Acts 10

The Explanation

Far away in a city called Caesarea lived a soldier named Cornelius. He was not from Israel, but he loved God and prayed all the time. He also gave money to poor people, again and again.

One afternoon an angel came right into his room. Cornelius stared at him, his heart pounding with fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked. The angel said, "Your prayers and your gifts have gone up before God. Send men to Joppa and get Simon, who is also called Peter." Then the angel was gone. Cornelius did not wait. He called two servants and a soldier he trusted, told them everything, and sent them off.

The next day, while those men were walking toward Joppa, Peter climbed onto a flat rooftop to pray. It was noon and he grew hungry. While food was being made, something strange happened. Heaven opened above him and a huge sheet came down, held by its four corners. Inside were all kinds of animals, wild ones, crawling ones, birds too. A voice said, "Rise, Peter, kill and eat!"

Peter shook his head. "Not so, Lord," he said, "I have never eaten anything unclean." But the voice answered, "What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean." This happened three times. Then the sheet went back up into heaven, and it was gone.

Peter stood there confused, turning the vision over in his mind. Just then, the men from Cornelius arrived and knocked at the gate below. The Spirit spoke to Peter, "Three men are looking for you. Go with them, do not doubt, for I have sent them." So Peter went down and asked, "Why have you come?" They told him about Cornelius and the angel. Peter listened, then invited them in for the night.

What Does This Mean?

God was doing two things at once, far apart from each other, and weaving them together. Cornelius did not belong to Israel, God's own people. Many Jews believed someone like him was unclean, someone you should not even visit. But God showed Peter, through that strange sheet full of animals, that this was no longer true. What God has made clean, no person gets to call dirty. God was breaking down a wall that people had built.

The Common Thread

The next day Peter traveled to Cornelius's house. Cornelius fell at his feet, but Peter pulled him up, saying, "Stand up! I myself am also a man." Then Peter spoke to everyone gathered there. He told them about Jesus, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit, how Jesus went about doing good and healing people, how he was killed on a cross, and how God raised him from the dead on the third day. "Everyone who believes in him," Peter said, "will receive forgiveness of sins through his name."

While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on everyone listening, right there in the room. The Jewish believers who had come with Peter were amazed. Gentiles, people from outside Israel, were receiving God's Spirit just like they had. Peter said, "Can anyone stop these people from being baptized? They have received the Holy Spirit just like us." So they were baptized, right then, in the name of Jesus.

This is the heart of the whole Bible story. Jesus did not come only for one family or one nation. He came so that anyone, anywhere, who trusts him could be forgiven and belong to God.

For You

Maybe there is someone at your school who seems different from you, someone others leave out. God does not look at people the way we sometimes do. He looks at hearts. This week, could you sit with someone who eats lunch alone? Could you ask a new kid to play? That is how you show that Jesus is for everyone, not just for people like you.

Talk About It

Why do you think Peter did not want to eat the animals in his dream at first?

Can you think of someone you could be kind to this week, even if they seem different from you?

Praying Together

Dear God, thank you that Jesus came for everyone, not just some people. Help me see others the way you see them. Show me who I can be kind to this week. Amen.