Acts 10:1-8 | It's for Everyone. Everyone!نموونە

Let’s meet Cornelius. Luke describes him in four ways. (1) He’s a centurion. (2) He’s part of the Italian Regiment (or, more literally, the cohort called Italian). (3) He and his family are God-fearing. (4) He gave generously to those in need and prayed regularly to God.

The headquarters of Rome’s Palestinian detachment was in Caesarea. Just like the world today, Rome wanted to keep peace in the Middle East. But instead of oil, they were dependent on grain from Egypt, and Caesarea was a strategic port in the pipeline. This was no backwater post. The elite were sent there, native Italians who would be considered among the most loyal Roman troops.

Cornelius is a centurion. The Roman army was divided into legions, each with a paper strength of 6000 men. Legions were divided into 10 cohorts, each with about 600 men. Cornelius served under the banner of the one called Italian. Top dogs. Elite. Finally, cohorts were divided into centuries. Each of these was commanded by a centurion. That’s Cornelius, and from the name, you can probably guess how many men were under him.

This makes Cornelius a mid-ranking officer. Perhaps comparable to a US Army captain who’s a company commander today. William Barclay summarizes how ancient historians describe the qualifications of a centurion: “Centurions are desired not to be overbold and reckless so much as good leaders, of steady and prudent mind, not prone to take the offensive to start fighting wantonly, but able when overwhelmed and hard-pressed to stand fast and die at their posts.” They were sober-minded, efficient, and loyal, not given to wild excess or lack of control, but experienced and, with it, able to keep their heads in all kinds of situations. He’s a man of authority and reputation.

And he’s a God-fearer. The term “God-fearer” almost takes on a technical status in Jesus’s day. It often refers to those Gentiles who, for whatever reason, were drawn to Yahweh and the Jewish way. They might not be circumcised, take on all the other Jewish identity markers, or follow the Jewish law completely, but they believed in Yahweh and the Israelite ethic – attending synagogue, praying to Yahweh, and seeking to live more broadly according to his way. Luke tells us this wasn’t just a private faith for Cornelius. It was a faith witnessed and shared with his wife and children (who were, no doubt, back in Italy) – not to mention any others in his family circle.

Cornelius is in league with Rome, but he’s a God-fearer. He’s a Gentile but attracted to Judaism. Clear-thinking, but seeing visions. Commanding on behalf of Caesar, but seeking Yahweh. He’s divided. No doubt he’s burned incense to Caesar, swore his allegiance to Caesar as Lord and has participated in the pagan rites and civic rituals honoring his cult. But God has mercy on him. God reaches out to him. God seeks to save him because God’s salvation is for everyone. Everyone!

Maybe you’re a bit like Cornelius. Your loyalties are split. You didn’t grow up a Christian, but over the years, there’s something about Jesus and his way of life that attracts you. You’ve pledged yourself to something, but Christ’s way is drawing you in another direction. You’ve burned your equivalent of incense to a different kind of Caesar or identified with causes, not of God’s design. Or maybe you’ve shed blood – literally or metaphorically, commanded others to do the same, or any other number of things an officer in the Roman legion would be faced with.

Act 10 shows us that God’s salvation comes to people like Cornelius. God’s salvation is for you.