At Caesare'a 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 liberally to the people, and prayed constantly to God.
About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God
coming in and saying 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 Simon, a
tanner, whose house is by the seaside." When the angel who spoke to him
had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among
those that waited on him, and having related everything, he sent them to Joppa.
In a Nutshell
Luke tells us God's angel visited Cornelius in Caesarea and tells him to send for Peter.
Questions
Why did Cornelius stare in terror?
Barnabas told the apostles of Saul's preaching in the synagogue at Damascus. That was when Saul had secretly returned to Jerusalem to meet the apostles. His life was in danger, so the apostles and disciples arranged for him to board ship at Caesarea and head home to Tarsus. Paul underwent his re-education, and later on Barnabas would bring him down to Antioch.
In the meantime the Holy Spirit was busy in the fertile Plain of Sharon, at the port city of Caesarea. Luke mentioned earlier that this was the city in which Philip resided. In this city a Roman Centurion was confronted by God's angel during his daily hour of prayer.
In Luke's Gospel, Zacharias, father of John the Baptist, was visited by an angel. So was Mary, as was Joseph and the wise men. Angels in dazzling apparel were at Jesus' tomb. Now, Luke tells us how, around this time, a Roman centurion based in Caesarea, received an angelic visitor. This Roman officer was regular in his prayers to the Almighty and he also was very generous to the poor in his neighbourhood. Out of the blue, as it were, he was given confirmation that his prayers had been heard.
The angel has specific orders and the Centurion then passed these on to two of his own messengers. They were to fetch Peter. They have the address - they know the town and the house where Peter is staying.
What are we to make of this? What Luke is telling us here relates to what happens next to Peter. It is all part of a work in which God's Spirit makes Himself known as the comforter of all who believe, whatever their ethnic or racial background. Since the Son of Man had now come the divide separating Samaria and Judah was overcome and Galilee, Samaria and Judea were united in a peace that only God could bring. But, says Luke, that is not all. God's Spirit was working so that those who believed Jesus to be the Christ would realise that the call goes out to all people, of all nations, so they can freely enter into the liberation that the Lamb of God has brought to the world. God's peace embraces the entire earth.