使徒言行録10:1-23 Acts 10:1-23,

Jesus was born in the country of Judea. And Jesus’ first disciples were also Jewish people. When the first church in the world was born in Jerusalem, it was also Jews who were baptised.

However, there were people other than Jews who were waiting for Jesus’ salvation. Cornelius, a centurion in the Roman army in today’s Bible passage, was one of such people. The beginning part of today’s passage 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.” A centurion is a commander of one hundred soldiers. Cornelius, a centurion, was a Roman, but he believed in and worshipped the one God who created the heavens and the earth, as the Bible teaches.

One day, Cornelius heard a message from an angel. The message was, “Now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter.” “Simon who is called Peter” refers to Jesus’ disciple Peter. When Cornelius heard this message, he immediately sent messengers to Joppa. When the messengers approached the town of Joppa, Peter was praying on the roof of the house where he was staying. Then Peter had a very strange vision. The vision was as follows. Peter “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.’” The Jews had Old Testament laws that determined which clean creatures they were allowed to eat and which unclean creatures they were not allowed to eat. The vision Peter saw included many creatures that were not to be eaten. Therefore, Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean” (NRSV). But in response, a voice was heard from heaven saying, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane” (NRSV). Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean.

Just then, messengers sent by Cornelius stood at the gate of the house where Peter was staying and asked whether Simon who was called Peter was staying there. Then the Holy Spirit revealed the meaning of the vision to Peter. The meaning was that if anyone invites you to hear the gospel of Jesus, you must never refuse the invitation, even if it comes from the Romans, who are said to be unclean by Jews, but accept the invitation and preach the salvation of Jesus. The messengers met Peter and 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.” Thus, Peter set off for the town of Caesarea to tell Cornelius, a Roman, about Jesus.

In the presence of Jesus, there is no difference between Jews and Romans. Before Jesus, all nations are sinners. And if they believe in Jesus, they can be saved, no matter what country they are from. It is the same in our time. That is why people from many different countries come to Jesus’ church and receive his salvation.