Fifth, there is also a surge of faith that is poured out and transmitted through the Spirit when people need it most (1 Cor. 12:9). It is one of the nine charismata or manifestations of grace (1 Cor 12:7-11). Sixth, one can build faith and starve doubt by feasting on Scripture and the words about Christ (Rom. 10:17).
Please see my word study on believe and faith:
Word Study on Faith and Faithfulness
18:
The assembled group accepted his testimony, but trouble is brewing. Peter will be arrested, and the motives for Herod Agrippa taking him was to please the Jewish establishment in Jerusalem. Peter was the lead apostle, and he was the first to eat with the Gentiles, and a Roman centurion, a soldier in the occupying force.
“repentance”: it comes from the noun metanoia (pronounced meh-tah-noi-ah), which literally means “change of mind”; however, throughout the New Testament, it means more than that. It means regret and turning around and going in the other direction, and it must bear fruit (Matt. 3:8; Acts 20:21; 2 Cor. 7:9-10; Heb. 6:6). It is a radical life change.
The main idea is repent! Follow Jesus! Yes, it is wonderful as a foundation, but we must move on to Christ’s deeper teachings. In our context today, we should teach repentance to an audience where there may be the unrepentant and unconverted, but let’s not harangue the church with constant calls for them to repent. They need mature teachings. Too many fiery preachers never allow their churches to grow, but shriek about fire and brimstone (eternal punishment). Happily, this seems to be changing, and preachers bring up repentance, but also realize that there are many other doctrines in Scripture.
“life”: it comes from the Greek zōē (pronounced zoh-ay). It is more than life in heaven, but life down here on earth. We can have God’s kind of life right now. God offers people who love and know him eternal life in the here and now, so it means both life now and life in the age to come. The kingdom breaking into the world system through the life and ministry of Jesus brings life right now.
“Peter’s detractors might concede in 11:18 that God might save God-fearing gentiles or even welcome some isolated gentiles as ‘exceptions,’ but Luke’s point in 11:18 is fuller: that God has given ‘repentance’ to them as a group, as he did for Israel (5:31)” (Keener, p. 308 emphasis original).
As usual, Polhill’s summary comments on this section of Scripture are spot on:
Not all the problems were solved, however. Not all the Jewish Christians were satisfied with taking in Gentiles without circumcision. As yet there had been no mass influx of Gentiles, and the problems were not altogether evident. Things would change, particularly with the great success of Paul and Barnabas’s mission among the Gentiles. Once again the issue would be raised by the more staunchly Jewish faction—“Shouldn’t Gentiles be circumcised when they become Christians?” “Can we really have table fellowship with uncircumcised Gentiles who do not abide by the food laws?” (author’s paraphrase). These issues would surface once more for a final showdown in the Jerusalem Conference of chap. 15. (p. 268)
GrowApp for Acts 11:1-18
1. Peter says that God smashed through religious traditions and regulations and ethnic barriers. Has God called you to set aside those things that held you back?
2. What were the results?
RELATED
The Historical Reliability of the Book of Acts
Book of Acts and Paul’s Epistles: Match Made in Heaven?
SOURCES
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