Once More, with Feeling
When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” Acts 11:18
Acts 11:1–18 – The Story of the Church: Living Into This Drama in the 21st Century
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost – July 4, 2021 (am)
As I was growing up, I had the privilege of singing in several choirs that were directed by my father. He had a favorite expression: Once more, with feeling. The idea was that after we got the notes and rhythms right, the harmonies tuned and balanced, and the dynamics clarified, we needed to make the music! We needed to pull all of that together into an expression that we could imagine was what the composer had in mind when s/he wrote or arranged this piece. So, we weren’t really adding anything when we sang that song once more, with feeling. We were just singing it with a clearer and fuller understanding of all that it was expressing.
That’s very much like what’s happening here in Act.11:1-18. The story we just heard from Luke (c.10) is being retold through Peter so that we can ponder it a bit, what it means, what was actually meant to accomplish, why it’s here. And you can see all of that just by the way Luke records it!
Let’s look at the text from three varied angles.
The Sweep and Structure of this Passage
As we just noted, Luke records this retelling from Peter’s point of view. So, it begins with Peter’s own vision (5), and doesn’t add in the one Cornelius had a couple days earlier until Peter was made aware of it in the progression of events (13), just as we’d expect. Aside from that, there really is little variation between this account and that in c.10. And since we just read it again, there’s no real need for us to dig into it any deeper or comment further on the details of the story.
What is quite interesting to note, however, and that to which I believe Luke is drawing our attention by telling this story a second time with such little variance, is how he packaged it, structured it, to make his point clear. 1 Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” There’s the point, marveling at the scope/scale of the gospel: 15 … the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning.
Luke is marveling. Peter is marveling. The apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea are marveling that repentance and life through the Holy Spirit are available even to the Gentiles! And Luke has underscored that for us by wrapping this story in that astounding realization.
And it wasn’t just that the gospel went to the Gentiles here, so did the Holy Spirit! God’s salvation plan is for the nations! The scope of His kingdom, His reign, is global! His promise to Abraham (Gen.12:1-3) did not just mean that the nations would be blessed by Israel as God blessed them uniquely. It meant that, through the Messiah Who would be born into Abraham’s line, some people from each and every nation on earth (Rev.5:9; 7:9) would enjoy saving, covenant relationship with God, would be reconciled to Him, receive His Holy Spirit!
We see that truth underscored in the structure of this passage.
The Content and Contribution of this Story
This salvation that Jesus had secured, this kingdom He was building, was not going to be mono-ethnic! It wasn’t even just going to be poly-ethnic! It was going to be omni-ethnic! That had to sink in! They weren’t prepared for it! They were, but they weren’t! Neither are we, often, still today!
If they were astute listeners here, they were realizing that this event is the answer to the final question they asked Jesus before He returned to the Father: 1:6 … “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” Both this question and its answer were so much bigger than they realized that the only way they were going to grasp the answer was to see it unfold before their eyes. And one of the bigger contributions to that answer was happening right here!
This amazing truth is just descending on Peter, and also on the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. All Peter could do was tell the story! (4) But then again, that’s all he had to do! Then the story spoke for itself! John Stott (196) observed that this story releases four divine hammer-blows which were all aimed deftly at Jewish racial prejudice, and especially at Peter’s—(1) the vision (when God interrupted his prayer, and also Cornelius’), (2) the command (when God sent him with these Gentiles to Cornelius’ home, saying, make no distinction [12]), (3) the preparation (that Peter realized when he arrived: God had prepared Cornelius to hear him), and (4) the action (the pouring out of His Spirit). T[aken t]ogether [these] demonstrated conclusively that God had done this work! He had… welcomed believing Gentiles into his family on equal terms with believing Jews!
Peter was stunned! He remembered the words Jesus has spoken to them just before they asked Him their final question—John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit (16; 1:5)—but even so, all he could say upon seeing what he saw, and now retelling it here, was: 17 … who was I that I could stand in God’s way? God did it all! As the depth and development (the content and contribution) of God’s saving purpose and plan were unveiled, Peter just had to stand back and watch in awe!
But we also know that all the implications didn’t sink in immediately. This whole circle of folks will need ongoing help processing how Jewish believers are supposed to respond to [Gentile] converts, as we’ll see when the Jerusalem Council comes around in c.15. And at just about the same time, Peter himself is confronted by Paul about inconsistencies in this same area (Gal.2:11-14).
We can still struggle with this—how to relate/respond to the gospel, how to present, proclaim, contextualize, explain a universal gospel! When it comes time to share the gospel we can always believe there’s more we need to know before we can do it well. But we begin to learn all of that right here as Peter and the others watch God sovereignly advance the gospel across a wholly new boundary line then confirm it with the same signs He enabled on the Day of Pentecost!
The Message and Meaning of this Encounter
Still, there are many ways that this story can be misunderstood or misrepresented. Some, for instance, think it proves that our theology is shaped by our experience, that we get to know God only by watching Him work in the world. But that’s not so. We get to know God in His Word, and all He does is consistent with that. What we learn here is the full scope of His saving plan as He promised it in His Word! He’s not going beyond His Word. He’s enacting His Word!
Others have suggested that this passage shows us that things that were declared unclean in the OT aren’t unclean any longer, even the sins that people commit. Those who think the Bible no longer condemns same-sex relationships and marriage, for instance, often point to this passage and say that what was previously unclean no longer is. But that’s not so either! This vision is not lowering the standard of righteousness but broadening the reach of salvation! What the Gentiles are receiving is repentance that leads to life (18). When Gentiles turn from their sin in repentance and faith, they receive the same cleansing and life that Jews receive! Then they’re empowered by God’s Spirit to walk in obedience to His Word!
This is the message and meaning of the gospel here: repentance that leads to life is granted by God to forgive us our sins, cleanse us, and reconcile us to Him forever, and also to all those who trust in Him! This truly is an awe-inspiring gift!
Conclusion
So, what are we supposed to do with this? Three Primary Take-aways
Marvel at this great salvation that rescues Jews and Gentiles alike, just like Peter and the apostles and the brothers… throughout Judea! This is still the only way to be reconciled to God. And there is no ethnic/cultural/religious group to which it’s denied!
Rejoice that this salvation has gone to the Gentiles! Why? That’s us! To [you and me] also God has granted repentance that leads to life! (18) Jesus provided for our salvation, and did so unexpectedly! We see it now, but don’t take that for granted! Peter didn’t!
Trust that the gospel truly is the best solution for all that divides us, even still today. I put it this way not because we’d ever believe this statement is false. But because, even so, we can far too easily live as though we don’t believe it’s true.
We can live as though political action is the best way to resolve differences—voting in the right way, signing the right petitions, lobbying on the right issues.
We can live as though education is the best way to improve lives—reading the right books, attending the right schools, espousing the right ideas.
We can live as though social action is the best way to ease suffering—addressing the right issues, supporting the right causes, refusing the right privileges.
And there’s surely nothing wrong with engagement in politics or education or social action. We should all feel burdened to display responsible engagement in each of these areas. But the gospel is our highest calling. It is our primary allegiance, and our first expression whenever we encounter human division or despair or suffering.
The gospel should always be our go-to solution, even when we feel tension in our own hearts that leads us to believe some people may need something else more, or others perhaps just aren’t worthy of compassion, mercy, forgiveness.
What we learn from Peter’s experience in Acts 10, and from his reviewing it with the apostles here in Acts 11—his reflecting on it, pondering its implications, reliving it once more, with feeling—is that no one is beyond the scope of the gospel! No one is beyond the reach of the sovereign, saving arm of God! No message will ever outdo this one when it comes to addressing the full range of human need in our fallen, broken world. And everyone needs to hear it!
Let’s come now to the Lord’s Table.
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Resources
Beale, G. K. and D. A. Carson, eds. 2007. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Acts, by I. Howard Marshall, 513-606. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.
Beveridge, Henry, ed. Commentary upon the Acts of the apostles, vol. 1, by John Calvin. Translated by Christopher Featherstone.
Bruce, F. F., ed. 1988. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. The book of Acts, revised, by F. F. Bruce. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
Carson, D. A., R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, and G. J. Wenham, eds. 1994. New Bible Commentary 21st Century Edition. Acts, by Conrad Gempf, 1066-1114. Leicester, Eng.: InterVarsity.
Dockery, David S, ed. 1992. New American Commentary. Vol. 26, Acts, by John B. Polhill. Nashville: Broadman & Holman.
Grudem, Wayne, ed. 2008. ESV Study Bible. Study notes on Acts, 2073-2156, by John B. Polhill. Wheaton: Crossway.
Longman III, Tremper and David E. Garland, eds. 2007. Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 10, Acts, by Richard N. Longenecker, 665-1102. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
Morris, Leon, ed. 1980. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Vol. 5 Acts, by I. Howard Marshall. Downers Grove: InterVarsity.
Stott, John, ed. 1990. The Bible Speaks Today. The Message of Acts, by John Stott. Leicester, Eng.: InterVarsity.
Next Week: Seeing the Grace of God, Acts 11:19–30, Ray Glinski