Acts 10:1-17; 11:1-18
Who appeared to
Cornelius and what was his message?
An angel of God came to Cornelius, who was a Roman
Centurion, which, according to the Bible Dictionary means he was in charge of
up to 100 men. The angel told him to
send men to Joppa to find Simon Peter who would “tell thee what thou oughtest
to do.” (Acts 10:6) I love this phrase so much because I think it gives us one
of the greatest truths of the Gospel – we should listen to the Lord’s Prophets
because they can teach us what we need to know to be happy in this life and to
return to live with Heavenly Father again. It’s interesting that Acts 10:6
isn’t the first time we have seen this same instruction. In Acts 9:6 Saul is
told to go into the city to “be told what thou must do” and there he meets
Ananias who lays his hands on him, opens his eyes and fills him with the Holy
Ghost. Whenever I am unsure what to do, I can turn to the Lord in prayer and
then search the scriptures and the words of the prophets for guidance on that
issue. We are so blessed to have access to lds.org and all of the talks that
have been given on so many different topics. We can trust the answers that come
from our prophets and Apostles in a way that we just can’t be as sure of when we
go to Google or Wikipedia or try to figure out everything solely with our own
limited knowledge and understanding.
What was Peter’s
reaction to the Lord’s command during his vision upon the housetop?
While Peter was on the rooftop praying, he “fell into a
trance” (Acts 10:10) and “saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending
unto him as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to
the earth: Wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth and wild
beasts and creeping things and fowls of the air.” (Acts 10:11-12) At this point
a voice told Peter to “Rise, kill and eat.” (v. 13) But Peter said: “Not so,
Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”
This is such a great example of Peter’s obedience and
willingness to follow the Commandments he had been given up to this point. The
Law of Moses forbade him from eating anything “unclean” and he wanted to obey
that.
Read JS-H 1:30,
44,46. Why do you think the Lord repeated the vision three times for Peter?
In verses 15 and 16 we learn that the Angel repeated his
instructions to Peter three times, saying “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.” This is very
similar to Moroni visiting Joseph Smith three times during the night to teach
him about the Book of Mormon and other things he will need to know. I think
Peter and Joseph were very much like each of us. It is hard to believe
something the first time we hear it. But after several times, we are more
likely to begin to understand and gain a testimony that what is being taught is
true and worth acting on.
Acts 10:18-36, 44
When Peter clearly
understood the meaning of the vision, what did he declare?
After hearing from Cornelius’ men, Peter chose to travel
with them to meet with Cornelius, who shared his own vision with Peter. After
hearing that Cornelius had been told to send for Peter, Peter began to make
sense of his own vision and said “God hath shewed me that I should not call any
man common or unclean” (v.28) and “Of a truth, I perceive that God is no
respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh
righteousness is accepted with him. “ (34-35)
This newfound understanding literally changed the world. Now
Peter knew that the gospel of Jesus Christ needed to be taught to all people,
both Jew and Gentile, from “the four corners” of the earth (Acts 10:11).
What does it mean
that God is “no respecter of persons”?
God wants each of His children, no matter where they live to
receive the blessings of the Gospel and the ordinances and covenants that will
bring us back to Him. Before this time,
anyone who wasn’t a Jew was considered “unclean”, which is why they were
represented as unclean animals in Peter’s vision. (see Acts 10: 11-12). God
loves all of His children equally. This understanding opened up the way for
Missionary work to go forward to many more people than had initially been
taught by Peter and the other Apostles.
How did the Holy
Ghost assist the Jewish Saints in understanding that the blessings of the gospel
were to be available to all people at that time?
When the people (both Jews and Gentiles) gathered to hear
Peter teach what he had learned in the vision, the Holy Ghost “fell on all them which heard the word. (Acts
10:44) The Jews were shocked because even the Gentiles had the gift of the Holy
Ghost poured out on them and were “speaking with tongues and magnifying God”
(v.45-46). Peter asks them “Can any man
forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy
Ghost as well as we?” (v. 47) If they are worthy enough to receive the Holy
Ghost, surely they are worthy enough to be baptized.
As a convert to the Church, and a mom to a faithful son
currently serving his mission in the Nevada Las Vegas West mission, I am so
grateful for Peter and the lessons we learn in Acts 10. I know the Lord
continues to teach us through His prophets and truly does want His gospel taught
to every “nation, kindred, tongue and people” because we are all His children.
(Rev. 14:6)
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