What is the meaning of Acts 10:45? All • The verse begins, “All … were astounded.” Nothing is left out; every observer shared the same reaction. • Scripture consistently treats “all” as comprehensive (e.g., “All the people answered together, ‘We will do everything that the LORD has spoken.’ ” — Exodus 19:8). • The unanimity highlights the unmistakable work of God; no one could deny what had happened (see Acts 4:16). The circumcised believers • These are Jewish followers of Jesus—men who trusted Christ yet still bore the covenant sign of circumcision. • Their presence fulfills Jesus’ promise that His gospel would reach “Jerusalem, and in all Judea …” (Acts 1:8). • Like the early church at large (Acts 2:41), they represent continuity with Israel while witnessing the expansion of grace to others. Who had accompanied Peter • Acts 10:23–29 shows Peter bringing six brothers from Joppa (Acts 11:12). Their role: eyewitnesses who could verify the event to the wider church. • Traveling with Peter put them in the path of God’s larger plan—illustrating Proverbs 3:6, “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight”. • Their companionship underscores biblical accountability (Ecclesiastes 4:9–10). Were astounded • “Astounded” signals overwhelming surprise. God’s actions exceeded their expectations, echoing Ephesians 3:20. • Similar astonishment follows other Spirit outpourings: Acts 2:7 and Acts 19:6–7 record crowds amazed by the Spirit’s unmistakable manifestations. • Their shock exposes lingering assumptions that God’s promises were primarily for Israel alone. That the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out • The “gift” is the Person of the Spirit Himself (Acts 2:38). His arrival confirms salvation (Ephesians 1:13). • “Poured out” recalls God’s pledge in Joel 2:28, fulfilled at Pentecost and now extended here. • The identical experience—speaking in tongues and praising God (Acts 10:46)—shows that Gentile believers received the same blessing as Jewish believers, no second-class status (Titus 3:5–6). Even on the Gentiles • “Even” marks the shocking, inclusive reach of grace. Romans 10:12 affirms, “There is no difference between Jew and Greek.” • Peter will later declare, “God made no distinction between us and them” (Acts 15:9). • This moment inaugurates the full enfolding of the nations, fulfilling Genesis 12:3, “All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.” summary Every single Jewish believer present witnessed the Holy Spirit bestowed on uncircumcised Gentiles exactly as He had been poured out on them. Their unanimous astonishment underscores how God shattered ethnic and religious barriers, verifying that salvation in Christ is for all who believe—Jew and Gentile alike—just as Scripture had promised. |
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