Acts 10:11, commentary and pictures

Peter in trance saw heaven opened and a sheet-like vessel tied at the four corners let down to earth, filled with all kinds of unclean creatures and accompanied by the command to kill and eat, repeated three times.
The sheet does not abolish the distinction between clean and unclean for food, but teaches in symbols that no person is to be called common or unclean, for God is no respecter of persons and cleanses Jew and Gentile alike through faith in Christ.
Through Christ's death the middle wall is broken down so the Gentiles become fellow-heirs with Israel on equal terms, first shown when the Spirit fell on Cornelius and his household as on Jewish believers.
Heaven and earth unite in this work, with angels guiding sincere seekers to human messengers who must carry the light to them, calling believers today to break down prejudice and carry the gospel freely to all, including men of influence like Cornelius.

Vision Setting and Details

Peter was praying on the housetop at Joppa about the sixth hour when the vision came. He had become very hungry while food was being made ready, and he was weary from journeying and burdened with hunger for the salvation of his countrymen. He fell into a trance in prayer, and this occurred immediately after the angel's interview with Cornelius.

What he saw was heaven opened and a certain vessel descending toward him, like a great sheet knit and tied at the four corners and let down to the earth. It was a large sheet-like vessel held at its four corners, coming down from the opened heaven directly to him.

The sheet contained all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth and wild beasts and creeping things and fowls of the air. A voice commanded him to rise, kill and eat, but Peter refused because he had never eaten anything common or unclean. The answer came that what God had cleansed he must not call common, and this exchange was done three times before the vessel was received up again.

Peter was left doubting in himself what the symbols meant, for the sight was a lesson given in symbols whose meaning was not at first clear. While he considered it, the men sent from Cornelius stood at the gate, and the Spirit told him that three men sought him and commanded him to arise and go down and go with them doubting nothing. The vision and the arrival of the messengers were closely arranged events, with angels of God directing at every step toward Cornelius and his household.

The episode exemplifies instruction given through vision, with what should be spoken shown in vision. The showing was repeated again and again, as people in that chapter received divine direction. Such visions are given not for a new rule of faith but for the comfort of God's people and to correct those erring from Bible truth.

Sheet Means People Not Food

The sheet let down from heaven was given in symbols to overcome prejudice against the Gentiles thoroughly fixed by Jewish training and to convert from belittling those who had no opportunity to hear the truth, teaching about men and not about food. Its meaning left Peter doubting in himself until the men sent from Cornelius stood at the gate and the Spirit told him three men sought him and commanded him to go down and go with them doubting nothing, with direction at every step toward Cornelius and his household. Through Christ's death the heathen were made partakers equally with the Jews of the blessings and privileges of the gospel, revealing a world-wide plan extending to all nations.

What was shown means not to call any man common or unclean, for God is no respecter of persons and in heaven there is no respect of persons, but in every nation he who fears Him and works righteousness is accepted with Him. Jew and Gentile are alike precious in His sight, and Gentiles are not to be treated as inferior or unfit for fellowship. This was made clear when Peter was sent to teach Cornelius and saw the Holy Spirit given to uncircumcised Gentile believers just as to Jewish believers. The conversion of Cornelius was the first of importance among the Gentiles, opening an entirely new phase in which the door closed against them was thrown open and believing Gentiles were to be regarded as on an equality with Jewish disciples.

The vision does not remove the distinction between clean and unclean animals for food, does not remove the prohibition of unclean flesh, and does not make swine's flesh fit for food. That narrow interpretation is contradicted by the account and its outcome, for the command concerning what God had cleansed referred to Gentile people and not to permission to eat animals formerly declared unclean. The sheet with all manner of living creatures and the command to kill and eat, with the assurance that what God cleansed must not be called common or unclean, was simply an illustration of the true position of the Gentiles.

What God cleansed refers to people cleansed through faith in Jesus Christ, whose death and blood cleanse all from uncleanness, so that Jews and Gentiles are not to be ranked differently. Hearts are cleansed through faith, and the blood of Jesus cleanses them from every nation who fear Him and do what is right. Christ's blood can cleanse all from uncleanness, and God does not regard Gentiles as inferior to Jews.

Men must not be measured by a human standard or judged for not taking part in religious services. It is forbidden to call common and unclean those for whom God cares, including faithful, well-principled, honest, orderly, unselfish men who are not church members but live by the keeping power of God. God is watching over some who today are not actively engaged in His work but who will take up the work He calls them to and become faithful, reliable workers, and though their voices are not heard in religious meetings their good example will be recognized in the great day when rewards are given and crowns of glory placed upon them. Peter understood this when he went with the men who came for him and pointed Cornelius to Jesus as the sinner's only hope.

The ceremonial distinction between circumcised and uncircumcised is no longer to be preserved, and Gentiles are no longer to be looked upon as unclean. Gentile converts are not to have the ceremonial law or circumcision imposed upon them, but are to be accepted without the necessity of observing circumcision. When censured for going in to uncircumcised men and eating with them, the retelling of the vision showed the course was in direct fulfillment of the divine plan, that Jewish prejudice and exclusiveness were to be utterly destroyed, that God had granted to the Gentiles also repentance unto life, and that the way was opened without controversy for work among them.

Gentiles Made Fellow Heirs

The descending sheet came as both reproof and instruction, because none of the disciples had yet preached the gospel to the Gentiles and their labors were still confined to the Jews. Though the middle wall of partition had been broken down by the death of Christ, in their minds it still stood and shut the Gentiles out from the privileges of the gospel. They looked upon the Gentiles as an unclean race excluded from the promises of God.

Its instruction was that through Christ and by His death the heathen are made partakers equally with the Jews of the blessings and privileges of the gospel as fellow-heirs with Israel. The sheet with its living creatures was simply an illustration of the true position of the Gentiles, not a removal of the distinction between clean and unclean animals for food. By this Peter was led to comprehend the world-wide extent of God's plan.

The meaning was made clear when Peter was sent to teach Cornelius and saw the Holy Spirit given to uncircumcised Gentile believers just as to Jewish believers. That marked an entirely new phase of work in which the door that had been closed against the Gentiles was thrown open. Gentiles who accepted the gospel were to be regarded as on an equality with Jewish disciples, without the necessity of observing circumcision. Jew and Gentile cleansed through faith in Christ were not to be ranked differently.

The conversion of Cornelius was to be the first one of importance among the Gentiles, though Greek Jews had become believers and many Gentiles had listened with interest before. It was only the firstfruits of a harvest to be gathered in from the world. From that home in a heathen city a widespread work of grace was carried on. The episode thus marks the opening of the gospel to the Gentiles and its spread beyond the Jewish people.

Peter undertook the duty laid upon him by divine command with reluctance at every step, and the result was a great surprise to him. Afterward he defended his action not on general principles but as an exception done because of divine revelation. When censured in Judea for going in to uncircumcised men and eating with them, he retold the vision to show his course was in direct fulfillment of the plan of God. By this Jewish prejudice and exclusiveness were to be utterly destroyed, it being shown that God had granted to the Gentiles also repentance unto life. So the way was opened without controversy for work among the Gentiles, for the outpouring of the Spirit upon Cornelius and his household, and for the later mission to the Gentiles.

Heaven Joining Human Workers

The opened heaven and the sheet let down to earth belong to God working out His will on earth as in heaven by bringing Peter into living connection with Cornelius to carry the gospel to those who had been strangers and foreigners and make them fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God. The vision was given while Peter prayed on the housetop to convert Peter himself to God's purpose for the Gentiles, stripping away settled prejudice and teaching that the barrier between Jew and Gentile was to be taken away and that both are by faith to be joined to Jesus Christ. It puts great honor on the gospel by uniting heaven and earth in one work, with Peter appointed as the human instrument in the hands of heavenly agencies while Cornelius advanced into full faith in the promised Messiah fulfilled in Christ.

God joins heavenly messengers and human workers together to bring light to sincere seekers who follow the light they have received. Cornelius, a centurion in Caesarea whose prayers were heard, was directed in vision so he could receive further light through chosen human messengers, and the ministration of heavenly angels in his conversion and that of his company shows that angels are sent as powerful helpers and guides of messengers taught of God. Heaven is much nearer to the Christian engaged in soul-saving work than is supposed, and each person is to treat his fellow man as one of the Lord's instrumentalities for accomplishing His work in the earth.

The angel who appeared to Cornelius could have told him the gospel message itself, but God requires His church to connect together. God knew just where Peter was lodging, with Simon the tanner, and told Cornelius through the angel every particular of where to look and find him, so that the truth and light imparted to Peter in vision would be imparted by Peter to Cornelius and to all his family and household. Truth is thus to pass from person to person, which calls believers into closest connection with God and with one another in unity and love and in just, honest, gentle and righteous dealing instead of division and building up self by pointing at another's wrong.

God knows each person by name and every action of life, just where they live and the spirit they possess. On the housetop He met with Peter and gave him the representation of the sheet let down by the four corners containing all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth and wild beasts and creeping things and fowls of the air to educate and train him, telling him also that three men were seeking him, and Peter learned the lesson and went with the men to Cornelius. Ministering angels pass through the churches noting faithfulness in each individual line of duty, for earth is closely connected with heaven through heavenly intelligences constantly communicating with its inhabitants.

Cornelius feared God and practiced righteousness before he was fully informed about the truth, a sincere seeker who had received and improved all the light given him and was visited through angels and led toward greater light by contact with people who knew God's Word. Many Gentiles were living in closer accordance with the principles of the Old Testament Scriptures than the Jewish leaders, and in every age God brings such honest hearts into connection with those of His people who can best reach their individual needs, using servants with special knowledge and different training adapted to help different classes of inquirers. This compassion and tender love of God for those seeking and praying for light is great encouragement in work for souls, calling for prayer that the Lord will open the way for truth to enter strongholds and dispel the shadow cast across the pathway of those sought to be deceived and destroyed.

Call to Work Today

The instruction in Acts 10 is to be read and prayed over until understanding is opened, for it shows how the Lord works on human minds for one who fears His name. It teaches the way God works to break the power of oppression and tyranny and to dispel from minds the dark clouds of ignorance and superstition. When that understanding comes, workers will begin earnestly to work for souls in the home field and will arouse to duty for missions at home, lest they be found wanting in the day of God.

The lesson is to preach freely with no barriers erected, giving the work as freely to the Jews as to the Gentiles. It calls for earnest, devoted, determined efforts for associations where souls as honest as Cornelius are seeking light, that light may shine forth to them. In that way those seeking light may be gathered out even from among those bitterly opposed to the message.

God brings honest hearts in every age into connection with those of His people who can best reach their individual needs, some having special knowledge in certain lines adapted to help one class of inquirers and others trained in a different way best fitted to help another class. This calls for work for the conversion of men like Cornelius who are to act a prominent part in the cause, bringing the gospel to those who had been strangers and foreigners to make them fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God. Cornelius represents men in positions of responsibility and stewardship, whose sympathies are with the truth but whose worldly ties hold them in the world and who lack the moral courage to take their stand with the lowly ones. Special care and more determined effort must be made to reach these stewards in trust as Christ's representatives to the higher classes, because of the responsibilities they bear and the temptations of their positions, and God will work with those who try. If converted, men of ability and means and persons in influence and responsibility give strength and solidity to the cause rather than bringing objectionable elements in, and God through the Holy Spirit makes them effective workers who share the truth with others.

The same work by which Cornelius was led to bring his energetic, faithful life into connection with the disciples of Christ will be repeated in the last days. Many will then prize the wisdom of God above any earthly advantage and will obey the Word of God as the supreme standard. These will be led to great light and will come to the knowledge of the truth, seeking to place that light of truth before acquaintances who like themselves are anxious for the truth. Thus they will become conscientious lightbearers to the world, themselves constrained by the love of God to constrain others, improving every opportunity to invite and urge others to come and see the beauty of the truth and to give their abilities to advance the work. Such are the kind of men taught by God who are called for now, sanctified and ennobled through the truth, in contrast to mere lifelong profession that builds on sand.

Peter's mission to the Roman centurion shows that God sends people to those who need divine help and guidance. The ministration of heavenly angels resulting in the conversion of Cornelius and his company shows that heaven is much nearer to the Christian engaged in soul-saving than is supposed. It teaches God's regard for every human being, and that each should treat his fellow man as one of the Lord's instrumentalities for accomplishing His work in the earth. The compassion and tender love of God for those seeking and praying for light, shown when Cornelius received a special message from heaven and Peter was instructed to visit him and give him light, is great encouragement in work for souls. It calls for convocations for prayer to ask the Lord to open the way so truth may enter the strongholds where Satan has set up his throne and dispel the shadow he has cast across the pathway of those he seeks to deceive and destroy.