In this chapter, we learn of the reaction to Peter’s experience with Cornelius in Caesarea. We also see the gospel spreading to Gentile regions, namely Antioch, where the followers of Jesus were first called Christians. We are reintroduced to Barnabas, a great ambassador for the gospel, and the apostle Paul returns to Luke’s story as well. Let’s take a look.
1) V1-3 – 1The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
Luke reports criticism of Peter by “the apostles and the brothers throughout Judea… , the circumcised believers.” How can it be that even the apostles were still wrapped up in the manmade traditions of the Jewish religion? Indeed, Jews were supposed to be distinct from Gentiles, and circumcision was supposed to be physical evidence of that spiritual distinction. But the Jews knew that Gentiles would be welcomed before the Lord at some point; they just didn’t think the time was now, and they didn’t think it could happen apart from circumcision and the observance of other Jewish laws, rituals, and customs. But it did, and certain Jewish believers (Paul and now Peter) realized it quicker than others (James and the Judaizers).
2) V4-18 – 4Peter began and explained everything to them precisely as it had happened: 5“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. 6I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ 8I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ 10This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again. 11Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. 12The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. 13He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. 14He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.’ 15As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17So if God gave them the same gift as He gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?” 18When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”
Peter responds to the criticism by retelling the whole story about his vision and experience with Cornelius and the Gentiles. His audience respected Peter and listened without interruption to the whole account. And the clear evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit among these Gentile believers served as proof that Peter had done the right thing. And his audience appreciated what he learned and even praised God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”
Calvin says of God’s role in granting repentance, that the phrase “may be expounded two manner of ways; either that God granted to the Gentiles place for repentance, when as He would have His gospel preached to them (– In other words, this is the Arminian view, that God grants the opportunity for them to use their free will to stir up a repentant attitude in their hearts after hearing the gospel of God’s great love and patience and kindness); or that He circumcised their hearts by His Spirit (the Calvinist view), as Moses saith in Deuteronomy 30:6, and made them fleshy hearts of stony hearts, as saith Ezekiel (Ezekiel 11:19). For it is a work proper to God alone to fashion and to beget men again, that they may begin to be new creatures; and it agreeth better with this second sense; it is not so much racked, and it agreeth better with the phrase [phraseology] of Scripture.”
Obviously, much can be expounded on this final statement, but we ought to remember the context, that “they had no further objections and praised God, saying” it. Nevertheless, it is easy to criticize them. For example, when we read the word “even,” we can see their pride, as if Jews were somehow worthy of God’s blessing. And when we read the statement with a certain negative tone, we can put the Jewish believers into an attitude of begrudgingly accepting something they don’t like, when the context seems to eliminate that attitude, at least among the audience majority. Luke implies that the criticism of Peter ceased at this point, though perhaps not completely, or only temporarily from certain Jews, such as the Judaizers. However, most of the Jewish believers still kept the gospel message for themselves and did not boldly declare it among the Gentiles. Providentially, things were different in Antioch, as we will now see.
3) V19-26 – 19Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. 20Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. 22News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. 25Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
Luke backtracks a bit to “the persecution in connection with Stephen” from Acts 7. He reminds us that the believers, except for the apostles, were scattered from Jerusalem, and we learn that they shared the gospel as they settled – but only with other Jews. However, some Jewish believers who had made their way to Antioch to escape persecution, unnamed men from Cyprus (though not Barnabas yet) and Cyrene, started sharing the gospel with Gentiles as well as Jews. Because “the Lord’s hand was with them, …a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord” (v21).
Because the Jerusalem church held authority over the Antioch church at this time, Jerusalem leaders sent Barnabas – “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith” – to assess and manage the situation by ensuring proper doctrine and governance (Acts 11:23). Barnabas, perhaps because of his loyalty, faithfulness, and ability to encourage others, was fit for the task. He was glad to see what God’s grace was accomplishing in Antioch, and indeed, he encouraged faithfulness to the Lord among the Antioch believers. As the church in Antioch grew, there quickly became more Gentile Christians, and that’s when critical decisions had to be made about defining what it means to be a Christian. One author says, “Due to the rapid spread of the Gospel among Antioch (in Syria) Greeks, the Jerusalem church sent Barnabas to minister to the new believers (Acts 11:20-22). God used Barnabas, after his arrival in Antioch, to add even more converts to the church (Acts 11:23-24). Barnabas soon traveled to Tarsus, where Paul lived, to solicit his help with the newly converted Antioch brethren.” Barnabas must have known about Paul’s ministry, and perhaps his specialty in dealing with Gentiles. So Paul now re-enters Luke’s Acts storyline.
4) V27-30 – 27During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) 29The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. 30This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
With the words, “During this time,” Luke leaves us to wonder where in the timeline of Paul’s life and ministry this particular event fits in, especially in light of Paul’s own words in his Epistle to the Galatians. Some suggest that the famine of Acts 11, prophesied by Agabus, coincides with Paul’s explanations in Galatians 2:1-10. Others say that Paul’s explanation in Galatians fits better with Acts 15 and the conference in Jerusalem. F.F. Bruce prefers the former, based primarily on the fact that circumcision doesn’t appear to be a big deal in Galatians 2:1-10. Therefore, says Bruce, the circumcision issue arose later. And we’ll discuss that when we come to Acts 15. But the point of this visit to Jerusalem was to alleviate the needs of the Jerusalem church on account of the famine. James had the primacy as leader of Jerusalem, over Peter and John, and their key message was to remember the poor in their ministry to the Gentiles. There are several suggestions as to the identity of the poor here. It could refer to the poor Jerusalem Christians, the entire Jerusalem church in the midst of persecution and famine, the Essenes, who specifically referred to themselves as the oppressed and afflicted of the flock (Zechariah 11:7,11), or even the Jewish dispersion, referred to as Ebionites (1 Peter 1:1; James 1:1). Most experts suggest that, though Paul was eager to remember the poor as a voluntary gesture of Christian love, the Jerusalem leadership may have seen this responsibility as a tribute or debt owed from the daughter churches to the mother church.
Claudius ruled the Roman Empire from 41-54 AD, and we presume that Paul ministered in Antioch from 41-42 AD. There were likely many comings and goings between Antioch and Jerusalem around this time by the church leaders; and perhaps the reason Luke includes this passage in his account is to reveal the generosity of the thriving church in Antioch. The disciples there, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul. So Paul and Barnabas made their way to Jerusalem around 43 AD. When they had finished their mission in Jerusalem, they returned to Antioch with John Mark (Acts 12:25).
Footnotes
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Bible text from Gospelcom.net. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.