Key Text: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).
Luke tells the story of how Christianity was born in a Jewish home and the time Cornelius ( a Gentile) was publicly and officially welcomed into Christian fellowship without conforming to the requirement of Jewish law that Peter followed. Cornelius was “a centurion of the Italian band,” one of the leaders of a sizable group of Roman soldiers. Even though Cornelius was a devout man, who gave “much alms,” who prayed to God, who was generous in his attitude toward his fellow men, and who feared God, he had no church connections. He was not prepared to enter into the Jewish community and practice their religion, which would give spirit discipline and direction. One day Cornelius had a vision of an angel of God coming to him with a vital message. He was assured that his alms-giving and prayers had been looked upon by God with favor. Cornelius was instructed to call for Simon, whose surname was Peter who lodged in the city of Joppa. Cornelius was also assured that Simon Peter would be able to tell him why the Lord had appeared unto him.
The Lord paved the way for their meeting. Peter’s vision came the day after that of Cornelius. When Peter went to the top of Simon’s house to pray (at about noon which was Jewish custom), “he fell into a trance”. He saw the heavens open and a vessel descending unto him that appeared to “a great sheet knit at the four corners.” This sheet was being lowered from heaven and inside were “all manner of fourfooted beasts…and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air,” which gave a distinction between “clean and unclean” (Levitical Law). A voice came to Peter, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” His response was, “Not so, Lord,” claiming that he had never eaten anything that was unclean. But Peter received a major lesson from the New Covenant: “… go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:5). On the cross of Calvary, God had already broken down the middle wall of partition (Ephesians 2:14) between the Jews and Gentiles. “What God had cleansed, that call not thou common” (unclean). v 15.
Peter, accompanied by six other Christians from Joppa, went to Caesarea to see Cornelius. Peter was invited into Cornelius house where he found a great company of kinsmen and friends of the centurion. Cornelius showed a complete readiness to receive whatever Peter had to say. He said, “Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God: “God is no respecter of persons.” Anyone from any nation may be saved, all on the same basis of faith. Then, Peter summarizes the life and teaching of Christ and the disciples’ relationship to Him: He made reference to the fact that Jesus’ ministry was in both Judaea and Galilee, and the end result of the life and death of the Lord Jesus v 37-42. For the first time, Jew and Gentile could sit down with some measure of commonality. Paul wrote to the Galatians that “Ye are all one on Christ” where race or national distinction does not exist. Class differences and sex rivalry are barriers to Christian fellowship. At the foot of the cross, all men are equal. Since Christ is heir to all things, we are joint-heirs with Him (Rom 8:17). AMEN!
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