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Help for a devout (but needy) man
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At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. (Luke’s history of the Acts of the Apostles 10, first published around AD 62) |
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Back in the first century AD, the Lord God sent an angel to this centurion in the Roman Army who lived in Caesarea. See bold above.
The Lord God knew all about Cornelius.
He was a devout man.
He feared God.
He gave money away to the needy.
He prayed continually to God.
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| That angel suggested that he send messengers to Peter who lived in Joppa (also not that far away) to ask him to come to Caesarea.
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When Peter arrived at his house Cornelius said,
“Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”
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The Lord God was well aware that Cornelius was, in fact, an extremely good man. So good that the Lord God wanted him to hear everything about Jesus – and then make his own decisions about that man.
There are four first-century biographies of Jesus. The four writers never put their names to the books they wrote. But scholars have worked out who they were. One was Matthew, a Jewish man who describes himself in his biography of Jesus as a former tax-collector who had collected taxes to remit to Rome - after taking his undisclosed percentage for himself. Matthew wanted his readers to know that he used to be a traitorous tax collector.
Matthew completed his biography of Jesus around AD 60. It contains all that Peter told Cornelius and his assembled household there in Joppa.
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If you would like to read and discuss Mathew’s biography this year, do please contact me. I’d love to do that with you, alone (confidentially if you wish) or with a few others.
A first group of four started to read it at Santander Work Café yesterday.
Of course, Peter won’t be there: Matthew will do the talking.
If you’d like to, just click “Reply” and send me a message.
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Sinner Syvret |
