Acts
Chapter 11
Peter’s Report in Jerusalem
News reached the apostles and the brothers and sisters in Judea that even foreigners had accepted the word of God.
So, when Peter traveled to Jerusalem, these Jewish believers started to argue with him:
“You went to the home of uncircumcised people and ate with them!”
So Peter began to share the facts as they had happened:
“I was praying in the city of Joppa when, in a trance, I saw a vision. Something like a large sheet came down from the sky and drew near to me, landing on the ground by its four corners.
As I stared at it, I saw four-footed creatures of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the sky.
Then I heard a voice saying to me: ‘Get up, Peter, kill and eat!’
I replied, ‘Certainly not, Lord! No common or unclean creature has ever entered my mouth.’
A second time, the voice from the heavens said, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call unclean.’
This happened three times, and then it was all lifted back into the sky.
At that moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were staying.
The Spirit told me to go with them without hesitation; so these six brothers went with me, and we entered the man’s house.
He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and telling him, ‘Send someone to Joppa and fetch Simon, also known as Peter.
He will bring you a message that will save you and your entire household.’
I had begun to address them when suddenly the Holy Spirit came upon them, just as it had come upon us at the beginning.
Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
If then, God had given them the same gift that he had given us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to resist God?
When they heard this, they calmed their minds and praised God, saying:
“Then God has granted life-giving repentance to the pagan nations as well.”
The Church at Antioch
Those who had been scattered because of the persecution over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, proclaiming the message but only to the Jews.
However, some natives of Cyprus and Cyrene were among them and, when they came to Antioch, also spoke to the Greeks, sharing the good news of the Lord Jesus.
The hand of the Lord was with them, so many believed and turned to the Lord.
News of this reached the Church in Jerusalem, so they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
When he arrived and saw the clear signs of God’s favor, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain faithfully committed to the Lord;
for he himself was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. As a result, large crowds came to know the Lord.
Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul;
and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year, they gathered with the church and taught many people.
It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.
At that time, some prophets went from Jerusalem to Antioch;
and one named Agabus, inspired by the Holy Spirit, predicted that a severe famine would affect the entire world. This indeed happened during the reign of Emperor Claudius.
So, the disciples resolved, within their ability, to set aside some resources and send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea.
They did this by sending their donations to the elders through Barnabas and Saul.
Commentaries
Peter’s Report in Jerusalem.
Peter’s decision to baptize the pagan Cornelius alarms an influential group within the Jerusalem community. When he returns, they demand an explanation. Peter had bypassed his authority in a decision that was not planned but prompted by the Spirit. These Christians, who are faithful to circumcision and the laws of separation, focus on petty issues of coexistence. Peter, who is already heading in a different direction, responds by citing not his own authority but God’s. However, the problem isn’t entirely settled, as shown at the Council of Jerusalem. There, the Spirit will need to be fully involved.
The Church at Antioch.
Antioch, the third-most-important city in the empire after Rome and Alexandria, was a hub of diverse races and cultures, with more than half a million residents. The Hellenists who had fled there arrived and began to testify about Jesus. In Antioch, a sizable Christian community started to form with no previous ties to Judaism. Here, the narrator introduces two familiar figures: Barnabas and Paul. When the Church of Jerusalem, which holds the highest authority and leadership, learns about the new situation in Antioch, it responds by sending Barnabas as its representative and liaison. He then finds Paul to support him in his mission. They stayed there for a whole year, teaching the large group of new converts. The narrator’s enlightened view always sees the Holy Spirit as the true main character in spreading the Gospel, ensuring unity among the missionaries amid diversity. In Antioch, this group of believers was first called “Christians.” The Hebrew word “Messiah,” meaning anointed one, is translated into Greek as ‘Christos’ and into Latin as the adjective “christianos”—Christians, those who belong to Christ.