¹⁷Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon’s house, appeared at the gate; ¹⁸and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there. ¹⁹While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. ²⁰But get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself.” ²¹Peter went down to the men and said, “Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?” ²²They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear a message from you.” ²³So he invited them in and gave them lodging. And on the next day, he got up and went away with them, and some of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him.

The details recorded for this story convey the importance of its accuracy, and thus the significance of the event in the story of the early church’s expansion. The inclusion of Gentiles as equal members in the community of believers was a profound break with Jewish custom, and God saw that only divine intervention could prepare Peter for opening the door to the Gentiles. Luke, under divine inspiration as he wrote the chronicle of Acts, took pains also to record in the next chapter Peter’s complete retelling of this experience to the leaders in Jerusalem—they too needed convincing that this was from God!

So the contingent from Cornelius arrives, and the Lord instructs Peter, perplexed as he was, to meet them—and to do so without second-guessing what God was doing. Peter was simply to obey. And like Cornelius, he did. Little did either of them realize the enormity of the situation. Peter, representing the twelve, and in fact, the whole fledgling church, was about to be used by God to key open the door of the kingdom of heaven to the Gentiles (Matt. 16:19). It was late in the day, so they all stayed the night and left the next day. The timing of all this is remarkable; no one was wasting any time in responding to God. Cornelius’ vision had just occurred the day before, and earlier on this same day he had sent his messengers out.

The Lord describes Cornelius in glowing terms and explains the circumstances behind the centurion’s desire for Peter to come. All Peter knew at this time was that he was to preach the gospel to the man. It may have taken a while for the importance of this to sink in for Peter. The vision of the unclean food would have lingered in his mind, preparing him for an even bigger change in how God was doing things. The apostle’s anticipation must have been high!

Lord, I look forward to what You will do through me as I walk in obedience.