Acts Chapter 11

1 Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. 2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him, 3 saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”

1. What was the problem with the Apostles and the brethren?

While the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem were discussing the significance of the salvation of the Gentiles, there emerged one party who later took the position that Gentiles must keep the Jewish law in order to be saved (15:1). This conservative party criticized Peter, for they recognized that a Jew who had table fellowship with Gentiles was in effect setting aside Jewish practices, and thereby ceased to be a Jew. They were not prepared to approve such a course of action; they believed that Jewish believers should not give up their Jewish practices.—Wycliffe Bible Commentary

  Eventually this blew up into a dispute which continually plagued Paul. Do gentile Christians  have to become Jews?

2. What was Paul’s answer to this question?

11 When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. 12 Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy  even Barnabas was led astray. 14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew.  How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs? 15 “We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ 16 know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified. …..for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” Gal 2:11-16,21 (NIV)

 4 But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying: 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me. 6 When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 7 And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 But I said, ‘Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.’ 9 But the voice answered me again from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’ 10 Now this was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven. 11 At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea. 12 Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter,  14 who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.’ 15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning.

3. How would this story sound to you?

This story sounds crazy and I think it sounded crazy to Peter as he was telling it.

There was doubt and division. We need to understand that to the Jews the action of Simon Peter was a terrible thing. In fact, if we could have talked to Simon Peter a month before this, he also would have said it was a terrible thing to do. Actually, Peter gives them an apology. He makes it clear that he didn’t want to do it at all, but that the Spirit of God was in the whole episode.—J. Vernon McGee’s Thru The Bible

 16 Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?”

  4. How would the words of Jesus apply here? 

 I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Mark 1:8 (NASB)

He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Acts 1:4-5 (NASB)

 Here is the fulfillment of the words spoken by John the Baptist and Jesus himself.

5. What is significant about the expression “could I withstand God”?

 Here Peter used the same word (Gk. kōlyō) as in the earlier account of Cornelius’s conversion (10:47, “withhold”), and the Ethiopian eunuch used the same word at the time of his conversion (8:36). As these three examples demonstrate, God was expanding the church to include Gentiles, and no one should try to “prevent” or “stand in the way” of that. Though Peter did not explicitly refer to baptism, it was probably implicit in the use of this word: Peter knew he could not refuse to allow these new believers to be baptized and thereby give outward evidence that they were full members of the church.

 18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”

     6. “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.” What does this mean?

 It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel;

I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.  Isaiah 49:6

 This was very difficult for the Jews to believe, yet is was exactly what God has prophesied that they would do.

19 Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only.

  7. Why are these guys still preaching to Jews only?

 Phoenicia was in the area of present-day Lebanon, its primary cities being Tyre, Sidon, and  Ptolemais. (For Christian communities there, see 21:3–7.) Cyprus was 100 miles (161 km) off the coast. The primary language of these areas was Greek, as it was for Antioch (modern Antakya), the largest city of the area and capital of the Roman province of Syria, with a population of a half million or more. Only Rome and Alexandria were larger in ancient times. At Antioch, an island bearing a palace and a hippodrome stood in the middle of the Orontes River. Bridges connected the island to the main city. In the first century the main city contained an aqueduct, baths, two theaters, temples (e.g., to Artemis and to Herakles), the Pantheon, and the Kaisareion (a basilica dedicated to the imperial cult). Prior to Paul’s arrival, an earthquake in 37 b.c. had devastated Antioch, but the emperor Gaius (Caligula) helped rebuild it. Antioch periodically hosted Olympic-style games. Its great colonnaded and marble-paved road had been sponsored in part by Herod the Great. speaking the word to no one except Jews. These people had not yet heard about the events of 10:1–11:18.

News traveled slowly in those days and the message of gentile salvation was not universally accepted. There was resistance. Look at how long it took for the blacks in the south to be given equality. Even when the law changes, people don’t like change.

 20 But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

 8. How can we tell that the “hand of the Lord” was with them?

  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)

The proof was in the pudding.

  22  Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. 23 When he came and 

had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. 24 For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. 25 Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. 26 And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

9.    What had Paul been up to during all this time?

 Barnabas soon realized that the growing church needed additional guidance, and his mind turned to Saul of Tarsus, who had undoubtedly been engaged in missionary work in the vicinity of his home city (9:30; Gal 1:21). After some difficulty, he found Saul and brought him to Antioch, where they spent a whole year working in the church.—Wycliffe Bible Commentary, The

 27 And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. 29 Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. 30 This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.

 10.   Was Agabus right?

 The incident that is recorded here is also verified in secular history. There was a general famine, but the effect was especially felt in Jerusalem where the church had been persecuted, decimated, and hurt. They were in dire need during this time. It is wonderful to see the fraternal spirit, the bond of love, that held the early church together. The other believers sent help to the troubled church in Jerusalem.—J. Vernon McGee’s Thru The Bible

Agabus appears again in 21:10. The days of Claudius. Roman historians refer to several famines during the reign of Claudius (a.d. 41-54), while Josephus, the Jewish historian, mentions a severe famine in Judea in a.d. 46.—Wycliffe Bible Commentary, The

               

• ESVN………….ESV Study Bible Notes

• MSBN…….MacArthur NASB Study Notes
• NIVSN…..NIV Study Notes.
• JVM ….J Vernon McGee,
• ACC …. Adam Clarke’s Commentary
• BN …..Barnes Notes
• WBC……   Wycliffe Bible Commentary
• CN …… Constables Notes
• IC……….Ironside Commentary
• NET………Net Bible Study Notes.
• JFB…………..Jamieson  Fausset  Brown Commentary
• VWS……………..Vincent Word Studies
• CMM………….Commentary on Matthew and Mark
• BDB………….. Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)
• Darby………..John Darby’s Synopsis of the OT and NT
• Johnson………Johnson’s Notes on the New Testament.
• NTCMM…………..The New Testament Commentary:  Matthew and Mark.
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