CHAPTER X CORNELIUS THE CENTURION Ir was now some years since the death of Stephen and the intense persecution of those days. Paul, the arch-persecutor, was now himself proclaiming the message of the gospel in the province of Syria and Cilicia. And in Palestine there was a quiet and undisturbed growth of the church. The authorities had either discovered that they could not hinder its progress or else concluded that it was harmless and that its error (as they supposed) would die out in time. And so, Luke says, "the church had peace throughout all Judæa and Galilee and Samaria, and was built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and by the help of the Holy Spirit, it grew and multiplied" (Acts 9:31). PETER AT LYDDA AND JOPPA There is very little told us of the events of the church in Jerusalem during this period. Indeed, we are fast approaching the end of Luke's narrative of such of its traditions as he incorporates in the book of Acts, for the latter half of the book is almost entirely devoted to the work of Paul. But such anecdotes from these early days as have been preserved tally quite well with what we have already learned. The apostles continued preaching the gospel to their fellow Jews-what the message was, we shall see again from one more sermon of Peter's in this chapter. And wherever the message was preached, the "signs following" continued-wonderful healings of the sick, ecstatic "speaking with tongues," and other proofs of the presence and power of the Spirit. The healing of Æneas.-Jerusalem was still the headquarters of the Christian movement. Peter and his brother-apostles went down from Jerusalem to visit the other cities and villages to which the gospel had spread, preaching and confirming the faith of the believers. It was on one of these pastoral journeys that Peter visited the ancient village of Lydda in the Philistine plain. Here he found an aged man who had been suffering from paralysis for eight years. Whether he was a disciple or not, we do not know. But on seeing him, Peter said, as he had said long ago to the lame man at the Beautiful Gate: "Eneas, Jesus the Messiah heals you. Arise, and make your bed." At once he arose. "And all that dwelt in Lydda and the plain of Sharon saw him, and they turned unto the Lord" (Acts 9: 32-35). The restoration of Dorcas.-While Peter was at Lydda the disciples at Joppa, the old seaside city a few miles distant, sent word asking him to come at once. A noble woman of the community, Tabitha by name (they also called her Dorcas, "Gazelle") had fallen sick and died. Peter responded at once, and when he arrived they led him to the upper chamber where her body lay, cold and apparently lifeless. "The widows" stood by, weeping, and showing the garments which Dorcas had made for them while she lived. But Peter, like the ancient prophet Elisha, who restored the Shunammite's son; or, rather, like his Master, who said, "The maid is not dead, but sleeps" (Luke 8:52), at once bade the mourners withdraw, and knelt down and prayed. Then turning to the body, he said, "Tabitha, arise." And at once she sat up, restored to life and consciousness. The news, of course, spread throughout Joppa, and "many," Luke adds, "believed on the Lord." Peter remained in Joppa several days at the home of a man named, like himself, Simon-a tanner. The vision of Cornelius.-There is one other story told of this journey of Peter which Saint Luke has narrated in his volume. It is given at considerable length, for the event was extremely important. We must remember that thus far the gospel had been preached only to Jews-except by Philip to the Ethiopian treasurer (who may have been a proselyte). And we must also remember that the Jews believed that no Gentile could enter God's kingdom and be saved-unless he first became a Jew, through belief in the one God, obedience to his law (the Law of Moses), and observance of the Jewish customs. Now, there was at that time stationed in Cæsarea, the capital of the province of Judæa and Samaria, a centurion of the Italian cohort (cohors Italica) named Cornelius. He was a very "devout man, who feared God with all his household, gave much alms to the people, and always prayed" (Acts 10:2). He reminds us of the other centurion described by Saint Luke, who built the synagogue at Capernaum (Luke 7:5). It may be that he had heard of Peter or the other apostles. Possibly he had been to Jerusalem and there heard of the followers of Jesus. Or perhaps he had even heard the preaching of Philip (Acts 8:40). At any rate he had a vision, one afternoon about three, at the hour of prayer, in which an angel appeared to him and directed him to send to Joppa for Peter. Cornelius at once called two of his servants, and one of the faithful soldiers who formed his bodyguard, told them of the vision, and sent them to Joppa. |