Double Vision
Acts 10: 1-23 (June 15)
A few years ago, I had a surgical procedure in which I was out for a couple of hours. I remember when I tried to stand up, I got dizzy, and my vision was messed up. It was as if I saw two of everything... Double Vision.
In today's reading, we have Double Vision...but not from one person but two. Cornelius has a vision. Peter has a vision. God was using visuals to get his point across to both of these men.
Cornelius is a Roman army officer who lived in Caesarea. He was in charge of about 100 men. He was a normal soldier type, except for one great standout thing about him... he was a devout, God-fearing man as was his household. This Gentile man gave generously to the needy and prayed to God.
It was on an afternoon at about 3:00 that Cornelius had his vision. An angel of God came toward him, calling "Cornelius!" This terrified Cornelius. He didn't know a lot about angels. He thought it was God himself. WHEW!!!
The angel told Cornelius that his generosity and prayers had been received by God as an offering. He was asked to send some men to Joppa to retrieve Peter. So, Cornelius gathers up a soldier and a couple of household servants and sent them off to Joppa.
As they were nearing Joppa the next day, Peter went out on the roof to pray. It was about lunchtime, and he was hungry. This is where his vision takes place.
He saw the sky open, and a large sheet let down by its corners. In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. A voice said to him, "Get up, Peter; kill and eat them."
Peter wanted none of that! (Kind of how I feel when someone offers me deer, lamb or snake meat.) His Jewish upbringing prevented him from ever eating anything pure and unclean, and he didn't want today to be the day to change that.
But the voice spoke again: "Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean." He had this vision three more times. This vision was about more than a Jew eating meat. Before the vision, Peter would never have considered that a Gentile Roman officer could accept Christ, because the Gentiles were seen as inferior, and he thought God would not redeem an inferior man.
After the vision, Peter realized it was his responsibility to offer Christ to the Gentiles. This is when the gospel began to spread even further by offering the Gentiles the same opportunity to know Jesus.
Because of this, Peter was willing to go with the messengers of Cornelius back to Caesarea. He knew God was saying that all men have the ability and opportunity to know him, not just a chosen few.
Because of the visions of Cornelius and Peter, the Gentiles had the chance to become believers.