The Book of Acts, Chapter 11: Peter Defends God’s Grace to the Gentiles
The disciples learn that the gospel was for Jew and Gentile alike
The news of Gentiles (non-Jews) being preached to by Peter (and obeying the gospel) reached Jerusalem quickly (v. 1). Interestingly, when Peter arrived in Jerusalem, the Jewish Christians there “contended with him” (v. 2), and didn’t berate him for preaching to Gentiles, but for going in “to uncircumcised men and [eating] with them” (v. 3). Always remember that the revelation of the gospel in the first century was piecemeal, bit by bit, and the Jewish brethren hadn’t yet understood that there was no partiality with God, that “all the families of the earth” would be blessed through Christ (Genesis 12:3). Read the book of Isaiah to see how many times God, through that great prophet, spoke of the Gentiles also eventually being part of His inheritance. The Jews should have known this, but were too blinded and prejudiced by their culture and narrowness to fully comprehend. They still are, which is exactly why they continue to reject Jesus. The world is not a better place because of this (please pardon my sarcasm).
Peter explained what happened, the vision he received in Joppa, etc. etc., and how he was instructed to go to Cornelius’s home (vs. 4-17). There is no need to relate all the details here; Peter basically explained what had happened in chapter 10. It is noteworthy that in verse 16 he mentions what Jesus said about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Peter said “we received it, and now the Gentiles also have.” The apostles received it in Acts 2 to convince those in Jerusalem that the message Peter was about to preach was from God. The same reason is noted by Peter in Acts 11:17 here: “If therefore God gave them the same gift...who was I that I could withstand God?” Jesus and John the Baptist never said that every Christian would receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and, as always with Scripture, we must read the entire information to get the clear picture. Today, we have only “one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5), immersion in water for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16). Cornelius and his family received this as well (Acts 10:47-48).
The brethren in Jerusalem, upon hearing Peter’s explanation, “glorified God” and were joyful that “God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance unto life” (v. 18). Again, this shouldn’t have surprised them, and wouldn’t have if they had understood the Old Testament. Prejudices can be very difficult to overcome. But this was a great event in the history of the church, and a great lesson for the early Christians. The gospel is for all!
The rest of chapter 11 moves on indicating that, as noted, the preaching of the evangelists was initially “to no one but the Jews” (v. 19). But “some of them”—we aren’t told who—went to Antioch and began preaching to “Hellenists”, Greek speaking people (v. 20). And as a result, “a great number believed and turned to the Lord” (v. 21). This news came to the church in Jerusalem, and the church leaders there sent Barnabas to Antioch (v. 22). When he arrived “and had seen the grace of God” (v. 23—you obviously can’t truly “see” God’s grace, you can only see the results of it), “he was glad, and encouraged them.” More were “added to the Lord” (v. 24).
We aren’t told how long Barnabas stayed in Antioch, but after some time, he “departed for Tarsus to seek Saul” (v. 25). He found him and took him to Antioch (v. 26), where they “taught a great many people.” Interestingly, it was here where the disciples were “first called Christians,” the name that has stuck through history.
Some other “prophets” (a miraculous gift bestowed by the Holy Spirit, I Corinthians 12) came to Antioch from Jerusalem (v. 27). One of them, named Agabus, predicted a great famine “throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar.” Claudius reigned as emperor of Rome from 41-54 AD, thus we are at least a decade past the death and resurrection of Christ now (29-30 AD is the date that historians accept as most likely for those events). The disciples in Antioch “determined to send relief to the brethren who dwelling in Jerusalem” (v. 29), which they did “by the hands of Barnabas and Saul” (v. 30). We will very shortly hear much more about these two great men, but one more Petrine interlude must be discussed first in Acts 12.