Commentary on Acts of the Apostles Chapters 6-10
by Dave Brown

Go to Acts 1-5

Acts 6

[Luke does not hesitate to document the problems encountered within the first century church.  The reason should be fairly obvious -- we should expect some of the same issues to arise in local churches today as arose in the first century -- people being people, even though most of them are Christians.  The first one we saw at the beginning of Chapter 5 where Ananias and Saphira were attempting to use the church for their own self-aggrandizement.  This was not really a church issue as much as it was a personal, individual matter of the sin of jealousy on their parts.  Here in Acts 6 we get down to a real church issue that could have stopped the evangelistic effort cold if the apostles allowed it to.  But it was resolved very effectively, although the basic problem that caused the issue is a universal one that is clearly some of its effects are still with us today.]

6:1 Now in these days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a murmuring of the Grecian Jews against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.
[Luke does not dodge the fact that this was a racial issue.  The Grecian Jews would be Gentile proselytes -- those who basic language was Greek.  Further, he does not say that this was a perceived or an alleged thing -- he outright states that what they were complaining about was in fact, reality.  So what is this "daily ministration" of the widows that Luke seems to think we should understand?  We have already been told that the church took care of its needy, and obviously this was one of the ways in which it was done.  Paul gives Timothy instructions later on as to details as to who can and cannot be enrolled as a widow.  His assuming we know the background could be that this was something done in the synagogues and that the practice was just assumed to be a normal thing with all religious groups at that time.  All the customs of the synagogues were not sinful.  The problem was often in binding those things that were in the Law of Moses but not in the gospel of Jesus.  It would be expected that those good customs would be practiced by the church in its infancy.  At this point Luke seems to be writing to primarily a Jewish audience.]

[The "Daily Ministration" was a work of benevolence to poor widows who had no other means of support.  This practice was probably similar to that of the synagogues since Luke in writing about it seems to expect they understand what he is talking about.  More instruction on this practice is given in:
 
1 Timothy 5:3-16
 
3 Honor widows that are widows indeed.
4 But if any widow hath children or grandchildren, let them learn first to show piety towards their own family, and to requite their parents: for this is acceptable in the sight of God.
5 Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, hath her hope set on God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day.
6 But she that giveth herself to pleasure is dead while she liveth.
7 These things also command, that they may be without reproach.
8 But if any provideth not for his own, and specially his own household, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever.
9 Let none be enrolled as a widow under threescore years old, (having been) the wife of one man,
10 well reported of for good works; if she hath brought up children, if she hath used hospitality to strangers, if she hath washed the saints' feet, if she hath relieved the afflicted, if she hath diligently followed every good work.
11 But younger widows refuse: for when they have waxed wanton against Christ, they desire to marry;
12 having condemnation, because they have rejected their first pledge.
13 And withal they learn also (to be) idle, going about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.
14 I desire therefore that the younger (widows) marry, bear children, rule the household, give no occasion to the adversary for reviling:
15 for already some are turned aside after Satan.
16 If any woman that believeth hath widows, let her relieve them, and let not the church be burdened; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.]

2 And the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not fit that we should forsake the word of God, and serve tables.
[One solution would be for the apostles to just take it upon themselves to assure that there was no neglect.  It seems that they considered this, but this would not be a good use of their times.  There is a principle here for us today.  We should not take the time of preachers or elders (in this example, apostles) with activities that can be performed by Christians who are not as skilled in God’s word.]

3 Look ye out therefore, brethren, from among you seven men of good report, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
[It is notable that the Apostles did not lord it over the congregation by installing their favorites for this task.  Here again is a principle for us today.  Without elders, the entire congregation should be involved in the appointing of church leaders and servants    Here, they charged the entire congregation to put the men forward who had certain qualifications.  This verse also provides the basis for the church appointing men and women to specific tasks -- that is, delegating certain people to act for and serve the church in a given function, even if not in a formal position.  It would also apply to appointing of elders and deacons.  Once elders are appointed, much of the appointing of other servants can be delegated to them.] 

["Full of the Spirit" means full of the Holy Spirit ... those who are given to allowing the Holy Spirit to govern every aspect of their lives.  This is another indication that all Christians can and should be filled with the Holy Spirit (see Acts 5:32).]

4 But we will continue steadfastly in prayer, and in the ministry of the word.
[They were uniquely qualified, especially for the ministry of the word by virtue of their being eye witnesses and miraculously endowed with the Holy Spirit. to reveal and confirm the truth.]

5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus a proselyte of Antioch;
[Stephen and Philip we will learn much more about.  Nicolaus being a proselyte was probably a good choice so as to represent the proselyte converts.]

6 whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands upon them.
[We will see additional significance to this laying on of hands as we move forward.  Generally the laying on of hands was to impart or infer some blessing or agreement.  In this case it was not only a type of confirmation or their official appointments, but (as we shall see) also for imparting miraculous spiritual gifts to prepare them for even greater service to the Lord.]

7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem exceedingly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
[This is not a trivial statement ... had there been a division between the Hebrew Jews and the Greek Jews within the church over this issue (which well could have happened had the actions of this chapter not taken place); this would have been a catastrophe.  This is not the end of Jew-Gentile issues within the church, and there is no record in the New Testament of the racial divide between Jew and Gentile Christians being totally resolved.  This was the goal of the conference of Acts 15, but there were some selfish Jews would would not let this happen.  We know that the Holy Spirit taught CLEARLY that there should be no distinction in the church between Jew and Gentile.  But the problem persists, much as racial problems persist in our society today.   Christians need to recognize this human frailty and be constantly working on ourselves to overcome it and grow beyond it.]

[We will see the problem between Jews and Gentiles rear its ugly head again in Acts 15.  At this point the called out (church) is still localized to the Jerusalem area, and all of its members are either Jews or Jewish proselytes.  There will not be any pure gentiles converted until Acts 10.  Samaritans?  Well, these might be considered as Jews -- a good number of them will be converted in Acts 8.   Each case of conversion illustrates something a bit different -- mainly they illustrate what it means to go to "all the world" -- all nations, all races, all people everywhere.]

8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, wrought great wonders and signs among the people.
[The apostles laid their hands on Stephen and the other six selected for the benevolent work, and in Acts 8:18 we will read that "through the laying on of the apostles hands the Holy Spirit was given," the context indicating that this is talking about miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit (which Paul discusses in more detail in 1 Corinthians 12, 13 and 14).]

9 But there arose certain of them that were of the synagogue called (the synagogue) of the Libertines, and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen.
[Here again, Luke does not have any qualms in calling out who the trouble makers were.  In this case, I believe he details them to indicate that Christians were still tolerated, if not thought of highly, by the native Jews of Jerusalem.  Also, that this was not something that faithful Christians were at all divided over.]

10 And they were not able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.
[At least not with their logic or scriptural arguments.]

11 Then they suborned men, who said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and (against) God.
[What a cowardly thing to do.  They could not argue against Stephen, and they were probably afraid of the common people who generally tolerated, if not supported, the Christians.  So they get someone else to do their dirty work for them.  These men are not feeling contstrained at all to tell the truth.

12 And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and seized him, and brought him into the council,
13 and set up false witnesses, who said, This man ceaseth not to speak words against this holy place, and the law:
14 for we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered unto us.
[Let's examine the truth/falsehood of these charges.  He did not speak against the temple, and I would expect he was still following the Old Law traditions as most Christians were at this point.  When Jesus said "destroy this temple and I will build it back in three days" he was talking about his own body -- this is made clear in the gospels (John 2:19-21).  He was not talking about the physical temple complex.  It was not destroyed until AD 70 by the Roman army, and there is no indication that any Christians were involved in that.  Changing the customs?  Well, in due time that might happen, but it was not something the Stephen was at all involved in.]

15 And all that sat in the council, fastening their eyes on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.
[This indicates that despite the fact that Stephen knew what the plan was to kill him, he was not at all disturbed because he had faith that Jesus would get him through any persecutions.  Chapter 7 will give his defense -- very interesting strategy applied to refute each of their charges, but the mob already had decided his fate ... so maybe they just did not understand? or maybe they did not want to understand?]

[As a result of the accusations of some of the Jews (apparently those who were non-native, for lack of a better term -- see 6:9), Stephen is brought before the council and accused of speaking words against the temple and the law.  Not exactly what we could call freedom of speech back then.  But they did have a type of court system, probably somewhat imposed by the Roman government to keep things from getting too far out of hand.  The entire seventh chapter is mostly Stephen's defense.]



Acts 7 
7:1 And the high priest said, Are these things so?
[Stephen responds to this question from the high priest.  Not exactly what the high priest was expecting.]

2 And he said, Brethren and fathers, hearken: The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,
3 and said unto him, Get thee out of thy land, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee.
[Note that Stephen does not address the question.  His goal here will be much broader than just defending himself.  But these Old Testament scriptural facts do, in fact, defend Stephen as we shall see.]

4 Then came he [Abraham] out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Haran: and from thence, when his father was dead, (God) removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell:
5 and he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: and he promised that he would give it to him in possession, and to his seed after him, when (as yet) he had no child.
[This would be known and understood by the Jews who are present.  No doubt they were wondering just what this had to do with Stephen’s guilt or innocence.  So far (and continuing) it will show that Stephen had the utmost faith in the truth of the Old Testament scriptures.  Recall the accusations made against him: they set up false witnesses, who said, “This man ceaseth not to speak words against this holy place, and the law:  14 for we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered unto us.”]

6 And God spake on this wise, that his seed should sojourn in a strange land, and that they should bring them into bondage, and treat them ill, four hundred years.
7 And the nation to which they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place.
8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so (Abraham) begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac (begat) Jacob, and Jacob the twelve patriarchs.
9 And the patriarchs, moved with jealousy against Joseph, sold him into Egypt: and God was with him,
[This is a subtle reference but it will become clear that Stephen is associating his accusers with the brothers of Joseph -- there is certainly a similarity between what the brothers of Joseph did and what the accusers were doing now.  One important aspect of it is that they meant it for evil, but God turned it to good.]

10 and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
[They understood this first story, so Stephen proceeds to the next.]

11 Now there came a famine over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.
12 But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent forth our fathers the first time.
13 And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's race became manifest unto Pharaoh.
14 And Joseph sent, and called to him Jacob his father, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.
[Gen 50:19-20:  19 “And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?  20 And as for you, ye meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”  Just like those who would kill Steven, they mean it for evil.  God will turn their evil deed to good – we will see that in Acts 8.]

15 And Jacob went down into Egypt; and he died, himself and our fathers;
16 and they were carried over unto Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver of the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
[Basically Stephen is dealing with the accusation that he does not respect the law.  He is going back to the beginning of the story to show that he believed it all and is respectful of the patriarchs, which he refers to as "our fathers".]

17 But as the time of the promise drew nigh which God vouchsafed unto Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,
18 till there arose another king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph.
19 The same dealt craftily with our race, and ill-treated our fathers, that they should cast out their babes to the end they might not live.
20 At which season Moses was born, and was exceeding fair; and he was nourished three months in his father's house.
21 and when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.
22 And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians; and he was mighty in his words and works.
23 But when he was well-nigh forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.
24 And seeing one (of them) suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, smiting the Egyptian:
25 and he supposed that his brethren understood that God by his hand was giving them deliverance; but they understood not.
26 And the day following he appeared unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?
27 But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?
28 Wouldest thou kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian yesterday?
29 And Moses fled at this saying, and became a sojourner in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons.
[t is interesting that the information in verse 25 is not in the Old Testament account.   It is taking a while and is quite subtle, but Stephen is setting them up for a "thou are the man" moment (see 2 Samuel 12:1-7).  But for now perhaps they were getting bored hearing things that they had heard repeated from the time that they were little children.  Stephen continues ...]

30 And when forty years were fulfilled, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.
31 And when Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold, there came a voice of the Lord,
32 I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob. And Moses trembled, and durst not behold.
33 And the Lord said unto him, Loose the shoes from thy feet: for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
34 I have surely seen the affliction of my people that is in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I am come down to deliver them: and now come, I will send thee into Egypt.
35 This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? him hath God sent (to be) both a ruler and a deliverer with the hand of the angel that appeared to him in the bush.
36 This man led them forth, having wrought wonders and signs in Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years.
37 This is that Moses, who said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall God raise up unto you from among your brethren, like unto me.
[Deuteronomy 18:15-18: “Jehovah thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; 16 according to all that thou desiredst of Jehovah thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of Jehovah my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. 17 And Jehovah said unto me, They have well said that which they have spoken. 18 I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him, speaking of Jesus.]

38 This is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel that spake to him in the Mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received living oracles to give unto us:
39 to whom our fathers would not be obedient, but thrust him from them, and turned back in their hearts unto Egypt,
40 saying unto Aaron, Make us gods that shall go before us: for as for this Moses, who led us forth out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.
[Verse 38, “church in the wilderness” is not to be confused with the church that Jesus stated he would build in Matthew 16:17-18, when, referring to the statement of faith that Peter had proclaimed: Matthew 16:17-18: “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven.  18 And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”  The generic meaning of the word church “the called out” is the same in both cases, but they are pointing to two separate called out groups.]
[Exodus 32:1-3:  “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods , which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.  2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.  3 And all the people brake off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.]

41 And they made a calf in those days, and brought a sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their hands.
42 But God turned, and gave them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, Did ye offer unto me slain beasts and sacrifices Forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
43 And ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, And the star of the god Rephan, The figures which ye made to worship them: And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.
[If you were a Jew listening to Stephen, would this get you to thinking that perhaps you were persecuting the wrong man?  For sure he is attesting to his belief in all that the Old Testament teaches, including its condemnation of all idolatrous worship.]
[As you recall this chapter is mainly devoted to Stephen's defense before the council that had been called to respond to some who were accusing him of false things.  We will see that the council either loses control of the situation or passively supports  the mob action.  In the first part of the defense we saw Stephen essentially highlighting those times when the ancestors of the accusers had made the same mistake that they were making now, and had made before in the crucifixion of Christ.]

44 Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, even as he appointed who spake unto Moses, that he should make it according to the figure that he had seen.
[Recall there were two accusations --  (1) that Stephen was teaching against the law and traditions of Moses, and (2) that he was teaching against the temple.  He has in the previous verses of this chapter defended himself against the first charge.  He now turns to the second.]

45 Which also our fathers, in their turn, brought in with Joshua when they entered on the possession of the nations, that God thrust out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;
46 who found favor in the sight of God, and asked to find a habitation for the God of Jacob.
47 But Solomon built him a house.
48 Howbeit the Most High dwelleth not in (houses) made with hands; as saith the prophet,
49 The heaven is my throne, And the earth the footstool of my feet: What manner of house will ye build Me? saith the Lord: Or what is the place of my rest?
50 Did not my hand make all these things?
[It might be argued that they had made the temple into a type of idol.  Stephen states a truth that they should have known from Isaiah. 66:1-2 ... that God is not bound by any building ... he inhabits the entire infinite universe.  So, to put their faith in the temple was misplaced.   We know now, of course, that it was destroyed in AD 70.]
[I suspect at this point that Steven perceived from their lack or interest in what he was saying that continuing on was not going to have any positive effects.  So his entire approach changes from that of a didactic teacher to a prophet condemning their lack of faith.]

51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do ye.
​[It is speculation as to whether Stephen at this point determined his words were falling on deaf ears, or perhaps insurrection in the crowd, or just that this was the plan on how he would end it all along.  Comparing with Peter's speech on Pentecost, this is certainly no more harsh an accusation.  However, Peter was speaking in the past tense, Stephen is referring to their current attitudes.]

52 Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? and they killed them that showed before of the coming of the Righteous One; of whom ye have now become betrayers and murderers;
53 ye who received the law as it was ordained by angels, and kept it not.
[Essentially turning the tables on them, since this was the accusation made against him.]

54 Now when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
["Cut to the heart" -- very similar as the effect on Pentecost, showing that the same words that can bring one person to Christ can drive another one away.  "Gnashed on with the teeth" seems to be a Jewish idiom that is used a few times in the OT to indicate extreme anger.  More of a grinding of the teeth than anything else that we can determine.  Today we see people grit their teeth when mad ... perhaps that is akin to what is meant here.]

55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
[Another amazing Luke contrast -- what could be more different than the motivations of the mob and the motivations within Stephen.  Here again is the "full of the Holy Spirit" phrase -- we should understand what it means by now -- but notice that once again, it is followed by the person who is full of the Holy Spirit speaking the truth.]

56 and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.
57 But they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and rushed upon him with one accord;
58 and they cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
[They heard Stephen, but were no longer listening to him.  A harsh punishment by anyone's standards for a man who merely stated his own defense.]

59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon (the Lord), and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
[Following the example of the Lord.  We might contemplate just why this was allowed and what benefit it had.  Some answers are provided in the next chapter, but it is impossible for us to assign anything definitive to that other than the Lord will turn every evil into good ... Rom 8:28  "And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, (even) to them that are called according to (his) purpose."]



 
Introduction to Acts 8
[Acts 8 contains two conversions.  The conversions documented in the book of Acts are all the same as far as the requirements of salvation are concerned.  Why so many?  The answer (I believe ... I do not like to explain why God does what He does ... so this is just my speculation) every one of them is different in showing who is acceptable to God.  Remember the great commission -- Go into all the world, to all nations, and make disciples.  Here are a few examples to begin with.  The Jews came first and so far that is all that have been converted -- Jews and proselytes ... but still basically Jews.  The next step will be to go to the Samaritans.  Not quite Gentiles, but not exactly Jews either.  After that a black man will be converted (in our next Acts 8 installment), and then later on in Acts 10 the first pure non-circumcised Gentiles will be converted.  So let's start with the Samaritans, which will have some interesting doctrinal points.  You cannot help but read the book of Acts and see the sublimity of the writing -- how can so much information be packed into so few words?]
 
Acts 8 
8:1  And Saul was consenting unto his death. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church which was in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
[Saul (later Paul) was at this time consenting to the death of Stephen. God always has a way of turning evil into good.  Some speculate that early on the disciples expected Christ to return within days, so they remained around Jerusalem because that is where they expected him to appear.  So we still have a very large number of Jews who had come to Jerusalem for Pentecost who had stayed, and now months have gone by (I would expect).  God needed some way to get the Christians out of Jerusalem and into the rest of the world, and the persecution after the death of Stephen accomplished this.  God does not do bad things to accomplish good things, but He does take bad things that men do and turns them to His and our advantage.]

2 And devout men buried Stephen, and made great lamentation over him.
[This is an approved apostolic example for how we can and should deal with our dead -- this along with John 11 -- the death and burial of Lazarus.  And, of course we have Jesus' death and burial as well.  But that is about it -- no great detail is given to us as to a right or wrong way to deal with the death of our loved ones.  Death will  -- perhaps it should -- cause lamentation and sorrow.  But it should also be a day of rejoicing if we believe them to be in a saved condition.]

3 But Saul laid waste the church, entering into every house, and dragging men and women committed them to prison.
[Contrasting with the devout men who had great sorrow over Stephen's death.]

4 They therefore that were scattered abroad, went about preaching the word.
[We will learn shortly that this did not include the apostles -- they stayed in Jerusalem.  One conclusion we can draw from this is that ordinary Christians are fully equipped to preach the word, making converts and establishing churches.  This will become clear as events continue to unfold.]

5 And Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed unto them the Christ.
[Do you remember who Philip is from Acts 6?  He was one of the seven that the apostles laid their hands on -- along with Stephen.  From this we see that both are able to perform miracles with the power of the Holy Spirit that was given them by the laying on of the apostles hands.]

6 And the multitudes gave heed with one accord unto the things that were spoken by Philip, when they heard, and saw the signs which he did.
7 For (from) many of those that had unclean spirits, they came out, crying with a loud voice: and many that were palsied, and that were lame, were healed.
8 And there was much joy in that city.
[The primary joy was that of being saved after so many years in idolatry.]

9 But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who beforetime in the city used sorcery, and amazed the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:
10 to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is that power of God which is called Great.
11 And they gave heed to him, because that of long time he had amazed them with his sorceries.
12 But when they believed Philip preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13 And Simon also himself believed: and being baptized, he continued with Philip; and beholding signs and great miracles wrought, he was amazed.
[Note that all conversions were made complete by water baptism ... this was not Holy Spirit baptism as some contend because it becomes quite clear that they did not have the power to perform miracles that came with Holy Spirit baptism or the laying on of the apostles hands for this reason.   This was the same baptism that the Jews on Pentecost (and thereafter) were commanded to allow ... baptism for the remission of sins.  The miracles performed by Philip were essential to these people who did not have a very good foundation in the Jews religion, and even less knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ.]

14  Now when the apostles that were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
15 who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit:
16 for as yet it was fallen upon none of them: only they had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
[The fact that it was through the laying on of the apostles hands that the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit were enabled is further confirmed in the next verse.  Note that the term "receive the Holy Spirit" does not have a unique meaning.  All believers receive the "gift of the Holy Spirit, which is the Holy Spirit himself (Acts 5:32).  But this gift does not empower them all to perform miracles.  This is quite clear not only from what is happening here, but also what happened on and after Pentecost, when the miracles were performed "by the hands of the apostles."]
["Receive the Holy Spirit" is a term used in the book of Acts to refer to miraculous spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit (as discussed by Paul in 1 Cor. 12, 13 and 14).  The ONLY non-apostles that we have seen to this point who had these miraculous gifts were Stephen and Philip, and we know in Acts 6 that the apostles laid their hands on them.  In fact, it is only one verse after that laying on of the apostles hands that Stephen is out performing miracles -- which probably got him in trouble with those who were enemies of the gospel.  Since Philip or the apostles were not going to be able to provide ongoing guidance to these Samaritans, it is reasonable that they would need the Holy Spirit to guide them directly.]

18 Now when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,
19 saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit.
[What did Simon see?  A couple of lessons here.  First, it cannot be argued (although some will try) that Simon was never converted.  It says above that he believed and was baptized.  So what this tells us is just because you are baptized does not mean you are suddenly isolated from your old sinful ways.  Simon's old lust for power suddenly reared its ugly head and he dealt with the apostles like he would the false teachers that he had encountered.  "Man, this is cool -- you guys can actually do miracles, and more than this -- you can actually enable others to do miracles as well ... that is where the real power is."  You can see why this power was strictly entrusted to the apostles.  The abuse of spiritual gifts was a big problem in some of the early churches -- we see in 1st Corinthians that having spiritual gifts per se did not solve the problem of sin -- those who heard the truth and even those who preached the truth through the power of the Holy Spirit still had to OBEY it ... that is true today on our part, and on all those who would be saved.]
[It is a very definitive statement that "through the laying on of the apostles' hands the [miraculous
gifts of the] Holy Spirit were given."  There is an exception to this given in Acts 10, but this does not negate the general rule.  Luke states it as if the reader should be well aware of this concept.  Simon sees that this is a unique power, and the sin of Simon in this regard further emphasizes that this is not something that everyone automatically received, nor was it something that anyone other than an apostle could impart.]

20 But Peter said unto him, Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God with money.
[This should remind us of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11.  Was the basis of Simon’s sin not the same?  He was looking for greater status in the church.  So why was he not struck dead?  It seems that God saw in Simon the fact that he could repent and be of service to the spreading of the gospel.   Peter continues his address to Simon ….]

21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right before God.
22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray the Lord, if perhaps the thought of thy heart shall be forgiven thee.
23 For I see that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.
24 And Simon answered and said, Pray ye for me to the Lord, that none of the things which ye have spoken come upon me.
[The big difference -- Simon was willing to repent.  Note the pattern.  When we sin we do not need to be baptized again.  What we need to do is to repent (have sorrow for it to the point where we are resolved never to do it again), and then pray for forgiveness.  In 1st John it says that if we are willing to do this, God will forgive us of our sins.]

25 They therefore, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
[The apostles learned from this whole series of events that they should preach the word to the Samaritans, something that had not been doing before.]

26 But an angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza: the same is desert.
[Philip was being guided by a messenger (generic meaning of angel) of Jesus because there were specific people that he wanted converted at this time.  What joy Philip must have had to have been directly under the influence of the Lord and guided to those who are looking for the truth, since so few were then and so few are now.  Today His providence still guides us in this direction, although not in a miraculous way as was true back then.  A very positive ending to the story -- Simon repents and asks for forgiveness from Peter but also from God.  There seems little question in my mind that the apostles laid hands on Simon and imparted to him some spiritual gift(s) since he did not ask for that.  Simon could have gone on to become a great spiritual leader.]

[There are two major cases of conversion in Acts 8 -- the Samaritans and the Ethiopian.  Both illustrate the gospel going to all the world (all nationalities), and both were the work of Philip guided by the Holy Spirit.]

27 And he arose and went: and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship;
28 and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.
[His status is indicative of the fact that he might well be of considerable influence in converting others once he returned to Ethiopia.  It also confirms that he was a proselyte Jew, and in all probably a  black man.  This was no deterrent to Philip whatsoever.  The fact that he was reading the scriptures shows his faith in God's revelation.]

29 And the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
30 And Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
31 And he said, How can I, except some one shall guide me? And he besought Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before his shearer is dumb, So he openeth not his mouth:
33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: His generation who shall declare? For his life is taken from the earth.

[I know of no more definitive Old Testament prophesy than Isaiah 53.  It describes Christ and his treatment by men in detail.  Further, it was totally contrary to the general expectation of the Jews as to what the Christ would experience.  The Ethiopian had been under the influence of this conventional wisdom of the Jews, so he would need help in understanding how this was talking about Jesus.  Philip provided that assistance.  Note that there is nothing miraculous that the Ethiopian saw -- the only thing super natural here was the fact that Philip appeared at that particular time and place.  Conversions  often were accompanied by miracles to prove the new revelation; but miracles were not essential to the process.  Only the truth was/is essential.]

34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other?
35 And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached unto him Jesus.
36 And as they went on the way, they came unto a certain water; and the eunuch saith, Behold, (here is) water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
[The necessary inference here is that preaching Jesus will involve a discussion of baptism.  This was not the baptism of John the Baptist, as is explained in Acts 19:1-7.  This was baptism in the name of Jesus Christ (i.e., by His authority).  They did not have gifts of the Holy Spirit until Paul laid his hands on them for this purpose.]

37(And Philip said, If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.)
[The "more ancient manuscripts" do not contain this verse, but the more recent manuscripts are clearly not copies of the more ancient manuscripts.  The fact that the verse is found in a variety of different copies from different sources would indicate its authenticity more than how ancient the particular copy was estimated to be.  But no matter -- this concept is taught clearly in Romans 10 and Matthew 10 ...  there called "confession."  So the concept does not depend on the authenticity of this verse.  Why some scribe would insert it in here is a question.  What is easier and more innocent -- to mistakenly leave something out?  or to add something in?  The latter takes some real intentional effort -- the former is a very common mistake that would be xpected in most copying processes.]

38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.
[Despite the scarcity of water in that part of the country -- since the word baptize is a transliteration of the Greek word baptizo that only means immersion, there really should be no question about the mode of baptism that applied in the first century, and thus, what applies to us today ...]

39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, for he went on his way rejoicing.
[Interesting "caught away"  -- the same basic Greek root for 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 and 1 Thessalonians 4:17, where the concepts of "the rapture" supposedly originated.  There is nothing sacred about the word.  It is also used in the scriptures to indicate taking something by force (against the will of the person being "raptured") ... Matthew 11:12; 13:19; Joh 6:15; 10:12, 28, 29.  Please check the history on this, with Wikipedia or other search engine, and find out that the word "rapture" was not used in this religious way until the 19th century.]

40 But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached the gospel to all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.
[Considerable efforts, but still restricted to Jews or Jewish proselytes  -- that will all change in Acts 10, but first we need to see the conversion of the "apostle to the Gentiles" (Paul) in the Chapter 9.  There we will learn what turned Saul from being one of the worst persecutors of the Way to a man who was clearly willing to give his life for the cause.]


Acts 9
9:1 But Saul, yet breathing threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 and asked of him letters to Damascus unto the synagogues, that if he found any that were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
[In our country this persecution of people for their religious beliefs has been outlawed.  It would be good if this were the case in all countries.  I suspect in the first century it was not the case in any country.  Saul was not just a persecutor -- he was an initiator of persecution -- he took the lead in going to the high priest and requesting this authority from him.  This is why he would later describe himself as the worst of sinners.]

3 And as he journeyed, it came to pass that he drew nigh unto Damascus: and suddenly there shone round about him a light out of heaven:
4 and he fell upon the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And he (said), I am Jesus whom thou persecutest:
6 but rise, and enter into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
[Saul was not converted on the road to Damascus -- at best he was hit over the head with the proverbial 2x4 to get his attention.  He was converted the same way all have been converted to this point and since ... by hearing the truth preached from a human and obeying it.  No doubt God chose him for some special reason, and the miraculous events surrounding his conversion would provide the testimony that he could later witness to.  But Saul had to believe and obey just like all other converts.]

7 And the men that journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but beholding no man.
8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw nothing; and they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
9 And he was three days without sight, and did neither eat nor drink.
[A rather traumatic experience for all involved.]

10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and the Lord said unto him in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I (am here), Lord.
11 And the Lord (said) unto him, Arise, and go to the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one named Saul, a man of Tarsus: for behold, he prayeth;
12 and he hath seen a man named Ananias coming in, and laying his hands on him, that he might receive his sight.
[Saul was having visions of Ananias before he was converted.  We will see similar things with the first Gentiles who are converted in Acts 10.  It was necessary on both the part of Ananias and Saul to facilitate their understanding of what needed to occur.]

13 But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many of this man, how much evil he did to thy saints at Jerusalem:
14 and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call upon thy name.
15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel:
16 for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake.
[Jesus is very understanding of Ananias' questioning.  He was not offended that Ananias was questioning Him.  Saul inflicted much suffering, and Jesus said that once he was converted, he was going to incur much suffering.  The transition in Saul was dramatic.]

17 And Ananias departed, and entered into the house; and laying his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, (even) Jesus, who appeared unto thee in the way which thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mayest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
[As we saw in Acts 5:32, all Christians receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and in other places it is indicated that we should all be full of the Holy Spirit.  Saul will receive miraculous powers but there is no evidence that he received any such power here.  We do not see this until years later -- recorded in Acts 13.  This is just a statement of fact.  Saul was already filled with the truth from the Old Testament -- he just did not have the right understanding of it.  Once he understood why Jesus had come into this world, his knowledge of the scriptures suddenly became of value to him in preaching Jesus.  There is a general cause-effect relationship -- in almost all cases where it says someone(s) are filled with the Holy Spirit, it will immediately say, "and they spake."  In this case it is in verse 20: "And straightway in the synagogues he proclaimed Jesus, that he is the Son of God."]

[Later Paul gave this account of his interaction with Ananias.  Acts 22:12-16: "And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well reported of by all the Jews that dwelt there,  13 came unto me, and standing by me said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And in that very hour I looked up on him.  14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath appointed thee to know his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth.  15 For thou shalt be a witness for him unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.  16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on his name.]

18 And straightway there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he received his sight; and he arose and was baptized;
19 and he took food and was strengthened. And he was certain days with the disciples that were at Damascus.
[Saul was required to comply with the same conditions as all other converts were or ever will be.  We will see that he took his new life very seriously.]

[There is no statement or other evidence that Saul became an Apostle at the point of his conversion.  We have no evidence that this was the case, and it is not reasonable to believe that he would be qualified to be an apostle at this point (using the word apostle in its official sense).  We will see how he develops over time.  However, he was always an extremely religious man, and he wasted no time at all in doing what he could to serve Jesus.]

20 And straightway in the synagogues he proclaimed Jesus, that he is the Son of God.
[How could he do this so quickly?  The answer is his rich knowledge of the Old Testament.  Once he recognized the role that Jesus played in the Old Testament and especially the prophecies he could immediately be said to be filled with the Holy Spirit in this regard.  Nothing miraculous is implied here and nothing miraculous was necessary.  Saul knew the truth and could prove it from the Old Testament -- this was all that was required for him to accomplish what verse 20 states.]

21 And all that heard him were amazed, and said, Is not this he that in Jerusalem made havoc of them that called on this name? and he had come hither for this intent, that he might bring them bound before the chief priests.
22 But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews that dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is the Christ.
[He did this with his knowledge of the scriptures.  Notice that he was not endowed with spiritual strength -- he had to grow in strength, just like all Christians have to, and just like the other apostles had to.]

23 And when many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel together to kill him:
24 but their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates also day and night that they might kill him:
25 but his disciples took him by night, and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket.
[Well, Saul never stays out of trouble for too long, and the more successful he is, the quicker he gets into trouble.  Note that three years -- could be two years plus the way the Jews counted time -- but let's just say three years went by between this verse and the next according to Galatians 1.]

26 And when he was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: and they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.
[This verse occurred three years after verse 25, according to Galatians  1:15-18: "But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me, (even) from my mother's womb, and called me through his grace,  16 to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles; straightway I conferred not with flesh and blood:  17 neither went I up to Jerusalem to them that were apostles before me: but I went away into Arabia; and again I returned unto Damascus.  18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and tarried with him fifteen days."]

[Jerusalem is about 135 miles from Antioch, and no doubt there were many vicious rumors spread about Saul at this time.  Not much is known about the details in this three-year interim prior to coming to Jerusalem except that he was doing his best to preach, inspired by Jesus and the Holy Spirit (Galatians 1:12; 3:2), the word in his area of the world.]

27 But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.
[We have no idea how Barnabas knew this -- recall at the end of Acts 4 that Barnabas was the one who sold a field and laid it at the apostles feet for their use (in the context of a discussion of benevolence).  It seems reasonable that Saul/Paul and Barnabas had met prior to this.  We will now use the name Paul, which Luke did through most of the rest of the book of Acts.] 

28 And he was with them going in and going out at Jerusalem,
29 preaching boldly in the name of the Lord: and he spake and disputed against the Grecian Jews; but they were seeking to kill him.
[Paul was only here about two weeks (Gal. 1:18), and it was at this time that he fell into a trance while praying in the temple and got instructions from the Lord about his being sent to the Gentiles at least partially because his ability to convert Jews in the Judean area was practically hopeless.]

30 And when the brethren knew it, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.
[There Paul will stay (as far as we know) until retrieved by Barnabas at the end of Acts 11.]

31 So the church throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being edified; and, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, was multiplied.
[This is the only time that a statement like this is made.  It is hard to avoid the implication of the context -- now that Paul got out of there things settled down -- that is not a necessary implication, but it is kind of reasonable.  The rest of the chapter will elaborate on this success in what we might call "Peter's Missionary Journey."]

[The focus now shifts away from Saul as will be the case until the end of the 11th chapter, when Barnabas will go get him from his home in Tarsus and get him to join their efforts with the Gentiles in Antioch.  I have called this section "Peter's Missionary Journey"  since  many people do not realize that there were evangelist efforts in addition to those of Paul.  Peter's efforts were in the proximity of Judea, and they appear to be extremely successful.  They were aided considerably by the miracles that he performed.]

[Luke has strategically located his discussion of Peter's efforts -- which was spread well over a decade and probably several years.  It probably appears just before the conversion of the first Gentiles in order to demonstrate Peter's authority.  That authority is about to be challenged by Peter's Judiazing brethren as Peter is determined by the Holy Spirit to be the first one to preach and convert Gentiles.]

32 And it came to pass, as Peter went throughout all parts, he came down also to the saints that dwelt at Lydda.
33 And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had kept his bed eight years; for he was palsied.
34 And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ healeth thee: arise and make thy bed. And straightway he arose.
35 And all that dwelt at Lydda and in Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.
37 And it came to pass in those days, that she fell sick, and died: and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper chamber.
38 And as Lydda was nigh unto Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men unto him, entreating him, Delay not to come on unto us.
39 And Peter arose and went with them. And when he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.
40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled 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.
41 And he gave her his hand, and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.
42 And it became known throughout all Joppa: and many believed on the Lord.
43 And it came to pass, that he abode many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner.

[We now follow Peter as he is about to be guided through the conversion of the first Gentiles.  It is quite interesting how the Holy Spirit worked here.  Why did He not just tell Peter what He had in mind for Peter and the Cornelius folks?  Could it be that Peter had been told of the Gentiles' future conversions dozens of times before and it just did not register?  It has been about 10 years since Pentecost at this point. so you would think that the apostles would have moved on this much faster.  But we know God always has His reasons for doing things the way that He does.  We start Acts10 with a description of Cornelius ...]


Acts 10
10:1 Now (there was) a certain man in Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of the band called the Italian (band),
2 a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, who gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.
[He was a Roman soldier, and so clearly a Gentile.  All Romans were not bad.  In fact there were Emperors during the time of Jesus on this earth and shortly after Pentecost when we can say that as far as the church was concerned, they were “good emperors” in that they did not persecute the church during their reins, and probably by God’s providence the church was able to grow.  In particular, Tiberius (14-37 AD) and Claudius (41-54 AD) Acts 18:1-3.  At the other extreme were Caligula (37-41 AD – only lasted five years) and Nero (56-68, the time of Paul’s trials in Jerusalem and ultimate imprisonment in Rome).]

3 He saw in a vision openly, as it were about the ninth hour of the day, an angel of God coming in unto him, and saying to him, Cornelius.
4 And he, fastening his eyes upon him, and being affrighted, said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are gone up for a memorial before God.
[God respects the prayers of the righteous, as evidenced by God choosing out Cornelius (with his family and friends) to be the first Gentile converts.  The fact that he was afraid shows the legitimacy of this miracle.]

5 And now send men to Joppa, and fetch one Simon, who is surnamed Peter:
6 he lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side.
[The angel provided detailed instructions for Cornelius.  He did not preach the gospel to him – that is not anything that angels do; men are to preach the gospel.]

7 And when the angel that spake unto him was departed, he called two of his household-servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually;
8 and having rehearsed all things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.
[He sent men he trusted, and the soldier to protect them,  We would expect such a faithful worshipper of God to be immediately obedient to the command given.  No doubt we have all known some like Cornelius, and there is no doubt that we should emulate men of such goodness.  The scene now shifts to Peter ...]

9 Now on the morrow, as they were on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour:
10 and he became hungry, and desired to eat: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance;
11 and he beholdeth the heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending, as it were a great sheet, let down by four corners upon the earth:
12 wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts and creeping things of the earth and birds of the heaven.
[Those Peter was staying with were fixing food -- perhaps he smelled it.  A trance is not anything miraculous; I would expect we all fall into them from time to time when we are concentrating so much on something that everything else is shut out.  But in this case we see Peter having a vision during the trance that is being guided by the Holy Spirit.]

13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill and eat.
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common and unclean.
15 And a voice (came) unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, make not thou common.
[Perhaps the reference is to Jesus words in Mark 7:18-19:  "And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Perceive ye not, that whatsoever from without goes into the man, (it) cannot defile him; because it goes not into his heart, but into his belly, and goes out into the draught? (This he said), making all meats clean."  Of course, Peter's current experience had little to do with meat and everything to do with mankind.  The connection between making all meats clean and making all men clean cannot be escaped.  It seems that Peter at this point is not yet getting what this experience is all about, so it is repeated two more times.]

16 And this was done thrice: and straightway the vessel was received up into heaven.
17 Now while Peter was much perplexed in himself what the vision which he had seen might mean, behold, the men that were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood before the gate,
18 and called and asked whether Simon, who was surnamed Peter, were lodging there.
19 And while Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.
20 But arise, and get thee down, and go with them, nothing doubting: for I have sent them.
[As an apostle, Peter had a close relationship with the Holy Spirit, and he is allowing himself to be so guided.]

21 And Peter went down to the men, and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come?
22 And they said, Cornelius a centurion, a righteous man and one that feareth God, and well reported of by all the nation of the Jews, was warned (of God) by a holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words from thee.
[We see here that it was an angel who spoke to Cornelius.]

23 So he called them in and lodged them. And on the morrow he arose and went forth with them, and certain of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him.
[This is important – these Jewish men (“brethren”) will be objective witnesses of what is about to take place.  Such witnesses were necessary because of the deep prejudice of the Jews, and even some Jewish Christians, against Gentiles.  This problem of Jews not wanting to recognize that the Law of Moses had been set aside will continue throughout the book of Acts, and we expect well beyond as well.]

24 And on the morrow they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius was waiting for them, having called together his kinsmen and his near friends.
25 And when it came to pass that Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.
26 But Peter raised him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.
[Peter was certainly correct in this regard, and to his credit.  Jesus, being divine, never refused such worship.  Cornelius had gathered together his family and friends, and they would become part of these first Gentile converts to Jesus.]

27 And as he talked with him, he went in, and findeth many come together:
28 and he said unto them, Ye yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to join himself or come unto one of another nation; and (yet) unto me hath God showed that I should not call any man common or unclean:
29 wherefore also I came without gainsaying, when I was sent for. I ask therefore with what intent ye sent for me.
[This seems to be contradictory.  On the one hand it seems like Peter finally "got it" -- what his vision on the rooftop was all about.  We learn that the rules regarding a Jew going into and having any relationship at all with Gentiles was quite strict, and apparently codified into the Jewish law in some form.  It is certainly not an Old Testament edict, but apparently became the law of that time.  Peter violated that law, and that will be brought up to him when he goes back to Jerusalem, as we will see in Acts 11.  The reason was his vision -- arguing from the lessor to the greater -- if he is not to call animals (meats) unclean, why should he call people unclean?  His question seems to be a rhetorical one to being to start a dialogue with Cornelius.  In a sense, he wants to know the status of Cornelius.]

30 And Cornelius said, Four days ago, until this hour, I was keeping the ninth hour of prayer in my house; and behold, a man stood before me in bright apparel,
31 and saith, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.
[It was an angel, the word man is used accommodatively ... the angel was in the form of a man.]

32 Send therefore to Joppa, and call unto thee Simon, who is surnamed Peter; he lodgeth in the house of Simon a tanner, by the sea side.
33 Forthwith therefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore we are all here present in the sight of God, to hear all things that have been commanded thee of the Lord.
[I expect, whether he knew it or not, that he was referring to Jesus' conditions of salvation since we have no specific commands other than the Spirit telling Peter to go with these men.]

34 And Peter opened his mouth and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to him.
[What a beautiful statement of God's love and mercy for all people everywhere.  What a wonderful world it would be if we all followed God in the love He showed in all relationships.]

36 The word which he sent unto the children of Israel, preaching good tidings of peace by Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all.)
37 that saying ye yourselves know, which was published throughout all Judaea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;
38(even) Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
[The preaching of the gospel started with the Jews (children of Israel).  We saw that in Acts 2 when Peter preached the first gospel sermon to those of many nationalities, but they were all Jews.  Since then the gospel has gone to Samaritan, but they are accounted as Jews as well.  This chapter tells us about the first preaching of the gospel to Gentiles.]

39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the country of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom also they slew, hanging him on a tree.
40 Him God raised up the third day, and gave him to be made manifest,
41 not to all the people, but unto witnesses that were chosen before of God, (even) to us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
42 And he charged us to preach unto the people, and to testify that this is he who is ordained of God (to be) the Judge of the living and the dead.
[The elements of Peter's sermon here can be mapped to his previous detailed sermons in Acts 2 and 3.  Luke is extremely concise in capturing the major elements of this sermon.  As an apostle Peter could give eye-witness testimony as to the accuracy of what he is saying.  Interesting that he says that this witnessing capability was "not too all people."  Thus, our care in sticking to the initial definition of this word is sound.  There were probably a lot of rumors with regard to Jesus that the group here had heard, and Peter was anxious for them to disregard those things and listen to what he was saying.  This, to say nothing of the false teachers who were trying to capitalize on Jesus' resurrection.  They have always been with us and they always will be until Jesus comes in judgment.]

43 To him bear all the prophets witness, that through his name every one that believeth on him shall receive remission of sins.
[More witnesses – the Old Testament prophets – this shows that the written word (scriptures) are as authoritative in this regard as were the apostles.]

44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all them that heard the word.
[This is a unique event in the book of Acts ... it never happened before and it never happened again.  In all other cases (with the possible exception of Saul, which we have no record of), miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit were imparted through the laying on of the hands of the apostles.  What warrants this special event?  The answer is that they were the first Gentiles to be converted without the need for being proselyted (circumcised for the males) into Judaism.  And as importantly, the witnesses here and for that matter Peter, himself, had to be convinced that the conversion of the Gentiles was a legitimate thing that was ordained of God.  This is confirmed below and into Chapter 11.]

45 And they of the circumcision that believed were amazed, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit.
[“Of the circumcision” in general applies to those who were promoting the Law of Moses among Christians.  In this context it is merely being used to identify those who had come with Peter. Yes, they were amazed since it was the general teaching of the Judaizing Christians that someone had to become a Jew (be circumcised) before he could become a Christian.  So their erroneous belief got a shock treatment.]

46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
[If this were provable,  they would have had to have been speaking in Hebrew or some language that the witnesses could attest was legitimate.  Babbling with unrecognizable words would not convince anyone of anything.  "Speak with tongues" has its same meaning as it does in Acts 2; when we get to Peter's explanation of this event in Acts 11, he will refer back to that.  This is also explained in 1 Corinthians 14:9: “So also ye, unless ye utter by the tongue speech easy to understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye will be speaking into the air.”   “Speaking in tongues” is always in a language that can be understood by the hearers even though it was not necessarily a language that was familiar to the one speaking.}

46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
47 Can any man forbid the water, that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit as well as we?
[The implication is that some had been "forbidding the water", i.e., refusing to baptized uncircumcised believers; this is verified in Acts 15.  Today many forbid the water in that they want to teach that baptism is not necessary for salvation.  Clearly, these words of Peter mandate their baptism even though they have been blessed by the Holy Spirit temporarily with the gift of tongues.]

48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
[Peter did not have the power to command anything not commanded by Jesus.  Some there may not have obeyed this command.  Would they have been saved?  Even if they used the excuses that many use today?  Consider Acts 2:41 "They then that received his word were baptized: and there were added (unto them) in that day about three thousand souls." Also, consider Acts 22:16 (Ananias to Saul): "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on his name."  The scriptural evidence that baptism is required for salvation is overwhelming.]  





Go to Acts 11-15