Breaking Barriers Through Divine Revelation
Acts 10:9–16 (NASB95)
9On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 10But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance; 11and he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, 12and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. 13A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!” 14But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.” 15Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” 16This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the sky.
Acts 10:9–16 recounts Peter’s transformative vision on the rooftop during prayer. As a devout Jew, Peter’s location is significant: the rooftop symbolizes openness to divine revelation and serves as a public space, highlighting the vision’s legitimacy. His hunger grounds the narrative in human experience, framing the vision not as abstract mysticism but as a practical reorientation of faith. The timing—noon, an unusual hour for prayer—emphasizes God’s urgency to disrupt human traditions and expand His mission. It is also notable that both Cornelius and Peter were engaged in prayer when they received divine direction.
Peter sees a sheet descending from heaven, containing animals considered “unclean" according to Jewish law (Lev 11). A divine voice commands, “Kill and eat,” but Peter protests, “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean!” His resistance mirrors that of Old Testament prophets like Ezekiel (Ezek 4:14), who hesitated at God’s unconventional commands. The vision occurs three times, reflecting the three-fold conversion narratives of Paul (Acts 9, 22, 26) and underscoring the certainty of this theological shift.
Here are three key points to help us understand what is happening and how we can observe the progress of God’s plan while maintaining continuity with the Old Testament:
The universality of the Gospel: The vision goes beyond dietary laws to redefine purity. By stating, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (10:15), God dismantles the divisions between Jews and Gentiles, affirming that all people are candidates for salvation.
Continuity with Scripture: The sheet’s “four corners” (10:11) echo Noah’s ark (Gen 6–8), where clean and unclean animals coexisted. This foreshadows the inclusion of all nations in God’s covenant. Like Noah, Peter is tasked with a mission that renews God’s relationship with humanity.
Challenging Tradition: The vision confronts Jewish purity codes not to invalidate Scripture but to realize its inclusive intent (Isa 56:6–8). Peter’s calling to Gentiles reflects Jesus’ ministry to outsiders, demonstrating the Gospel’s radical inclusivity.
Just as Peter’s assumptions were challenged, the church must examine traditions that potentially alienate people. The vision redefines purity through relationships, not rituals. Prioritize fellowship with all believers. Faith is what you have in common. Peter’s vision reminds us that God’s kingdom thrives when we surrender human prejudices to His higher purpose. May we, like Peter, boldly dismantle barriers so that all may hear, “God has shown me that I should not call anyone unholy or unclean.”
Blessings,
Ryan Goodnight