What is the meaning of Acts 11:3? You visited • This phrase points back to Peter’s deliberate trip from Joppa to Caesarea, entering the house of Cornelius (Acts 10:23–24). • The verb captures purposeful engagement rather than a casual stop. Peter did not stumble into Gentile company; he went because God directed him (Acts 10:19–20). • By visiting, Peter followed the pattern of Jesus, who “had to pass through Samaria” to meet the woman at the well (John 4:4–7), showing that divine appointments often override cultural boundaries. uncircumcised men • “Uncircumcised” was Jewish shorthand for Gentiles—those outside the covenant sign given to Abraham (Genesis 17:10–14). • This label carried strong social and religious stigma (Ephesians 2:11–12). To many believers from a Jewish background, mingling with such people risked ceremonial impurity (Galatians 2:12; Acts 10:28). • Yet God had just revealed to Peter, “What God has cleansed, you must not call impure” (Acts 10:15), announcing a new era in which faith, not circumcision, marks God’s people (Romans 2:28–29). and ate • Sharing a meal in the first century signified acceptance, friendship, and covenant fellowship (Luke 15:2). • Peter’s willingness to sit at Cornelius’s table mirrored Jesus’ ministry, where He “came eating and drinking” with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 11:19). • By eating, Peter demonstrated that the dietary restrictions which once separated Jews from Gentiles were fulfilled in Christ (Mark 7:18–19; Colossians 2:16–17). with them • The preposition underscores proximity and equality. Peter did not keep his distance; he embraced Gentile believers as brothers (Acts 10:48). • This closeness anticipates the Spirit-formed unity Paul later celebrates: “There is neither Jew nor Greek… for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). • Peter’s actions embodied God’s impartial character: “God shows no favoritism” (Acts 10:34), a truth the Jerusalem church needed to grasp for the gospel to spread “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). summary Acts 11:3 captures the shock of early Jewish believers when Peter crossed entrenched cultural lines to visit, eat, and fellowship with Gentiles. Peter’s obedience to God’s revelation affirmed that in Christ, external markers like circumcision no longer define God’s family. The verse highlights the gospel’s power to dissolve barriers, inviting all who trust Jesus into full fellowship without distinction. |
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