The Spirit Came for Us
Acts 44 – 48
Make no mistake about, it was expected to be a Jewish thing only! For centuries it was the Children of Abraham, the Hebrews, the Jews that were favored and strengthened by the God of Abraham. The Jews believed God and the promised Messiah was coming to save them and them only, not the Gentiles, the pagans. In fact, they believed with all their heart that the Messiah would be a warrior King that would once and for all remove those that oppressed the Jews. Whether they be the Assyrians, Babylonians, or the Romans, it didn’t matter, God’s chosen one would crush them and bring the Nation of Israel back to glory.
It was expected that the only ones that were within reach of the salvation goal line, that the sacrifice of Jesus had established through his death and resurrection were those that had already been indoctrinated in Judaism. Only those that were Jews or people that were willing to become Jews would be allowed to find reconciliation with the God of Israel.
Certainly, God was not suggesting that Jesus had come to save the pagan Gentiles (read non-Jews) that had recently killed Jesus, did he? Consequently, the question had to be asked’ what does the salvific sacrifice mean to all non-Jews? The thought of a Gentile getting saved without coming through the door of Judaism was foreign to them. But as we will see, God has been breaking down Peter’s Jewish prejudices on this matter.
That brings us to the story that we find in our lesson which is about the changes in the life of a Gentile, a Roman soldier, like the ones that had just put Jesus to death. As I have mentioned the relationship between the Romans and the Religious Elite of Israel was predicated on the elite keeping calm and relative peace throughout the nation.
The Romans did not need any more battles on their hands. To assist quell outbreaks of violence, Roman soldiers had been stationed throughout Israel to keep the peace. Most Romans were hated as conquerors and did not get along well in the vast portion of the population nation.
As an army officer, Cornelius was in a difficult position. He represented Rome to the people and his home was in Caesarea, a town on the Mediterranean built by Herod the Great and named for Caesar and in Jesus’ time, served as an administrative center of Judaea Province of the Roman Empire.
Although he was part of occupying force of the pagan Romans, Cornelius had a reputation as a godly man who put his faith into action. He was a godly and generous Roman and was well-respected by the Jews even though he was an officer in the occupying army.
He responded to God and encouraged his family to do the same. Cornelius actively sought God, he revered God, he was generous in meeting other people’s needs and he prayed. He was Roman after all and as I said, the working of God through the Messiah it was expected to be a Jewish thing only.
But like the Ethiopian eunuch last week, Cornelius was a seeker of the Truth of God but neither the Jews nor the new Christian Jews were interested or compelled to witness to the Romans about the God of Abraham or his sacrificed and resurrected Son. But God, as he always does, makes a way and comes to the searching Cornelius and the hesitant and resistant Peter through visions.
Earlier in Acts 10 the scriptures say that one day at about three in the afternoon Cornelius had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” “What is it, Lord?” he asked. “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a righteous and honored offering before God. Send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter”. Cornelius sent for him immediately.
Meanwhile, as those men were on their way, Peter had gotten hungry while praying, and in his yearning, he had a vision of a white sheet coming down from heaven. The sheet billowed with all sorts of animals, ones that were commonly killed for food, but not for an observant Jews who knew them to be off-limits for matters of cleanliness and purity. Peter heard a voice saying, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.”
As those that have been studying Leviticus with us know, as devout follower, Peter protested, “no way; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or spiritually unclean!” Peter protested three times, but the insistent voice responded three times as well, “what God has made clean, you must not call profane.”
These twin visions reveal to Cornelius and Peter that the not-so-subtle hand of God was moving to bring not only these two individuals, but two vastly different cultures together through the type of grace, mercy and forgiveness that is only possible through the narrative of the Gospel story.
When Peter entered Cornelius’ home, he broke a whole list of Jewish rules, manmade rules but clearly, they were not God’s commandments. Peter confessed he wasn‘t comfortable there because of a Jewish prohibition but he realized that God was at work in his soul, creating a new understanding of what the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus meant not only to those Jews that were flocking to Christianity after the Pentecost, but now he was realizing it was intended for the Gentiles as well.
Peter has come to this radical conclusion, that God is not partial to anyone based on nationality, race or tribe. At Pentecost, which we will celebrate in a couple of weeks, but which scripturally has already occurred, the Holy Spirit which Jesus had promised came to the Jews.
It was the Gospel story that Peter preached on Pentecost about the ministry of Christ to the people of Israel and of the crucifixion of Jesus, his resurrection three days later that influenced thousands of people to become followers of the way.
And it is the same Gospel story that Peter begins to tell Cornelius and his family this day. While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit came upon all who heard the message. The Jewish believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. The Spirit had Come for Them.
In our lesson today, on what could be called the Gentile Pentecost, Roman citizens, pagans, had the same spiritual and physical reaction to the Holy Spirit coming on them as did the Jews; the speaking in tongues, speaking in languages that they did not know, confessing the work of the Spirit on their souls.
Peter is stopped in mid-sentence and says that the Spirit has come to these people, and like our lesson last week with the eunuch, there was nothing to stop them from joining the Christian family by baptizing them. Friends now we see that God brings Gentiles directly into a relationship with Him apart from their becoming Jews first.
This is the first scriptural event of non-Jewish people receiving the Holy Spirit and it leads to accepting Gentiles as part of God’s family. That day The Spirit Came for Us opening Salvation’s door for everyone! In this event the gate of salvation swung wide open to the Gentiles. The wonderful truth is; everyone who believes in Christ receives God’s salvation. The Spirit Came for Us.
Our whole lesson today, in fact the whole of the Gospel story is lesson proceeds from the new reality which is given to the people of God, and that is “God shows no partiality.” God does not play favorites among people. God has concern for all humanity and welcomes all peoples. God did not put barriers and hatred between mankind, man did it.
In fact, we can see that is our lesson from 1 John: “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love”.
There is nothing in the Ten Commandments that tells Moses and Israelites to hate others, He tries to keep us safe and holy by staying away from evil influences, but barriers and biases are the work of mankind, not God!
Hear the Good News my Friends…………
Bishop Palmer reminds us that “this Gospel thing, this Holy Spirit thing, this risen Jesus thing was and will always be about crossing boundaries, about tearing down walls, about building bridges, about healing rifts between God and people and rifts between people and people.
Gospel is at its best, and the church is nearing its fullness that God intends for it, when it is a sign and an expression of crossing boundaries and tearing down was the boundaries and the walls that sometimes are natural, and the boundaries and the walls that are human contrived, made and maintained that keep us from a right relationship with God and with our neighbor.”
Paul, another person Jesus through the Spirit changes his attitude to “other” people, reminds us in his letter to the Ephesians that Christ Jesus has torn down the wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles, between them and us, between the circumcised and the uncircumcised. May I say to you that race, ethnicity, religious practice, social location, old beliefs, feelings and animosities that we have nursed so well over time, should never be a barrier to our relationship with God and with others.
In conclusion, it is fitting that we come to this message on Mother’s Day. We hear today that no one is outside the love of God, that all are acceptable, that none are outside the reach of God, that none are beyond the care and nurturing embrace of God. You know, we are told that mankind was created in the “image” of God, the nature of God. It doesn’t mean that we physically look like God, scriptures suggest He has no particular form, but rather He is the overwhelming presence of love and joy.
If mankind was made in His image, womankind has been made in His nature. There is no child that is outside of the love of mother, there is no child beyond the reach of mother, there is no child beyond the caring, comforting and nurturing of mother. It may not always be a birth mother, but it is always a motherly soul that enters our life and offers us all the love, peace, hope and joy found in our Heavenly parent.
Remember dear ones, people or groups of people are not profane or unacceptable, they are not out of God’s reach or embrace. Their past actions may not be what God would want for their best, but none of our actions are. Friends, we must remember as we interact with each other, that we all have an infinite and eternal value to God, and He sent His Holy Spirit to each and every one of us so that we could feel His presence with us always. At the command of God, The Spirit Came for Us! Amen.