Acts 9-10
What I Noticed Today (Acts 9-10)
Acts 9
In verses 1-19, Luke records the conversion of Saul to Paul.
In verses 1-2, Saul continued his persecution of the church by going to the high priest and asking for letters giving him permission to capture any believers and bring them to Jerusalem as prisoners.
Note: The phrase in verse 1, “Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing threats…” looks back to Acts 8:3.
In verses 3-9, Saul was on his way to Damascus, looking for Christians to arrest when a bright light flashing from heaven surrounded him. He fell to the ground, and a loud voice asked him, why are you persecuting me? The voice told Saul he was persecuting Jesus, get up and go into the city, and do what you are told. The men who were traveling with Paul heard the noise but didn’t see anything. When Saul got up, he could not see anything, so the men led him into Damascus, where he stayed. For three days, Saul was not able to see, and he took no food or drink.
Note: The “noise” his companions heard was apparently the voice of Jesus speaking to Saul, but they only heard the noise because His words were meant only for Saul.
In verses 10-18, Saul accepts Christ as Messiah and is baptized by Ananias.
In verses 10-16, The Lord sent a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, a vision instructing him to go to the house of Judas, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, and lay hands on him so he might receive his sight.
Ananias was reluctant because he knew Saul searched for believers to arrest, but the Lord reassured him, saying this man is My chosen instrument to the Gentiles, kings, and Israelites.
In verses 17-19, Ananias went to the house and laid hands on Saul, saying the Lord Jesus had sent him to restore his sight and receive the Holy Spirit. Saul immediately regained his sight and was baptized.
Note: Ananias referred to Saul as “Brother Saul” in anticipation of his conversion.
In verses 19b-25, Saul was in Damascus for several days with the disciples and immediately began proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God in the synagogues. Saul became more capable and confounded the Jews as he proved Jesus was the Son of God.
After many days the Jews in Damascus planned to kill Saul, so the disciples lowered him through a hole in the city wall at night.
Note: Saul intended to go to Damascus to persecute believers. He was blinded by God going into the city but ended up having God restore his sight, and became a believer and was persecuted himself.
In verses 26-31, Saul returned to Jerusalem, but the disciples were afraid to be with him. Barnabas took Saul before the apostles and vouched for Saul. Saul was with the apostles in Jerusalem preaching to the Hellenistic Jews, but the Jews planned to kill him, so the brothers took Paul to Caesarea and sent him to Tarsus.
And all the church in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and grew in numbers.
Note: Caesarea was a seaport town about 65 miles from Jerusalem. From there, Saul sailed north to Tarsus (Galatia, modern Turkey).
In verses 32-36, as Peter was traveling, he visited the believers in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. Peter healed him in the name of the Lord, and all the people of Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
Note: Lydda is modern-day Lod, just north of the city of Jerusalem. Sharon was not a town but a fertile plain some 10 miles wide and 50 miles long.
In verses 36-43, while Peter was in Lydda, a woman in Joppa named Tabitha (translated Dorcas), a disciple, became sick and died. She was well known for her acts of charity. Believers in Joppa sent word to Peter in Lydda asking him to come. When Peter arrived, he sent all the people out of the room, knelt down and prayed, and commanded Tabitha to get up. Peter helped her up and presented her to the believers alive. As a result of this miracle, many in Joppa believed in the Lord. Peter stayed in Joppa for many days with Simon, the Tanner.
Note: Tanners were considered impure by Jews because of their contact with dead animals (See Leviticus 11:40). In staying with Simon, Peter was already stepping away from Jewish law to enjoy freedom in Christ.
Acts 10
In verses 1-8, Cornelius, a Roman Centurion who lived in Caesarea, was a devout man, as were his family members. He was a man of prayer and known for his acts of charity toward the Jewish people.
About 3 pm, a vision appeared to him, telling him his prayers and acts of charity had been received as an offering by God. He was instructed to send men to Joppa to the house of Simon, the Tanner, and call for Simon Peter. Cornelius explained the request to his servants and sent them.
In verses 9-15, the next day, about noon, Peter went to the rooftop to pray but saw a vision of heaven opening and a large sheet descending to earth. In it were all kinds of four-legged animals, reptiles, and birds. A voice called out for Peter to rise, kill, and eat. But he protested, saying the animals were unclean. The voice said, what God has made clean, you must not call unclean. This happened three times, and then the object was taken back up into heaven.
In verses 17-23a, while Peter was still trying to figure out the meaning of the vision, the men Cornelius had sent arrived and called out for Peter. The Holy Spirit told Peter to go with these men because He had sent them. The men told them about Cornelius and their mission to bring Peter to Cornelius to receive a message.
In verses 23b-33, the next day, Peter set out with the men from Caesarea and some of the believers from Joppa, and they arrived in Caesarea the following day. When Peter arrived, Cornelius fell to his knees and worshiped Peter.
Peter told Cornelius to stand up; he was only a man. God had told him (Peter) it was no longer forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with a foreigner.
Cornelius recounted how the vision had come to him four days before and how he had immediately obeyed, sending for Peter. They were all together now, present before God, to hear God’s message.
Note: In verses 1-29, we see mention of two days passing, but in verse 30, Cornelius said four days ago. The difference is the Jews count any portion of a day as a day, and their day begins at 6 pm. So, when the men left Cornelius at 3 pm, that was day one, they arrived at Peter’s on day 2, left in the afternoon, and arrived at 12n two days later. A total of 4 four “days.”
In verses 34-43, Peter explained he now understood that God does not show favoritism toward any nation or person who fears Him and does righteousness.
Note: There is some controversy over verse 35. This is not saying there is salvation by works but that all peoples and nations can receive Christ as Messiah. In the past, the Jewish people were considered God’s chosen people, and it was through them that other people came to know God. Now, all people can know God through Jesus Christ.
Peter then described the history of Jesus, the ministry of John the Baptist, the anointing of the Holy Spirit on Jesus, the many healings He performed, and how He was persecuted and killed. God raised Him up on the third day and commanded the apostles to witness to what they had seen and heard that everyone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.
In verses 44-48, Peter’s speech was interrupted by the sudden appearance of the Holy Spirit, which descended on all those who heard the message. The circumcised believers (Jewish believers) were amazed because the Holy Spirit also came to the Gentiles. The Gentile converts spoke in other languages declaring the greatness of God just as the Jewish believers had done at Pentecost.
Note: The conversion of the Gentiles and the descending of the Holy Spirit on them is often referred to as the Gentile Pentecost.
Note: In Acts 2:8, the word used for foreign languages is dialecto, which are real languages as opposed to excited utterances. In Acts 10:46, the word used for other languages is glossais. Glossai is often translated as “tongues,” meaning excited utterances but is also used in the context of unnaturally learned languages. It seems most likely that these languages were real because the people nearby heard and understood them to declare God's glory.
With that, Peter said these people should not be prevented from being baptized since the Holy Spirit had come upon them. They were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and he stayed with them for several days.
Note: Luke has detailed three distinct conversions thus far in Acts: The Ethiopian eunuch was a son of Ham, Saul of Tarsus was a son of Shem, and Cornelius was a son of Japheth. These are the three sons of Noah (Genesis 10:1).
Some thoughts for additional consideration:
- We are not all called to the same ministry in the kingdom. Ananias obeyed the Lord, went to Saul, laid hands on him, and baptized him. We never hear of Ananias again. We do not even know the names of the brothers who helped Paul escape through the wall of the city, but they were doing God’s work. We are all called and equipped to do the work the Lord has called us to do!
- The importance of the Gentile Pentecost cannot be underestimated. The Gentiles heard the Word and believed (v. 44), they received the Holy Spirit (vv. 44, 47), and they were baptized (v. 48). The Gentiles were saved in the same manner as the Jews, and in neither case is there a mention of laws that need to be kept, no mention of rituals to be performed (like circumcision), and no works that must be completed. We are all saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
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