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34 Peter then said:
Now I am certain that God treats all people alike. 35God is pleased with everyone who worships him and does right, no matter what nation they come from. 36This is the same message that God gave to the people of Israel, when he sent Jesus Christ, the Lord of all, to offer peace to them.
37You surely know what happened everywhere in Judea. It all began in Galilee after John had told everyone to be baptized. 38God gave the Holy Spirit and power to Jesus from Nazareth. He was with Jesus, as he went around doing good and healing everyone who was under the power of the devil. 39We all saw what Jesus did both in Israel and in the city of Jerusalem.
Jesus was put to death on a cross. 40But three days later, God raised him to life and let him be seen. 41Not everyone saw him. He was seen only by us, who ate and drank with him after he was raised from death. We were the ones God chose to tell others about him.
42God told us to announce clearly to the people that Jesus is the one he has chosen to judge the living and the dead. 43Every one of the prophets has said that all who have faith in Jesus will have their sins forgiven in his name.
44While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit took control of everyone who was listening. 45Some Jewish followers of the Lord had come with Peter, and they were surprised that the Holy Spirit had been given to Gentiles. 46Now they were hearing Gentiles speaking unknown languages and praising God.
Peter said, 47“These Gentiles have been given the Holy Spirit, just as we have! I am certain that no one would dare stop us from baptizing them.” 48Peter ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and they asked him to stay on for a few days.
Reflect
The Lord draws the whole episode to a conclusion. Two strangers, the one a Jewish apostle the other a Gentile captain, find that they have been united in the presence of God. They stand together as a sign of a deeper spiritual unity in Christ.
It took time, but their faithful obedience has finally clarified things. It is the pattern for all who follow the Lord. We want to be in charge of our lives, and to understand first before we obey. But that is not the walk of faith. We must first walk in obedience to the Lord before we gain the understanding we crave.
This story is a clear signpost that God does not play favourites. As Peter puts it, “God is pleased with everyone who worships him and does right, no matter what nation they come from” (v 35).
Although this seems like a new revelation to Peter, he suddenly recognizes that it was also what he had heard through the ministry of Jesus: “This is the same message that God gave to the people of Israel, when he sent Jesus Christ, the Lord of all, to offer peace to them” (v 36).
And now Peter and the other apostles, who had seen Jesus resurrected in the flesh, are to be his messengers: “We were the ones God chose to tell others about him” (v 41).
The apostolic message of the cross is the same message as that of the prophets: “Every one of the prophets has said that all who have faith in Jesus will have their sins forgiven in his name” (v 43).
The message now gives power. The Lord of life who died, was buried, and was raised on the third day now gives life through the Holy Spirit. Those who repent and receive him are buried beneath the waters of baptism, and are raised to new life.
Respond
Glorious Lord,
Our sin hides you from our sight, and our unwillingness to trust and obey leads us down the path of many sorrows.
Death itself was the means by which the apostles saw that you are the Lord of life.
Help us, we pray, to walk in cheerful obedience, knowing that you have power over every obstacle.
Scott Masson
Dr. Scott Masson is an Associate Professor of English Literature at Tyndale University College and a fellow of the Ezra Institute for Contemporary Christianity, appearing on television and radio. Scott did graduate work in Germany and England, concluding with a doctorate at the University of Durham, England. He is working on bringing Classical Christian education more widely to Canada. Scott lives in Toronto with his wife and two children.