Bible Study: Acts 10-11

Acts 10 and first part of 11 mark an official breakthrough of taking the message of Jesus to the Gentiles—those who are not ethnically Jewish. While the first disciples, and Jesus himself, of course, were faithful and devout Jews, as the church grows and expands geographically, diverse peoples hear the message, receive the Spirit, and are baptized.

In Acts 10, Jesus officially removes the ethnic barrier. In a vision to Peter, Jesus instructs, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” (Act 10:15) When he is sent by that same vision to tell the story to the centurion (Roman military official), Peter applies the “God has made clean” provision to people, and Cornelius and his household receive the Spirit and are baptized. (10:44-48)

The problem with a revelation such as this is that the other Jewish leaders didn’t receive it, and they challenge Peter upon his return. The issue is cleanliness and purity. Jews were not to associate with Gentiles because of the possibility of doing something that would constitute idol worship, and because of Jewish dietary restrictions[1] (although this concern seems to be held by Gnetiles and not supported by Jewish practice[2]). So, the other leaders are concerned that Peter now has made himself unclean by such an affiliation, not to mention how they are to move forward once this door has been opened. In the first part of chapter 11, Peter recounts both the vision and the resulting visit to Cornelius, and they are compelled to see that God has provided a way for “even Gentiles” to be saved through Christ!

Some details:

Religious dietary laws, to which Peter refers when he reminds Jesus he has never eaten anything unclean or profane (10:14), are found in the Torah and are a foundational piece of faithfulness in Jewish tradition, even today. Leviticus 11 provides description about dietary purity laws, which served to distinguish the Israelites from other nations and to keep them alive by avoiding foods that were not properly prepared. Even now we have warnings on menus about eating undercooked meats and fish.

Cornelius is described as “a devout man who feared God” (10:2) and “well-spoken of by the whole Jewish nation” (10:22). In this case, “devout” means that he followed some Jewish customs, though he was not ethnically Jewish; and “God-fearing” indicates that he was associated with a Jewish synagogue, though he was a Gentile.[3] He resided in Caesarea, an important trade city on the Mediterranean, built up and brought to prominence by Herod the Great, grandfather of the Herod in this part of Acts. He worked for the Roman military, yet practiced the Jewish faith. So the conversion of Cornelius makes some sense; it isn’t entirely out of the blue that God chose him to be one of the first Gentiles converted. He is on the edge of Judaism, and perhaps had heard of the Jesus who caused so much trouble for the Roman rulers.

To ponder:

Peter finishes his argument with compelling logic: “If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” The others are persuaded: “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.” (11:17-18) This line reminds us that God gives good things even to people who are not like us, things like grace, forgiveness, peace, eternal life. In the story, “them” are Gentiles, those who are not connected to the God of the Ancestors by genealogy. We do not think about being Christian in the same way; there are Christians all over the world, not restricted to nationality or language. So, who might “they” be in our application of this story? Who are those who are systematically left out, or those we might have decided God wants nothing to do with? Can we consider that God gives gifts to Muslims? To Arab Christians (and other Arabs)? To LGBTQ people who have been rejected by church? The disciples are amazed at God’s generosity, to include “even Gentiles” by giving them the Holy Spirit. This story reminds me to be careful about categories, which this surprising God will surely overlook.

Our guiding questions:
1.     What is God doing?
2.     What are the people doing?
3.     What do we learn about being church?



[1] Lutheran Study Bible. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg, 2009. P. 1814.
[2] The Jewish Annotated New Testament. NY: Oxford University Press, 2011. 218
[3] Lutheran Study Bible, 1813. 

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