Steps to Peace in a Divided World | Acts 9:31-10:48
Peter's journey shows us five steps down the path of peace: (1) remember Jesus' power; (2) follow God's instructions; (3) practice kind hospitality; (4) grasp the implications of the gospel; and (5) embrace our spiritual unity. This sermon is part 3 of “Spreading the Faith,” Bryan Craddock’s verse-by-verse sermon series on Acts 8-20.
Twenty-six years ago, my wife and I moved from Southern California to West Michigan, and we quickly learned that there are a few differences. We knew the obvious ones like the weather, but others surprised us. Out there every house has a privacy fence or a block wall along the back, sides, and sometimes even in front, but that is not as common here. Houses are more spread out, but it was still a little unsettling for us. Was anyone watching us? Would someone approach the house without us knowing? Paranoid, right? Maybe that is what California does to you.
When fear takes hold of your mind, no wall is ever tall enough. There may be good reasons to have it. But if you let it, the separation it creates can make those on the other side seem more strange, more suspicious, and more threatening. So, we keep building higher and feeling less secure.
Of course, there are plenty of other barriers besides physical walls in our society. We are separated by gender, race, nationality, language, culture, religion, income, education, moral standards, and political views. Fear exploits those divides too, and as it grows, it can easily spill over into resentment, hatred, and hostility. How do we ever find peace with our deep divisions?
The early church had to wrestle with this question too. The first believers were all of Jewish descent, and they harbored deep resentments against the Gentile nations. Even though Jesus called them to spread the faith, they were hesitant. So, God starts with Peter.
The story is recorded in Acts 9:31-10:48, and as we walk through the passage, we’ll see that Peter's journey shows us five steps down the path of peace. The lessons that he learned should guide us today. To fulfill our mission as followers of Jesus, we must learn to cross over the barriers that divide us for the sake of his gospel. The first step points us back to him.
Remember Jesus’ Power
Memories are powerful, particularly around Christmas. It doesn’t take much. Some falling snow, the smell of pine, or the glow of the lights can transport you to another place and time. It may not even be a conscious thought. Feelings just well up in your heart, whether happy or sad, and color how you react to things in the present.
The end of Acts 9 includes two brief accounts of miracles that Peter performs. At first glance, they seem out of place in the flow of the book. So, we should consider why Luke includes them. I think that God uses them to remind Peter of very similar miracles that Jesus performed. Before he reaches across the divide between Jew and Gentile, he needs to remember Jesus’ power.
The church had faced difficult times of persecution, but the Lord gives them a season of peace and growth. That, in and of itself, may remind Peter of the first few years of Jesus’ ministry when crowds gathered to hear him. So, he sets out on a ministry trip just like they had done in those days. Then the first miracle occurs. Acts 9:31-35 tells us,
So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed." And immediately he rose. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
Lydda was probably about 22 miles northwest of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem is up in the mountains, so it’s generally a downward journey. There Peter encounters this man, Aeneas, who is paralyzed. Does it remind him of the time when some people dug through the roof over Jesus to lower down their paralyzed friend?
Luke 5:17-26 tells us that Jesus shocked the Pharisees by telling the paralyzed man that his sins were forgiven. Then to confirm his power, he heals him and tells him to pick up his bed. Peter tells Aeneas to do something similar, and in response all the people in the area find forgiveness by turning to the Lord Jesus.
Peter might be so caught up in ministry that he does not have time to reflect. So, the Lord enables him to perform another familiar miracle. Acts 9:36-43 says,
Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, "Please come to us without delay." So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them. But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, "Tabitha, arise." And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then, calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner.
Joppa was a seaside town another 15 miles northwest of Lydda near modern day Tel Aviv. As they send for Peter, does he remember the time a man named Jairus sent for Jesus? Luke 8:49-56 tells us that the man’s daughter dies before they arrive. Jesus enters into the room and keeps everyone out except for Peter, James, and John. He tells her to rise, and she comes back to life just like Tabitha does as Peter says the same thing to her.
So, these two miracles occur in quick succession, reminding Peter of Jesus’ power to forgive, to heal, and to raise the dead. Did that bring to mind another story from that season of Jesus’ ministry? Luke 7:1-10 says that a Roman centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant. He does not ask Jesus to come but trusts his authority to heal with a word. So, Luke 7:9 says,
When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith."
Centurions were officers in the Roman Empire’s oppressive occupying force. Most Jews resented their presence. But Jesus commends the man’s faith and uses his power to reach across the cultural divide to bless him by granting his humble, selfless request. Peter needed to remember this power, and so do we. To move toward peace in a divided world, we must believe in the power of Jesus to work in the hearts of our worst enemies and to bless them. Thinking of centurions leads us to a second step to peace.
Follow God’s Instructions
As the title suggests, centurions were in charge of around a hundred soldiers. They were accustomed to giving orders, but they were not at the top of the chain of command. They were experienced professional soldiers. They had to follow orders too, even when their commander might be less than competent.
Perhaps that background explains why some centurions are receptive to recognizing and respecting the authority of Jesus. In addition to the one who asked Jesus to heal his servant, Matthew 27:54 tells us that another centurion observed how Jesus died and concluded that he was the Son of God.
It’s no surprise, then, that when God determines to break down the barrier between Jew and Gentile in the church, he starts with a centurion who knows how to follow his instructions. Acts 10:1-8 says,
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, "Cornelius." And he stared at him in terror and said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea." When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
The Lord could have revealed the gospel directly to Cornelius, but he does not do so. Instead, he wants a representative of the church to deliver the message. In this case, that leads to some strange instructions. Joppa was around 40 miles south of Caesarea, and Cornelius must send men all that way not to a grand temple or cathedral but to the home of a tanner. The process used in tanning leather probably made Simon’s home a gross and smelly place. Nevertheless, Cornelius is quick to obey.
Peter, however, has a different disposition. From the stories of his interaction with Jesus, we know that he could often be stubborn. So, the Lord sends him a vision to prepare him for further instruction. Verses 9-16 tell us,
The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." But Peter said, "By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean." And the voice came to him again a second time, "What God has made clean, do not call common." This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.
Peter needs this repetition, because the vision contradicts the dietary restrictions of the Mosaic Law (Lev 11; Deut 14). Some argue that God established those rules for health reasons, but many of them seem completely arbitrary. The Lord’s purpose was simply for his people to be holy, set apart for him (Lev 11:45). But people probably personalized those rules by convincing themselves that those unclean animals were all dirty and disgusting. That might explain why Peter finds it so hard to accept this change. He is exalting his personal dislikes over the Lord’s explicit instructions.
God’s concern is not really about food per se. It never was. It becomes clear in verses 17-20 that this change is about people. Luke tells us,
Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood at the gate and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are looking for you. Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them."
So, one of these three men was a Roman soldier. The Old Testament certainly warns Jewish people about the ungodly influence of the nations, and after centuries of being oppressed by foreign empires, the Jews developed their own deep resentment. That makes it very hard for Peter to follow these instructions, and yet Jesus prepared him for it. You could argue that he and the other disciples were already dragging their heels. Matthew 28:19-20 tells us that after Jesus rose from the dead, he said,
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Why hadn’t the disciples followed Jesus’ instruction to reach people of other nations? Were they unwilling? Are we willing to follow those instructions? Is there some group of people, however you define them, that you would refuse to reach out to? Perhaps you think they are unclean or undeserving. Are you exalting your personal dislikes over the Lord’s explicit instructions? How do we move forward? The third step helps us get started.
Practice Kind Hospitality
People today often associate hospitality with entertaining family and friends. But when the New Testament speaks of hospitality, it uses a Greek word that refers to a love for strangers. That seems odd today. From childhood, we are taught to be wary of strangers. But practicing kind hospitality to people we do not know and may not like is an essential step toward biblical peace.
This step is a major test for Peter. He has been reminded of Jesus’ power and has just been instructed to accompany the three men who are asking for him. But they are probably all Gentiles, and one of them is a Roman soldier. How does he respond? Acts 10:21-23 says,
And Peter went down to the men and said, "I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?" And they said, "Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say." So he invited them in to be his guests. The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.
The Lord does not command Peter to welcome these men in as guests. He could have sent them away to stay the night somewhere else and then accompanied them the next day. But responding in that way would miss the heart of what the Lord is doing here. So, he hosts the men and accompanies them, and he is received in a surprising way. Verses 24-27 tell us,
And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am a man." And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered.
Even today many religious people bow down to Peter (and other saints) this way, but that is wrong. The Lord used him to lead the church, proclaim the gospel, and perform miracles, but he was still a normal, sinful human being saved by grace through faith in Christ. We are all the same, and we will not show kindness to people unless we maintain that humble perspective as we interact with them.
Peter wants the people gathered there to understand that he is crossing a barrier. Acts 10:28-29 says,
And he said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me."
Other Jews would be deeply offended by what Peter is doing. Even before he communicates the gospel, his bold obedience in crossing this barrier is received in an astounding way. Verses 30-33 tell us,
And Cornelius said, "Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.' So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord."
I doubt Peter had ever encountered such a receptive welcome. We should all listen to the preaching of the word with that awareness of God’s presence and that readiness to obey. Clearly, God prepared the hearts of these people, but a lack of kindness might have squelched this opportunity. Perhaps that is why in Colossians 4:5-6 Paul says,
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Are we consistently kind and gracious? Even to strangers? To people who are not like us? The Lord uses the practice of kind hospitality to prepare people’s hearts to hear the gospel. That leads us to the fourth step to peace in our divided world.
Grasp the Gospel’s Implications
The Angeles Crest Highway starts in the town that I grew up in. It twists up and over the dry, rocky San Gabriel Mountains. On a clear day, you can see the skyscrapers of downtown Los Angeles in the distance. But one of the problems with the road is that there are often rockslides. One small falling rock can unleash a cascade.
The gospel is like that. You can sum it up in a few simple words like Jesus does in John 3:16—
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
But that simple message is designed to unleash a cascade of powerful changes. So, one of the steps to peace in our divided world is to grasp the gospel’s implications.
As Peter begins to communicate the gospel to Cornelius and the rest of the group, he expresses two implications. The first is in Acts 10:34-35. It tells us,
So Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
God shows no partiality. He is the Creator of all human beings. As Jesus said, he loves the world. That may seem obvious. It is a familiar idea to us, but in the ancient world different nations had their own gods. Even as the one true God began to carry out his plan of salvation, he chose to work through one nation, Israel. Their purpose was always to draw other nations to him, but that was often forgotten and ignored.
So if God is impartial, then how does someone do what is right in his eyes? The answer to that question is found in the gospel, and as Peter explains it, he arrives at a second implication that leads to peace. In verses 36-43 he says,
As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
Jesus is Lord of all and thus judge of all. But he also gave his life so that everyone who believes receives forgiveness. Do you grasp the implications? Since he wants to save people, what right do we have to refuse to share the message? We might consider them unworthy or undesirable, but in God’s eyes we are all unworthy and undesirable. You may have been mistreated by some group of people. But if God is willing to forgive them, what right do we have to keep holding a grudge over past wrongs?
In Ephesians 4:31-32, Paul describes the cascade of grace that the gospel should unleash in our lives by saying,
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Are you grasping the implications of the gospel? Is it unleashing cascades of change in your life? Do you relate to people in a way that reflects the impartiality of God and the forgiveness of the cross? That leads us to one more step.
Embrace Our Spiritual Unity
A good pair of eyeglasses helps you see clearly, but they also do more than that. They could alleviate headaches. They might keep you from bumping into things and bruising yourself. They enable you to appreciate a beautiful view that would otherwise be blurry. But to enjoy the benefits of glasses, you have to wear them.
The gospel helps us see people clearly. It looks through all the superficial external differences to get at the heart. The most important question is whether someone has been born again. If not, then they need to hear the gospel. If so, then we should embrace our spiritual unity with them as a brother or sister in Christ.
The Lord makes this unity clear to Peter in a surprising way. He is not even finished presenting the gospel to the group of people at Cornelius’s house. Acts 10:44-46a tells us,
While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God.
Speaking in tongues is only mentioned three times in the book of Acts. It could have happened more often, but it seems to occur on special occasions as a sign. People miraculously start speaking languages that they do not know. Acts 2 tells us that the disciples did this on the Day of Pentecost when they were first filled with the Holy Spirit. Other people who spoke those languages heard their message and paid attention as Peter explained the gospel. According to Acts 2:38, Peter told them to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins, and they would receive the Holy Spirit.
Here at the home of Cornelius things happen in a different order. The sign seems to be for Peter and the other disciples who are with him. It confirms that these people believe and have received the Holy Spirit. They are now Christians alongside all the believers from a Jewish background.
So, the question is whether Peter will embrace them as fellow believers. Acts 10:46b-48 tells us,
Then Peter declared, "Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.
Being baptized demonstrated their faith in Christ and their identification with him and his church. Peter embraced them, but it was not easy. In Galatians 2:12, Paul speaks of a time when Peter hypocritically withdrew from eating with Gentiles. He knew better, and so do we. We must keep looking at people through the gospel. In Ephesians 4:1-6, Paul explains how this perspective leads to peace and unity. He says,
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call--one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Is that how you relate to other believers? Do you embrace our spiritual unity despite other differences? Ultimate peace will be established when Jesus returns, but until then that harmony should be reflected in the way that believers relate to one another.
__________
The gospel is the only way to experience peace in a divided world. We must remember Jesus’ power, follow God’s instructions, practice kind hospitality, grasp the gospel’s implications, and embrace the spiritual unity of all who are believers in Jesus Christ. Of course, you cannot even start down that path until you have peace with God. So, if you have never done so, I invite you to believe in Jesus and receive his forgiveness today. If you want to learn more about the life-changing power of the gospel, Ephesians 4 would be a good chapter for you to read.
If you’re already a believer, do you need to change how you relate to people? Are we looking past the external? Are we reaching out in kindness across those social and cultural barriers? Are we maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace?
May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit we may abound in hope!
Reflect
Who would you hesitate to reach out to? Why?
How do these steps address your hesitation?
What could you do to work at crossing cultural barriers for Christ?