Embracing the Unexpected
Acts 11:11–18 (NASB95)
11“And behold, at that moment three men appeared at the house in which we were staying, having been sent to me from Caesarea. 12“The Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings. These six brethren also went with me and we entered the man’s house. 13“And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; 14and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’15“And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. 16“And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17“Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” 18When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”
In Acts 11:11–18, Peter recounts a series of divinely orchestrated events that affirm God’s mission to all men. While Peter was discerning the meaning of his earlier vision, the Spirit declared, “Look, three men are looking for you.” Their timely arrival, immediately following his vision, was no mere coincidence but a clear sign of divine coordination. These unexpected guests, sent by Cornelius, served as concrete proof that God was already at work among the Gentiles.
Peter’s account continues by emphasizing that he was not alone in witnessing this remarkable outpouring; he was accompanied by six companions, fulfilling the requirement for established testimony under Jewish law. When the Holy Spirit fell on the Gentile believers, Peter noted that it occurred “as on us at the beginning,” unmistakably linking this event to the dramatic Pentecost experience. In recalling Jesus' command that while John baptized with water, we are to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, Peter recognized that God’s saving grace extended as fully to the uncircumcised as to Israel. His gentle yet compelling defense underscores that salvation and eternal life are gifts granted by God’s initiative, not limited by human tradition or ritual.
Like Peter, may we serve as agents of reconciliation, welcoming all who earnestly seek God, confident that His gifts and salvation extend to everyone who truly fears him and does good.