Acts 10

Ac 10:1-48.

ACCESSION AND

BAPTISM OF

CORNELIUS AND

HIS

PARTY; OR,

THE

FIRST-FRUITS OF THE

GENTILES.

We here enter on an entirely new phase of the Christian Church, the

"opening of the door of faith to the Gentiles"; in other words, the

recognition of Gentile, on terms of perfect equality with Jewish,

discipleship without the necessity of circumcision. Some beginnings

appear to have been already made in this direction (see on

Ac 11:20, 21);

and Saul probably acted on this principle from the first, both in

Arabia and in Syria and Cilicia. But had he been the prime mover in the

admission of uncircumcised Gentiles into the Church, the Jewish party,

who were never friendly to him, would have acquired such strength as to

bring the Church to the verge of a disastrous schism. But on Peter,

"the apostle" specially "of the circumcision," was conferred the honor

of initiating this great movement, as before of the first admission of

Jewish believers. (See on

Mt 16:19).

After this, however, one who had already come upon the stage was to

eclipse this "chiefest of the apostles."

1, 2. Cæsarea--(See on

Ac 8:40).

the Italian band--a cohort of Italians, as distinguished from native

soldiers, quartered at Cæsarea, probably as a bodyguard to the Roman

procurator who resided there. An ancient coin makes express mention of

such a cohort in Syria.

[AKERMAN, Numismatic Illustrations of the New Testament.]

2. A devout man, &c.--an uncircumcised Gentile proselyte to the

Jewish faith, of whom there were a very great number at this time; a

distinguished proselyte, who had brought his whole household

establishment under the hallowing influence of the Jewish faith and the

regular observance of its principal seasons of worship.

gave much alms to the people--that is, the Jewish people,

on the same principle as another centurion before him

(Lu 7:5);

thinking it no "great thing," if they had "sown unto him spiritual

things, that they should reap his carnal things"

(1Co 9:11).

prayed to God alway--at the stated daily seasons. (See on

Ac 10:3).

3-6. saw . . . evidently--"distinctly."

the ninth hour of the day--three o'clock, the hour of the evening

sacrifice. But he had been "fasting until that hour"

(Ac 10:30),

perhaps from the sixth hour

(Ac 10:9).

4. What is it, Lord?--language which, tremulously though it was

uttered, betokened childlike reverence and humility.

Thy prayers and thine alms--The way in which both are specified is

emphatic. The one denotes the spiritual outgoing of his soul to God, the

other its practical outgoing to men.

are come up for a memorial before God--that is, as a

sacrifice well-pleasing unto God, as an odor of a sweet smell

(Re 8:4).

5. send to Joppa . . . for one Simon, &c.--(See on

Ac 9:11).

7, 8. when the angel . . . was departed, he called--immediately doing

as directed, and thereby showing the simplicity of his faith.

a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually--of the

"soldiers under him," such as the centurion at Capernaum had

(Mt 8:9).

Who this "devout soldier" was, can only be matter of conjecture.

DA COSTA [Four

Witnesses] gives a number of ingenious reasons for thinking that,

having attached himself henceforth to Peter--whose influence in the

composition of the second Gospel is attested by the earliest tradition,

and is stamped on that Gospel itself--he is no other than the

Evangelist Mark.

9-16. upon the housetop--the flat roof, the chosen place in the East

for cool retirement.

the sixth hour--noon.

10. a trance--differing from the "vision" of Cornelius, in so far as

the things seen had not the same objective reality, though both were

supernatural.

12. all manner of four-footed beasts, &c.--that is, the clean and

the unclean (ceremonially) all mixed together.

14. Not so, Lord--See Marginal reference.

I have never eaten anything that is common--that is, not sanctified

meats was a sacrament of national distinction, separation, and

consecration" [WEBSTER and

WILKINSON].

15. What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common--The ceremonial

distinctions are at an end, and Gentiles, ceremonially separated from

the chosen people

(Ac 10:28),

and debarred from that access to God in the visible ordinances of His

Church which they enjoyed, are now on a perfect equality with them.

16. done thrice--See

Ge 41:32.

17-24. while Peter doubted . . . what this should mean, behold, the

three men . . . stood before the gate . . . and asked--"were

inquiring," that is, in the act of doing so. The preparations here

made--of Peter for his Gentile visitors, as of Cornelius for him--are

devoutly to be noted. But besides this, at the same moment, "the Spirit"

expressly informs him that three men were inquiring for him, and bids

him unhesitatingly go with them, as sent by Him.

21. I am he whom ye seek--This seems to have been said without any

communication being made to Peter regarding the men or their errand.

22. they said, Cornelius . . . a just man, &c.--fine testimony this

from his own servants.

of good report among all the nation of the Jews--specified, no doubt,

to conciliate the favorable regard of the Jewish apostle.

to hear words of thee--(See on

Ac 11:14).

23. called them in and lodged them--thus partially anticipating this

fellowship with Gentiles.

Peter went . . . with them, and certain brethren--six

in number

(Ac 11:12).

from Joppa--as witnesses of a transaction which Peter was prepared to

believe pregnant with great consequences.

24. Cornelius . . . called together his kinsmen and near

friends--implying that he had been long enough at Cæsarea to

form relationships

there and that he had intimate friends there whose presence he was not

ashamed to invite to a religious meeting of the most solemn nature.

25-29. as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him--a mark of the

highest respect.

fell down at his feet, and worshipped him--In the East this way

of showing respect was customary not only to kings, but to others

occupying a superior station; but among the Greeks and Romans it was

reserved for the gods. Peter, therefore, declines it as due to no

mortal [GROTIUS]. "Those who claim to have

succeeded Peter, have not imitated this part of his conduct"

[ALFORD] (therein only verifying

2Th 2:4,

and compare

Re 19:10; 22:9).

28. Ye know it is . . . unlawful . . . for . . . a Jew to keep company,

or come unto one of another nation, &c.--There was no express

prohibition to this effect, and to a Certain extent intercourse was

certainly kept up. (See the Gospel history, towards the end). But

intimate social fellowship was not practiced, as being adverse to the

spirit of the law.

29. I ask therefore, &c.--The whole speech is full of dignity, the

apostle seeing in the company before him a new brotherhood, into whose

devout and inquiring minds he was divinely directed to pour the light of

new truth.

30-33. Four days ago--the messengers being despatched on the first;

on the second reaching Joppa

(Ac 10:9);

starting for Cæsarea on the third; and on the fourth

arriving.

33. we are all here present before God, to hear all things that are

commanded thee of God--Beautiful expression of entire preparedness to

receive the expected divine teaching through the lips of this

heaven-commissioned teacher, and delightful encouragement to Peter to

give free utterance to what was doubtless already on his lips!

34, 35. Peter opened his mouth--(See on

Mt 5:2).

Of a truth I perceive--that is, "I have it now demonstrated before

mine eyes."

that God is no respecter of persons--Not, "I see there is no capricious

favoritism with God," for Peter would never imagine such a thing; but

(as the next clause shows), "I see that God has respect only to

personal character and state in the acceptance of men, national and

ecclesiastical distinctions being of no account."

35. But in every nation--not (observe), in every religion; according to a common distortion of these words.

he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness--This being the

well-known phraseology of the Old Testament in describing the truly

godly man, within the pale of revealed religion, it cannot be alleged

that Peter meant it to denote a merely virtuous character, in the

heathen sense; and as Peter had learned enough, from the messengers of

Cornelius and from his own lips, to convince him that the whole

religious character of this Roman officer had been moulded in the Jewish

faith, there can be no doubt that the apostle intended to describe

exactly such saintship--in its internal spirituality and external

fruitfulness--as God had already pronounced to be genuine and approved.

And since to such "He giveth more grace," according to the law of His

Kingdom

(Jas 4:6;

Mt 25:29),

He sends Peter, not to be the instrument of his conversion, as

this is very frequently called, but simply to "show him the way of God

more perfectly," as before to the devout Ethiopian eunuch.

36-38. the word . . . sent unto the children of Israel--for to them

(he would have them distinctly know) the Gospel was first preached, even

as the facts of it took place on the special theater of the ancient

economy.

preaching peace by Jesus Christ--the glorious sum of all Gospel truth

(1Co 1:20-22).

he is Lord of all--exalted to embrace under the canopy of His peace,

Jew and Gentile alike, whom the blood of His Cross had cemented into one

reconciled and accepted family of God

(Eph 2:13-18).

37. That word . . . ye how--The facts, it seems, were too notorious

and extraordinary to be unknown to those who mixed so much with Jews,

and took so tender an interest in all Jewish matters as they did;

though, like the eunuch, they knew not the significance of them.

which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee--(See

Lu 4:14, 37, 44; 7:17; 9:6; 23:5).

after the baptism which John preached--(See on

Ac 1:22).

38. Now God anointed Jesus of Nazareth--rather, "Jesus of Nazareth

(as the burden of that 'published word'), how God anointed Him."

with the Holy Ghost and with power--that is, at His baptism,

thus visibly proclaiming Him MESSIAH, "the Lord's

Christ." See

Lu 4:18-21.

For it is not His unction for personal holiness at His incarnation that

is referred to--as many of the Fathers and some moderns take it--but His

investiture with the insignia of the Messianic office, in which He

presented Himself after His baptism to the acceptance of the people.

went about doing good--holding up the beneficent character of

all His miracles, which was their predicted character

(Isa 35:5, 6,

&c.).

healing all that were oppressed of the devil--whether in the form of

demoniacal possessions, or more indirectly, as in her "whom Satan had

bound with a spirit of infirmity eighteen years"

(Lu 13:16);

thereby showing Himself the Redeemer from all evil.

for God was with him--Thus gently does the apostle rise to the supreme

dignity of Christ with which he closes, accommodating himself to his

hearers.

39-43. we are witnesses of all . . . he did--not objects of

superstitious reverence, but simply witnesses to the great

historical facts on which the Gospel is founded.

slew and hanged--that is, slew by hanging.

on a tree--So

Ac 5:30

(and see on

Ga 3:13).

40-41. showed him openly; Not to all the people--for it was not

fitting that He should subject Himself, in His risen condition, to a

second rejection in Person.

but unto witnesses chosen before of God . . . to us, who did eat and

drink with him after he rose, &c.--Not the less certain, therefore,

was the fact of His resurrection, though withholding Himself from

general gaze in His risen body.

he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead--He

had before proclaimed Him "Lord of all," for the dispensing of "peace"

to all alike; now he announces Him in the same supreme lordship, for the

exercise of judgment upon all alike. On this divine ordination, see

Joh 5:22, 23, 27;

Ac 17:31.

Thus we have here all Gospel truth in brief. But, forgiveness

through this exalted One is the closing note of Peter's beautifully

simple discourse.

43. To him give all the prophets witness--that is, This is the burden,

generally of the prophetic testimony. It was fitter thus to give the

spirit of their testimony, than to quote them in detail on such an

occasion. But let this apostolic statement of the evangelical import of

the Old Testament writings be devoutly weighed by those who are disposed

to rationalize away this element in the Old Testament.

whosoever believeth in him--This was evidently said with special

reference to the Gentile audience then before him, and formed a noble

practical conclusion to the whole discourse.

44, 45. While Peter yet spake . . . the Holy Ghost fell--by visible and

audible manifestation

(Ac 10:46).

45. they of the circumcision . . . were astonished . . . because that

on the Gentiles also was poured out, &c.--without circumcision.

46. heard them speak with tongues and magnify God--As on the day

of Pentecost it was no empty miracle, no mere speaking of foreign

languages, but utterance of "the wonderful works of God" in tongues to

them unknown

(Ac 2:11),

so here; but more remarkable in this case, as the speakers were perhaps

less familiar with the Old Testament songs of praise.

46-48. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water . . . which have

received the Holy Ghost, &c.--Mark, he does not say, They have

received the Spirit, what need have they for water? but, Having the

living discipleship imparted to them and visibly stamped upon them, what

objection can there be to admitting them, by the seal of baptism, into

the full fellowship of the Church?

47. which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we--and are thus, in

all that is essential to salvation, on a level with ourselves.

48. he commanded them to be baptized--not doing it with his own hands,

as neither did Paul, save on rare occasions

(1Co 1:14-17;

compare

Ac 2:38;

Joh 4:2).

prayed . . . him to tarry certain days--"golden days"

[BENGEL], spent,

doubtless, in refreshing Christian fellowship, and in imparting and

receiving fuller teaching on the several topics of the apostle's

discourse.