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David Guzik · Citado em PreceptAustin
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Guzik - By entertaining these Gentile guests, Peter went against the customs and traditions of Israel, but not against God’s Word. Possibly, at this very moment, God flooded Peter’s heart with an understanding that though the Old Testament said God’s people were not to become like their pagan neighbors, it also said God wanted His people to become a light to their neighbors who didn’t know the true God. (Acts 10 Commentary) G Campbell
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Guzik comments on the fact that Peter became hungry writing that "This often happens during prayer; distractions in our body come as we try to direct ourselves to God. However, God used these very distractions to speak to Peter, as he fell into a trance." (Acts 10 Commentary) Pastor Jack Andrews quips that "When you and I are hungry we seek to eat! It is often when we are engaged in spiritual activity that we often get physically hungry. We see that often on Sunday mornings. When God is at work and moving in a service people often think about lunch. “When is the preacher going to get through?” “I can’t take much more!” “Where are we going to go for lunch?” Many people have that attitude!" He then adds..."While the food was simmering in the pot Peter was seeing in prayer." (Expository Sermons) John Phillips rightly reminds us that "It is a constant battle to keep the mind on prayer. The body and its clamorous demands intrudes itself on even so glorious and thrilling a privilege as communing directly with the Lord of glory....It is interesting to observe how "all things work together" (Rom. 8:28). Peter was thinking about food. God used food as the basis for the vision that now fell upon him. Far from being put out by Peter's wandering thoughts He used them as the basis for the revelation now to be made to him." (Exploring Acts). But while they were making preparations - The cooks were in the kitchen but the food was not yet ready. Think of God's orchestration of even these smallest of details. Peter sensed a gnawing hunger and had they rang the dinner bell, he may have left the roof top. He fell into a trance -
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Guzik comments that "Peter had a bad habit of telling Jesus “no” (Matthew 16:22, John 13:8). Compare Peter’s response to God (Not so, Lord!) with Cornelius’ response to God (What is it, Lord?). On that day, it seemed that Cornelius was more responsive to God than Peter was. Peter had pretty much put God in a box of limitations, and now God was going to shake Peter up to change his thinking. He can do the same for us. (Quoting Spurgeon Guzik writes) “Shake yourself up a little, my brother. If you are too precise may the Lord set you on fire, and consume your bonds of red tape! If you have become so improperly proper that you cannot commit a proper impropriety, then pray God to help you be less proper, for there are many who will never be saved by your instrumentality while you study propriety.” (Acts 10 Commentary) Peter said, "By no means (NET = "Certainly not") - Peter clearly recognizes the voice in Acts 10:13 as from a supernatural source because he adds the term "Lord." And even despite his recognition of the divine nature of the command Peter still makes a strong protest. This serves to demonstrate just how ingrained and entrenched the Old Testament dietary laws were in Peter's Jewish mind, even though He was a "new creature" in Christ (2 Cor 5:17+). THOUGHT - Let's apply Peter's difficulty in making the transition from the Old to the New to our own lives. We once were entangled sinners but have now become saints set apart in Christ. And while many of the sinful patterns of thinking we had before we knew Christ did in fact disappear when we first came to faith, unfortunately not all of them went away (speaking from personal experience). And in this sense all of us believers in the New Covenant are a lot like Peter who was having difficulty shaking his old traditions and habits. Here in Acts 10-11 it took a supernatural work of God to effect that change in Peter (and yet he still lapsed back into his OT mindset in Gal 2:11-16, 14+). Are you still "wrestling" with some of the "baggage" you brought with you when you were transferred from darkness and the dominion of Satan to the Kingdom of Light and Christ? (cf Acts 26:18+, Col 1:12-13+) Don't be discouraged, beloved. Seek the Lord, and continue to daily "Put on your new nature, and be (supernaturally) renewed (present tense = a process not an arrival in this life!) as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him." (Col 3:10NLT+) Another application question - Do we ever call Him "Lord" and then argue with Him or disobey Him? (That's rhetorical of course). Swindoll - Though grace abounds, prejudice dies hard....Legalists always seem to take pride in negatives, the things they would never do. Peter had forgotten His Lord's teaching in Mark 7 in which Jesus in effect removed the restrictions regarding dietary laws... After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man...When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable. And He said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding (asunetos) also? (AND FROM PETER'S REPLY HERE IN Acts 10:14 IT IS CLEAR HE HAS STILL NOT UNDERSTOOD JESUS' WORDS!) Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.) (Mark 7:14-15, 17-19) Comment by Ryrie - Mark's comment that all foods were clean was written years after the church had begun and was directed at his Christian readers who may have misunderstood these Jewish ceremonial laws. The writer of Hebrews explained to the Jewish readers who were being attracted to the Gospel (some of whom had already entered the New Covenant but were still being drawn back to their Old Covenant ways) that Christ had inaugurated a New Covenant and the OT dietary laws were no longer in effect... When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first (Old Covenant) obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear. (Hebrews 8:13+) Comment regarding the ceremonial law (like eating "Kosher" foods) - The ceremonial laws are called hukkim or chuqqah in Hebrew, which literally means “custom of the nation”; the words are often translated as “statutes.” These laws seem to focus the adherent’s attention on God. They include instructions on regaining right standing with God (e.g., sacrifices and other ceremonies regarding “uncleanness”), remembrances of God’s work in Israel (e.g., feasts and festivals), specific regulations meant to distinguish Israelites from their pagan neighbors (e.g., dietary and clothing restrictions), and signs that point to the coming Messiah (e.g., the Sabbath, circumcision, Passover, and the redemption of the firstborn)....Christians are not bound by ceremonial law. Since the church is not the nation of Israel, memorial festivals, such as the Feast of Weeks and Passover, do not apply. Galatians 3:23-25+ explains that since Jesus has come, Christians are not required to sacrifice or circumcise. There is still debate in Protestant churches over the applicability of the Sabbath. Some say that its inclusion in the Ten Commandments gives it the weight of moral law. Others quote Colossians 2:16-17+ and Romans 14:5+ to explain that Jesus has fulfilled the Sabbath and become our Sabbath rest. As Romans 14:5 says, "Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind." The applicability of the Old Testament law in the life of a Christian has always related to its usefulness in loving God and others (ED: cf Luke 10:27+) . If someone feels observing the Sabbath aids him in this, he is free to observe it. (See What is the difference between the ceremonial law, the moral law, and the judicial law in the Old Testament?) Related Resources: What does it mean that Christians are not under the law? Does God require Sabbath-keeping of Christians? Do Christians have to obey the Old Testament law? What should Christians learn from the Mosaic Law? Law vs. grace—why is there so much conflict among Christians on the issue? Graham Scoggie has an interesting comment stating that "Whoever says ‘not so’ should never add ‘Lord,’ and whoever truly says ‘Lord’ will never say ‘Not so.’” Do you understand what Scroggie is saying? Lord is the word kurios which means master, sovereign, the one in complete control. How ludicrous in one moment to call Him "Lord," and with the same breath tell Him "No." That's a clear contradiction of terms. If He the sovereign Lord tells us to do something, and we respond with "No" our negative reply clearly does not acknowledge Him as Lord. How like the old Peter he was in this moment... So He *came to Simon Peter. He *said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” Peter *said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” (Jn. 13:6–8, cf Mt 16:21-23 where Peter said "God forbid it Lord!" that Jesus should be killed and raised).
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Guzik - In the great St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome, there is a huge statue of Peter, where people come and kiss the toe of the statue. This is undue and inappropriate reverence towards any man or angel. We might almost wish that Peter would visit the cathedral named after him and set those people straight! (Acts 10 Commentary) J
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Guzik on entered - This is one of the shortest, yet most important passages of this section. Peter actually entered the house of a Gentile, something that Jewish customs and traditions strictly prohibited. By entering a Gentile’s home, Peter showed that his heart and mind had changed, and that he had learned the lesson of the vision of the great sheet. (Acts 10 Commentary) Steven Ger - Peter had finally perceived the point of the vision. He realized that in the vision, God had drawn an analogy between the non-kosher animals and the Gentiles. He made the connection, grasping that Gentiles were no longer to be considered off-limits. As far as Peter was concerned, the Holy Spirit had definitively spoken, and there was nothing more to be discussed. Obedience to God's directive was in order. (Acts - Twenty-First Century Commentary) A T
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Guzik - According to William Barclay (Acts 10 Commentary), it was common for a Jewish man to begin the day with a prayer thanking God that he was not a slave, a Gentile, or a woman. A basic part of the Jewish religion in the days of the New Testament was an oath that promised that one would never help a Gentile under any circumstances, such as giving directions if they were asked. But it went even as far as refusing to help a Gentile woman at the time of her greatest need – when she was giving birth – because the result would only be to bring another Gentile into the world. (Acts 10 Commentary) If a Jew married a Gentile, the Jewish community would have a funeral for the Jew and consider them dead. It was thought that to even enter the house of a Gentile made a Jew unclean before God. Ancient Jewish writings tell us of a Gentile woman who came to a rabbi. She confessed that she was a sinner and asked to be admitted to the Jewish faith. “Rabbi,” she said, “bring me near.” The Rabbi refused and simply shut the door in her face. But the Gentiles could give as bad as they got from the Jews. Gentiles despised Jews as weird traditionalists, and believed that they were evil plotters who worshipped pigs. After all, they thought, Jews refused to eat pork, so they must worship pigs! All of this changed with the spread of the gospel. Christianity was the first religion to disregard racial, cultural and national limitations. When the Jews showed this kind of partiality they were not being faithful to God’s heart as revealed in the Old Testament. The idea that God shows no partiality is also stated in Deuteronomy 10:17 and 2 Chronicles 19:7: For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe (Deuteronomy 10:17). (Acts 10 Commentary) ILLUSTRATION - The Recommendation - There’s a wonderful story about a Chicago bank that once asked for a letter of recommendation on a young Bostonian being considered for employment. The Boston investment house could not say enough about the young man. His father, they wrote, was a Cabot; his mother was a Lowell. Further back was a happy blend of Saltonstalls, Peabodys, and other of Boston’s first families. His recommendation was given without hesitation. Several days later, the Chicago bank sent a note saying the information supplied was altogether inadequate. It read: “We are not contemplating using the young man for breeding purposes. Just for work.” Neither is God a respecter of persons but accepts those from every family, nation, and race who fear Him and work for His kingdom (Acts 10:34-35). (Kathleen Peterson) Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman doctor in America, started her practice in New York in 1851. Not only was she unable to find patients -- no one would even rent her a room once she mentioned that she was a doctor. After weeks of trudging the streets, she finally rented rooms from a landlady who asked no questions about what Elizabeth planned to do with them. Quaker women, who had always been receptive to the goal of equal rights, became Elizabeth's first patients. But no hospital would allow her on its staff. Finally, with financial help from her Quaker fiends, Elizabeth opened her own clinic in one of New York's worst slums. The clinic opened in March, 1853. Elizabeth hung a sign out announcing that all patients would be treated free. Yet, for the first few weeks, no one showed up. Then one day a woman in such agony that she didn't care who treated her, staggered up the steps and collapsed in Elizabeth's arms. When the woman was treated and recovered, she told all her friends about the wonderful woman doctor in downtown New York. The dispensary was soon doing well. It eventually expanded, moved, and is now a branch of the New York Infirmary on East Fifteenth Street. - Bits & Pieces, August 22, 1991. THE POWER OF BELIEF IN A "FALACIOUS TEACHING" - For centuries people believed that Aristotle was right when he said that the heavier an object, the faster it would fall to earth. Aristotle was regarded as the greatest thinker of all time, and surely he would not be wrong. Anyone, of course, could have taken two objects, one heavy and one light, and dropped them from a great height to see whether or not the heavier object landed first. But no one did until nearly 2,000 years after Aristotle's death. In 1589 Galileo summoned learned professors to the base of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Then he went to the top and pushed off a ten- pound and a one-pound weight. Both landed at the same instant. The power of belief was so strong, however, that the professors denied their eyesight. They continued to say Aristotle was right. - Bits & Pieces, January 9, 1992, pp. 22-23 BROKEN BARRIERS - That is typical of the work of Christ. A missionary tells how he once officiated at a communion service in Africa. Beside him as an elder sat an old chief of the Ngoni called Manly-heart. The old chief could remember the days when the young warriors of the Ngoni had left behind them a trail of burned and devastated towns and had come home with their spears red with blood and with the women of their enemies as booty. And what were the tribes which in those days they had ravaged? They were the Senga and the Tumbuka. And who were sitting at that communion service now? Ngoni, Senga and Tumbuka were sitting side by side, their hatred forgotten in the love of Jesus Christ. In the first days, it was characteristic of Christianity that it broke the barriers down; and it can still do that when given the chance. (William Barclay) There's a wonderful story about a Chicago bank that once asked for a letter of recommendation on a young Bostonian being considered for employment. The Boston investment house could not say enough about the young man. His father, they wrote, was a Cabot; his mother was a Lowell. Further back was a happy blend of Saltonstalls, Peabodys, and other of Boston's first families. His recommendation was given without hesitation. Several days later, the Chicago bank sent a note saying the information supplied was altogether inadequate. It read: "We are not contemplating using the young man for breeding purposes. Just for work." Neither is God a respecter of persons but accepts those from every family, nation, and race who fear Him and work for His kingdom (Acts 10:34-35). Kathleen Peterson. General Robert E. Lee was a devout follower of Jesus Christ. It is said that soon after the end of the American Civil War, he visited a church in Washington, D.C. During the communion service he knelt beside a black man. An onlooker said to him later, "How could you do that?" Lee replied, "My friend, all ground is level beneath the cross." A man named La Piere sent out letters to the managers of 256 hotels and restaurants across the southern half of the U.S. He told them that he was planning to tour the south with two Chinese companions and he wanted to know ahead of time whether they would be served. Ninety-two percent of the businesses replied that they did not serve Chinese and that La Piere could save himself considerable embarrassment by not showing up with such undesirables. He wasn't surprised. Racial prejudice was a part of southern life in the 1930s, and this was long before a ban was placed on discrimination in interstate commerce. La Piere ignored the managers' advice, however. Accompanied by a Chinese man and his wife, he visited every one of the establishments that said they'd refuse service. Surprise! Ninety-nine percent of the places admitted the oriental couple, and almost all did so without a hassle...La Piere's study points up something that's a consistent finding in the field of persuasion--that a person may say he feels one thing, and then turn right around and do something completely different. - Em Griffin, The Mindchangers, Tyndale House, 1976, p. 179. Two apples up in a tree were looking down on the world. The first apple said, "Look at all those people fighting, robbing, rioting -- no one seems willing to get along with his fellow man. Someday we apples will be the only ones left. Then we'll rule the world." Replied the second apple, "Which of us -- the reds or the greens?" Gene Brown in Danbury, Con., News-Times. The following story appeared in the newsletter Our America; "Dodie Gadient, a schoolteacher for thirteen years, decided to travel across America and see the sights she had taught about. Traveling alone in a truck with camper in tow, she launched out. One afternoon rounding a curve on I-5 near Sacramento in rush-hour traffic, a water pump blew on her truck. She was tired, exasperated, scared, and alone. In spite of the traffic jam she caused, no one seemed interested in helping. "Leaning up against the trailer, she prayed, 'Please God, send me an angel . . . preferably one with mechanical experience.' Within four minutes, a huge Harley drove up, ridden by an enormous man sporting long, black hair, a beard and tattooed arms. With an incredible air of confidence, he jumped off and, without even glancing at Dodie, went to work on the truck. Within another few minutes, he flagged down a larger truck, attached a tow chain to the frame of the disabled Chevy, and whisked the whole 56-foot rig off the freeway onto a side street, where he calmly continued to work on the water pump. "The intimidated schoolteacher was too dumbfounded to talk. Especially when she read the paralyzing words on the back of his leather jacket: 'Hell's Angels -- California'. As he finished the task, she finally got up the courage to say, 'Thanks so much,' and carry on a brief conversation. Noticing her surprise at the whole ordeal, he looked her straight in the eye and mumbled, 'Don't judge a book by its cover. You may not know who you're talking to.' With that, he smiled, closed the hood of the truck, and straddled his Harley. With a wave, he was gone as fast as he had appeared." Given half a chance, people often crawl out of the boxes into which we've relegated them." - Larry D. Wright. Our Welcoming God By Winn Collie Read: Acts 10:34–38 God does not show favoritism. Acts 10:34 Our church meets in an old elementary school, one that closed in 1958 rather than obey a US court order to integrate (the act of having African-American students attend schools previously attended by only Caucasian students). The following year, the school reopened and Elva, now a member of our church, was one of those black students who were thrust into a white world. “I was taken out of my safe community, with teachers who were part of our life,” Elva recalls, “and placed in a scary environment in a class with only one other black student.” Elva suffered because she was different, but she became a woman of courage, faith, and forgiveness. Her witness is profound because of how much evil she endured at the hands of some members of a society that denied the truth that every human being, regardless of race or heritage, is loved by God. Some members of the early church struggled with this same truth, believing that certain people were, by birth, loved by God while others were rejected. After receiving a divine vision, however, Peter stunned everyone who would listen with this astounding revelation: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right” (Acts 10:34–35). God opens His arms wide to extend love to everyone. May we do the same in His power. Consider your neighborhood, your family, and your social sphere. Where do you find a temptation to exclude others? Why? We’re tempted to push others away, but God’s arms are open wide. Acts 10:35 but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him. KJV Acts 10:35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. in every nation Acts 15:9; Isaiah 56:3-8; Ro 2:13,25-29; 3:22,29,30; 10:12,13; 1 Cor 12:13; Gal 3:28; Eph 2:13-18; 3:6-8; Php 3:3; Col 1:6,23-27; 3:11 the man who fears Him Acts 10:2; 9:31; Job 28:28; Ps 19:9; 85:9; 111:10; Pr 1:7; 2:5; 3:7; 16:6; Eccl 12:13; 2 Cor 7:1; Eph 5:21; 1 John 2:29 is welcome to Him Genesis 4:5-7; Hosea 8:13; Luke 1:28; Eph 1:6; Heb 11:4-6 Acts 10 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries PETER EXPLAINS DIVINE IMPARTIALITY But (alla) is a strong adversative or term of contrast. What is Peter contrasting? God does not show partiality but on the contrary He is open to those who fear Him. He is going to explain what no partiality means. In every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him - The expression in every nation stands first in the sentence for emphasis. Clearly Peter is not teaching a works based salvation. In Acts 10:43 Peter explains "everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” By using the word nation, Peter is saying God is willing to receive anyone from any nation, not just from the nation of Israel. God welcomes everyone who desires a relationship with Him. Steven
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Guzik - We often think God sees color; He only sees the heart. God does not see economic status; He only sees the heart. He doesn’t see nationality or ethnic group; He only sees the heart. (Acts 10 Commentary) Nation (1484)(ethnos; English = ethnic) in general refers to a multitude of persons associated with one another, living together, united in kinship, culture or traditions. Ethnos is summed up by the words nation, Gentiles (especially when ethnos is plural, it is singular in Acts 10:35), people (much like "people groups" in our modern missionary vernacular). Of the 151 uses of ethnos in the NT, 93 are translated "Gentiles." Larkin adds ethnos "refers not simply to nation-states but also to any racial, ethnic or cultural grouping by which humans distinguish themselves." (The Mission Is Inaugurated Through Peter Acts 9:32-11:18) Fears (present tense = as their habitual attitude)(5399)(phobeo from phobos = fear source of our English "phobia") can mean to be afraid in the sense of frightened or to fear in the sense of having an attitude of reverence, awe or respect, the latter being the sense in Peter's speech. John
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Guzik comments that Acts 10:34ff "is the foundation for Peter’s understanding that the gospel should now go forth to Gentiles. This statement goes completely against the prevailing Jewish thought at that time that God certainly did show partiality, towards the Jews and against the Gentiles. In essence, many Jews of Peter’s day thought that God loved the Jews while hating the Gentiles. According to William Barclay, it was common for a Jewish man to begin the day with a prayer thanking God that he was not a slave, a Gentile, or a woman. A basic part of the Jewish religion in the days of the New Testament was an oath that promised that one would never help a Gentile under any circumstances, such as giving directions if they were asked. But it went even as far as refusing to help a Gentile woman at the time of her greatest need – when she was giving birth – because the result would only be to bring another Gentile into the world. If a Jew married a Gentile, the Jewish community would have a funeral for the Jew and consider them dead. It was thought that to even enter the house of a Gentile made a Jew unclean before God. Ancient Jewish writings tell us of a Gentile woman who came to a rabbi. She confessed that she was a sinner and asked to be admitted to the Jewish faith. “Rabbi,” she said, “bring me near.” The Rabbi refused and simply shut the door in her face. But the Gentiles could give as bad as they got from the Jews. Gentiles despised Jews as weird traditionalists, and believed that they were evil plotters who worshipped pigs. After all, they thought, Jews refused to eat pork, so they must worship pigs! All of this changed with the spread of the gospel. Christianity was the first religion to disregard racial, cultural and national limitations. (Acts 10 Commentary) G Campbell
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Guzik - This is a powerful phrase, showing the deity of Jesus. Peter could never say this if Jesus were not (and is not) God. (Acts 10 Commentary) Lord (master, owner)(2962)(kurios from kuros = might or power, related to kuroo = to give authority) primarily means the possessor, owner, master, the supreme one, one who is sovereign (used this way of Roman emperors - Acts 25:26) and possesses absolute authority, absolute ownership and uncontested power. Kurios is used of the one to whom a person or thing belonged, over which he has the power of deciding, the one who is the master or disposer of a thing (Mk 7:28) There is much argument in recent years about whether to believe in Jesus is to believe that He is not only Savior but Lord. This seems a bit ridiculous given the first words of Peter in his proclamation of the Gospel "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ–this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36). In a word, Jesus is Lord and to believe in Him is to receive Him as your Lord. For more on this topic see What is lordship salvation? How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, (Isaiah 52:7) Acts 10:37 you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. KJV Acts 10:37 That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; You yourselves know Acts 2:22; 26:26; 28:22 which took place throughout all Judea Luke 4:14; 23:5 after the baptism which John proclaimed Acts 1:22; 13:24,25; Mt 3:1-3; Mt 4:12-17; Mark 1:1-5,14,15; John 4:1-3 Acts 10 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries PETER BEGINS THE GOSPEL MESSAGE The message to the Gentiles begins with a reminder of Jesus' life and ministry with which the Gentiles would have been familiar. You yourselves know - Second time Peter uses this phrase (Acts 10:28). The Greek word for know (eido) means this is something that Cornelius and his relatives and friends knew beyond a shadow of a doubt. There was no 24 hour news or internet or email or texting, but the news of Jesus' ministry was so earth shaking that it spread throughout the land of Palestine. The thing which took place throughout all Judea - As discussed below Peter is referring to Jesus' ministry for 3 years in Judea. Starting from Galilee - So in his "sermon" Peter skips over the virgin birth and goes directly to the beginning of Jesus' 3 year ministry. See map of Jesus' Ministry in Galilee. Robertson on starting from Galilee - There is in it nothing about the birth and childhood of Jesus nor about the intervening ministry supplied by John's Gospel for the period (a year) between the baptism and the Galilean Ministry. Peter here presents an objective statement of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus with proof from the Scriptures that he is the Messiah. It is a skilful presentation. (Acts 10 Commentary) Kistemaker suggests that "Peter mentions John the Baptist to mark the distinction between the Old Testament era and the beginning of New Testament times." After the baptism which John proclaimed - As Luke had earlier recorded in his Gospel "And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT. ’” (Luke 3:3-4) John
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Guzik summarizes - Peter’s sermon was a wonderful (if brief and perhaps condensed by Luke) explanation of the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth: Jesus was baptized in identification with humanity Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power Jesus went about doing good and healing, delivering those oppressed by the devil Jesus did this with the power of God, for God was with Him Jesus did these things in the presence of eyewitnesses Jesus was crucified Jesus was raised from the dead, resurrected in view of many witnesses Jesus commanded His followers to preach the message of who He is and what He did Jesus is ordained by God to be Judge of the entire world Jesus is the one foretold by the prophets (Acts 10 Commentary) C H
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Guzik - Now the rich man cared about others not going to torment. He lived his life utterly unconcerned of this, either for himself or for others. If he himself could go to his brothers, he would; but he seemed to understand that this was also impossible, so much so that he did not even ask for it. The mention of the five brothers is the first indication that the rich man thought about anyone except himself. Unfortunately, his concern for others came when it was too late to do any good. (Acts 10 Commentary) But to witnesses - Jesus appeared to them during the forty-day period between his resurrection and ascension. Witnesses (3144)(martus/martys) basically describes one who remembers something and testifies concerning what they remember. Notice that martus has a two fold meaning of (1) describing one who has seen and/or experienced something or someone and (2) one who testifies to what he or she saw. Who were chosen beforehand by God - The witnesses were previously chosen by God. Jesus made a similar statement in John 15:16 addressing the future apostles "You did not choose Me but I chose (eklego) you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you." Were chosen (4401)(procheirotoneo from pro = before + cheir = hand + teinō = to stretch out, reach, extend) means to choose in advance, appoint beforehand, select previously.
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Guzik has an interesting comment reminding us that "The first Gentile Jesus dealt with in His public ministry was a Roman centurion from Capernaum. (Mt 8:5-9) When Jesus healed that centurion’s servant, He declared that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. 11 “I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; 12 but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed that very moment.(Matthew 8:10-13). (Acts 10 Commentary) POSB note on believe (pisteuo)… Believe— Commit: the word "commit" (Pisteuo) is the same word "believe" (cp. John 2:23). This gives an excellent picture of saving faith, of what genuine faith is—of the kind of faith that really saves a person. 1. Saving faith is not head knowledge, not just a mental conviction and intellectual assent. It is not just believing the fact that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. It is not just believing history, that Jesus Christ lived upon earth as the Savior just as George Washington lived upon earth as the President of America. It is not just believing the words and claims of Jesus in the same way that a person would believe the words of George Washington. 2. Saving faith is believing in Jesus, who and what He is, that He is the Savior and Lord of life. It is a man giving and turning his life over to Jesus. It is a man casting himself upon Jesus as Savior and Lord. 3. Saving faith is commitment—the commitment of a man's total being and life to Jesus Christ. It is a man's commitment of all he is and has to Jesus. It gives Jesus everything; therefore, it involves all of a man's affairs. The man trusts Jesus to take care of his past (sins), his present (welfare), and his future (destiny). He entrusts his whole life, being and possessions into Jesus' hands. He lays himself upon Jesus' keeping, confiding in Him about his daily necessities and acknowledging Him in all the ways of life. He follows Jesus in every area and in every detail of life, seeking His instructions and leaving his welfare up to Him. It is simply commitment of a man's whole being, all he is and has, to Jesus. (John 4:50; Hebrews 5:5-10.) There are three steps involved in faith, steps that are clearly seen in this passage. ( Romans 10:16-17.) 1. There is the step of seeing (John 2:23) or hearing (Romans 10:16). A man must be willing to listen to the message of Christ, the revelation of truth. 2. There is the step of mental assent. A man must agree that the message is true, that the facts of the case are thus and so. But this is not enough. Mere agreement does not lead to action. Many a person knows that something is true, but he does not change his behavior to match his knowledge. For example, a man knows that eating too much harms his body, but he may continue to eat too much. He agrees to the truth and knows the truth, but he does nothing about it. A person may believe and know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and yet do nothing about it, never make a decision to follow Christ. This man still does not have faith, not the kind of faith that the Bible talks about. 3. There is the step of commitment. When the New Testament speaks of faith, it speaks of commitment, a personal commitment to the truth. A man hears the truth and agrees that it is true and does something about it. He commits and yields his life to the truth. The truth becomes a part of his very being, a part of his behavior and life. (Borrow Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible). Steven