For God So Loved the World, Part 1: Peter's Preparation

Introduction

The text for this morning is Acts 9:32-10:16. The sermon title is For God So Loved the World, Part 1: Peter’s Preparation

Schreiner points out that the central text of Acts 8-12 is chapters 10-11, the Gentile Pentecost (the Cornelius Episode).

Some have argued that this is the central text of the entire book of Acts, and, the inclusion of the Gentiles, is significant to the entirety of the New Testament.

It is given a significant portion of text in the book, stretching from Acts 10-11:18. I argue that the two episodes recounted at the end of chapter 9 are also related and serve as preliminary miracles to confirm what was about to happen among the Gentiles.

Acts 3.3.1. Peter’s Resurrection Healings (9:32–43)

In these stories Peter is prepared, both geographically and culturally, to perform his role of speaking peace and resurrection...Geographically, Dorcas and Aeneas draw Peter away from Jerusalem and into Judea and therefore closer to Gentiles. Theologically, these narratives paint Peter as spreading the resurrection/ascension power of Jesus. He continues the ministry of Jesus (

So, I think it is safe to say the two stories at the end of chapter 9 are linked to what was about to take place in Cornelius’ household in chapter 10. This means that the entire episode lasts from Acts 9:32-11:18. And it is also clear that the inclusion of the Gentiles forms the basis of the remainder of the book: Paul and Barnabas are set out from Antioch to the Gentile world, the Jewish leaders have their counsel regarding how to deal with Gentile converts in Acts 15, Paul is sent to Rome at the end of the book, and then come the letters from Paul to the many Gentile believers around the world.

The New Covenant is really the covenant for the entire world. Understanding things in this way helps lend a broader understanding to Jesus’ words in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world...”. Not just the Jews, but also the Gentiles.

It also highlights for us how the Jews, God’s covenant people, were the teachers of these newly grafted in peoples. The Apostles and men like Apollos were already mighty in the Scriptures. They were the ones who already understood liturgy and devotion. They were Christians, as it were, before Christ came. Then, they were Christians who were literally following Christ, and then they became Christians who obeyed what Christ sent them out to do.

My outline for the larger section:

Part 1, Peter’s Preparation (9:32-10:16)

Part 2, Gentile Pentecost (10:17-48)

Part 3, What Proceeded (11:1-18)

Outline of Part 1

Healing of lame Aeneas (Acts 9:32-35)

Raising of dead Dorcas (Acts 9:36-43)

Vision of Cornelius (Acts 10:1-8)

Vision of Peter (Acts 10:9-16)

This will be a brief exposition with application at the end.

Healing of lame Aeneas (9:32-35)

Acts 9:32–35 LSB

Now it happened that as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. And there he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years, for he was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Rise up and make your bed.” Immediately he rose up. And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

“...came down...”

We should see this in connection with Acts 3:1–8 where Peter is “going up” to the temple and on his way he heals a lame man. Now Peter is coming down from the temple in Jersualem and on his way he heals a lame man.

“...bedridden eight years...”

As we also noted with the lame man in Acts 3:1-8, this was a well-established diagnosis.

“...Jesus Christ heals you...”

Again, similar to Acts 3:16 ““And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which is through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.”

He heals in the name of Jesus Christ, in connection with Joel 2:32 ““And it will be that everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh Will be delivered...” - Connecting the name of Jesus with the name of Yahweh.

Just as Peter healed a man on his way into the temple, now he is healing a man, bringing the life-giving water which flows out of the restored temple. This life-giving water also flows to the Gentiles. And Peter is acting a fisher of men:

Ezekiel 47:9–10 ““And it will be that every living creature, which swarms in every place where the river goes, will live. And there will be very many fish, for these waters go there and the other waters are healed; so everything will live where the river goes. “And it will be that fishermen will stand beside it; from Engedi to Eneglaim there will be a place for the spreading of nets. Their fish will be according to their kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea, very many.”

In context, this passage is talking about the restored temple of Yahweh and Leithart points out that Gentiles are often referred to as fish or sea creatures in Scripture and represented by the oceans (Rev. 17:15, Isaiah 51:9, Isaiah 17:12, Psalm 144:7).

So, you can see that Peter is bringing the life-giving water of the restored temple to all the inhabitants of the earth. To the world.

Peter is traveling North West toward the Mediterranean sea. I would not draw this conenction very strongly, however, it seems that Peter is traveling toward the picture of the world, the sea. As he travels “down” from the Holy Mountain of God, he brings the healing water with him toward the sea:

Zechariah 14:8 “And it will be in that day, that living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter.”

After this episode in Lydda, Peter is directed even farther West to the literal seacoast.

Raising of dead Dorcus (9:36-43)

Acts 9:36–43 LSB

Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated is called Dorcas). This woman was full of good works and charity which she continually did. And it happened at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room. Now since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, pleading with him, “Do not delay in coming to us.” So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him, crying and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand and raised her up. And calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. And it happened that he stayed many days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.

“...in Joppa...”

This is on the seacoast and just South of Caesarea and is important because of Jonah 1:3 “Yet Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, and paid its fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh.”

Joppa is the seafaring town where the reluctant prophet to the Gentiles fled.

Tabitha

“...a disciple...” - She was a believer in Jesus Christ and “...full of good works and charity...”

Her Greek name is Dorcas. Both names mean Gazelle. Perhaps a reference to Song 2:9.

“...all the widows...” - This woman was known for her good works, particularly making tunics and garments, presumably for widows.

She is a beloved matron of her community who lovingly had cared for others. She was so beloved that just as the Shunamite in 2 Kings 4:22 went to call the “man of God” for her dead son, and the as the centurion called to Jesus in Acts 7:6-7 to plead for his servant, and many other such cases in Scripture (Lazarous), two men of Joppa call for Peter.

“...into the upper room...”

Peter going into the upper room would have made him ceremonially unclean. But just as Jesus made the unclean clean, so now, Peter, as Jesus, is making the unclean clean, the dead alive.

“...he stayed...with a tanner...”

Staying with a tanner also emphasizes the unclean. Tanners dealt with dead animals. So, living in that house would have been an uncleaness for Peter.

With both of these stories we have Peter going to Gentiles, the dead, and living with people who deal with dead animals.

“...arise...”

This is the verb anastēthi and, according to Schreiner, it is the same word used for jesus’ resurrection (Luke 18:33).

This is New Creation power. As Christ inaugurated the new creation in his resurrection so he also raises others to walk in newness of life.

This is exemplified every time we do our confession wherein we kneel or sit, and then rise in newness of forgiven life.

There are many similarities between this passage and the passage with Elisha in 2 Kings 4:35, as well as Luke 8:49-56). We will not take the time to compare and contrast.

With both of these healing miracles, Schreiner points to a fourfold emphasis:

Jesus’ continued healing ministry.

Peter’s location - which is considered a boundary of Judea.

The identities of the individuals (usually not identified).

Aeneas = Rome

Dorcas = Beloved

The positive response of the crowd.

Vision of Cornelius (10:1-8)

Acts 10:1–8 LSB

Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the people and prayed to God continually. About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had come in and said to him, “Cornelius!” And looking intently on him and becoming afraid, he said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God. “Now send some men to Joppa and summon a man named Simon, who is also called Peter; he is lodging with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea.” And when the angel who was speaking to him had left, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier of those who were his personal attendants, and after he explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

Luke gives us a lot of details about this man. We will look at them in turn, but I want to draw attention first to the similarity of the Jewish matriarch and this God-fearing Gentile.

Tabitha was “...full of good works and charity which she continually did...”

Cornelius is “...a devout man...” who “...gave many alms to the people and prayed to God continually...”

This is what it means to be the people of God - good works, charity, and prayer. What does God require of us but to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God?

“...man at Ceasarea named Cornelius, a centurion....a devout man and one who feared God with all his household...”

Ceasarea was considered the seat of Roman power in Judea.

Cornelius is described as God-fearing. He was a Gentile who was devoted to Yahweh but that was not circumcised. He did not become a full proselyte.

“...the ninth hour...”

This is a critical time: It was the hour of prayer associated with the evening sacrifices in the temple. It is the same time that Peter went up to the temple in Acts 3:1, and it is also the same time that Jesus died.

As we observed already, Peter was going up to the temple when the witness to the Jews was inaugurated in Acts 3:1, that began at the hour of prayer. And now, as Peter is making his way down from Jerusalem, the witness to the Gentiles is being inaugurated at the 9th hour as well.

An “angel of God” appears to Cornelius in a vision at this time.

“...looking intently on him...”

The same word is used here to describe Cornelius looking intently at the Angel that is also used in Acts 3:4, to describe Peter fixing his gaze on the lame man.

“...ascended as a memorial before God...”

Those good works we mentioned above ascended to God as a memorial. How can this be? If the Israelites were God’s covenant people, and this man was not an Israelite, then how could his good works be accepted by God? And just to note, the “memorial” piece means for God to remember. Not for us to remember. When the Israelites gave their sacrifices, it was for God to remember that Christ was coming to satisfy His justice. This phrasing from the angel connects what Cornelius was doing, his spiritual acts of worship, with what God had instituted in the temple.

In a similar manner, when we eat the memorial meal, it is for God, in our midst, to remember that Christ came to satisfy His justice. However, I want to point out that in 1 Corinthians 11:24-26 there is a different but very similar word used for “...in remembrance of Me.” It seems the emphasis in the Supper is more for us to remember, whereas this was a memorial offering, and the lanaguage is connecting it to the temple sacrifices.

Psalm 51:16–17 “For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”

God is always concerned with the heart. Not the form, the substance.

Deuteronomy 6:4–6 ““Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one! “You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.”

Jesus, quoting Isaiah 29:13 said, Mark 7:6–7 “And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. ‘But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commands of men.’”

It is not true to say that the Old Covenant was about keeping rules but the New Covenant was about the heart. It was always about the heart. There is a physical, objective, visible people of God. And we ought not strive to separate ourselves from that visible people or despise the visible things God has given to us, to build us up in the faith. However, God can work when, where, and how he pleases. He can save a thief on a cross, an Ethiopian eunuch, and a God-fearing Gentile, He is not bound by His own visible means which He has established to be His witness in the earth.

In this way, Cornelius is living up to the substance of being a child of God, even if he has not followed the proper form. He is not circumcised and he is not sacrificing animals at the temple. And Luke does not mention Cornelius in a negative way at all. In fact, I would argue, that later on in this narrative, Luke actually portrays those who are very concerned about the form in a negative light (those who accuse Peter of entering the house of the uncircumcised).

It is an interesting thing that it took the Spirit of God falling upon these people in a visible/tangible manner for the circumcised believers to accept that Gentiles, as Gentiles, were included and to be accepted into God’s house. They did not need to become Jewish. And this should have been known on the basis of the Old Testament:

Isaiah 56:6–7 “Also the foreigners who join themselves to Yahweh, To minister to Him, and to love the name of Yahweh, To be His slaves, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath And takes hold of My covenant, Even those I will bring to My holy mountain And make them glad in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”

“...a devout soldier...”

And notice that Cornelius sends two servants as well as “a devout soldier.” More Roman soldiers than just Cornelius were devoted to Yahweh.

The important thing to note in this text is that Luke is making it painstakingly clear that this devout Gentile is,

Living up to being Jewish, even if he is not circumcised or sacrificing. He is a devout and also, in leu of physical sacrifices, offering sacrifices of praise to God.

An angel appeared to him, further solidifying that this is from Yahweh. Similar to the visitation of Mary and of Zechariah.

Vision of Peter (10:9-16)

Acts 10:9–16 LSB

And on the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. But he became hungry and was desiring to eat. And while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the sky. And a voice came to him, “Rise up, Peter, slaughter and eat!” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything defiled and unclean.” Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider defiled.” And this happened three times and immediately the object was taken up into heaven.

“...Peter...about the sixth hour to pray...”

The sixth hour is when Christ met with the woman and when he was hanging on the cross. It is associated with noon.

Psalm 55:17 “Evening and morning and at noon, I will bring my complaint and moan, And He will hear my voice.”

We typically pray before meals which aligns with this pattern. Let’s try to do that a bit more purposefully: we lift our voices as a memorial offering to our God as we give thanks for the wonderful blessing of food and fellowship.

And Schreiner aptly says, “Notably, in both episodes God speaks to people as they commune with him.”

“...fell into a trance...”

He saw a vision.

He saw what appeared to be a great sheet being lowered.

“...by four corners...”

May be significant because of the all-encompassing, four-corners of the earth imagery (Isa 11:12, Jer 49:36, Ezek 7:2).

“...crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the sky...”

Genesis 1:24 “Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so.”

Genesis 6:20 ““Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.”

This could all be associated with the New Creation order which is all-encompassing.

“Slaughter” or “sacrifice” and eat. Peter responds, “By no means...” Then God responds, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider defiled...”

Acts 3.3.2.2. Peter’s Inclusive Vision (10:9–16)

The restrictions in the Torah were temporary, and now a new stage of salvation history has burst onto the scene through the presence of Jesus and the Spirit. Heaven was opened to make this unambiguous....New perspectives do not take hold painlessly. They often require something shocking and out of the ordinary to convince us.

What comes to my mind in this is Naaman the leper (2 Kings 5:14), he was a dirty Gentile who was cleansed with the washing of water through obedience to the Word of God.

Ultimately though, how had God cleansed what had been defiled? Through the blood of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ! What was once unclean, is now clean. What was once defiled, is now undefiled.

For God so Loved the World

To summarize,

Peter went up to the temple in Acts 3:1 and on his way heals a lame man to inaugurate the witness to the Jews.

Now at the end of Acts 9, Peter is making his way down from the newly established temple of God when he encounters another lame man, this time, a Gentile. I argue that this is to inaugurate the witness to the Gentiles.

Continuing his journey down the holy mountain, Peter is summoned to the coastal city of Joppa, the same city that Jonah sailed out of when running away from his Gentile mission.

In the spirit of Elisha and Jesus, Peter raises Dorcus, or her Jewish name, Tabitha, from the dead. She is described as being a true Jewess, full of good works and charity.

Then Peter resides in Joppa, in the realm of the dead: the home of Simon the tanner.

We are then introduced to a Gentile man, described as devout just like Tabitha.

His offerings are accepted by God and he sees a vision telling him to summon Peter.

As those men are on their way, Peter falls into a trance and sees a four-cornered sheet filled with all the creatures of the earth and birds of the sky.

He is told by God that all of these have been cleansed.

Application

Peter had to be prepared:

What was occurring in real-time was a major paradigm shift for faithful Jews. We must understand this. Those who were devoted to Yahweh and devoted to what Yahweh had instituted, namely the sign of the covenant, circumcision, and the memorial sacrifices at the temple, those who were devoted to these things would have had the most trouble with this changed system: Now circumcision is unnecessary? Now the sacrifices are unnecessary?

God in His grace enabled signs and wonders to be performed by His messengers to show that the ones who were inaugurating this new system were sent by God Himself, the Master of the Universe.

The first point related to this is: We need to ensure that we are seeking Yahweh, Jesus Christ, not the things that Yahweh has instituted in the New Covenant.

I’m using the name Yahweh to demonstrate that we are no different than first-century Jews. Because we greatly value the visible, objective Christianity that I believe is important to emphasize in our more gnostic culture, we have to ensure that we are not making so much of the physical that we start believing that we have control of the Deity, like Simon the sorcerer.

We also cannot forget that if a person has the Spirit of Christ, they will seek Christ and His Law. They will want to obey, not just in form, but in substance. And in our sin cursed world, there may be instances where the substance has to be given place over the form. But there is not ever really a good excuse to emphasize the form over the substance.

What do I mean? Here is an example: Sometimes, a church will have officers in name (that’s form).

They are called pastors, they have hands laid on them, they are installed.

But, what if that person is not actually feeding the sheep of God? What if they are actually causing harm by some of their actions, or by not taking action when they should?

In their defense, they will say, “I was called, ordained, and installed...So, I have done everything right.”

They point to the form. But the substance might be lacking.

Sometimes, you may have a situation where a person is not called, ordained, and installed, and yet in substance, they are actually feeding the flock of God and protecting the people from harm.

Who is actually operating as a pastor? The one in name or substance?

We ought not downplay proper form because it can be misused or abused. But we also must guard against putting all of our eggs in the basket called form, and miss the substance of what the Spirit of God is doing.

God graciously and patiently worked with Peter in this text to prepare him for what was about to happen. God was going to be gracious to the whole world.

Secondly, from a human and political perspective, the Romans were the oppressors of God’s people. The destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, is known as the “abomination of desolation” because, not only did the Romans utterly desolate Jerusalem, but they also set up Roman idols for worship at the place of the temple. If anyone could be considered the enemies of God, it was the Romans.

But notice how God subdues all His and our enemies: Ceaserea, at the seat of Roman power in Judea, a prominent figure and his entire household are added to the church, known as the people of God.

Later on, and soon, the church in Antioch, the third largest Roman city in the empire, will be established, with large crowds coming to hear Paul and Barnabas teach.

Then, in 325 AD, Constantine, the emperor of the known world, will bow the knee to Jesus Christ.

The temptation is always to resort to human means of power to accomplish this. But God has established His battering ram against the gates of hell, and it is not your or my power. It is our humble reliance upon the Spirit of God to do for our enemies what He has done for us, make them His people. Show mercy upon them.

This is not a message about how the civil authorities ought to establish justice in the land. That will come. This message is to demonstrate that God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son to save it. God delights in justice, yes, but also mercy and grace.

God delights in sacrifices, yes, but more than that, he delights in a broken and contrite spirit.

God delights in our lip-service, yes, but more than that, he delights in hearts that love Him.

Let our motivation be to see this stronghold of worldly power, Warsaw and Buffalo, subdued to the cause of Christ.

So, people of God, seek the Lord and His kingdom, and everything else will be added to you. And be the lighthouse on stormy waters for those tossed about by a world full of sin and suffering.

Let’s pray.

The Lord’s Supper

Acts 10:12 LSB

and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the sky.

We represent all of those unclean creatures. We, who fell with Adam. But, thanks be to God, we are no longer considered defiled because of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ.

Just as Naaman was cleansed in the Jordan, we too have been washed of our leprosy, our sin. We are robed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

When we were added to the church, in our baptism, that signaled our physical union with the body of Jesus Christ here on earth. We are now in fellowship with Him, and therefore, with each other, all being members of the same body.

As we reflect on this today, I want us to particularly focus on the fact that God so loved us, that He sent His Son to cleanse us from our sin, to add us to His bride, and that to bring us safely to glory. We can trust Him to do this.

How can I trust Him, you ask?

Well, he poured clean water on you, and He has given you bread and wine for your remembrance.

1 John 1:1–3 LSB

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

As the gathered body of Christ, here on earth, Christ fellowships with us, and reminds us, through these gifts, of the great salvation that we have obtained through His blood being applied to us by His Spirit. Let us reflect on this glorious truth today.

Let’s give thanks to God for this meal.