As we get back into our bible studies, it might be good to retrace the whole story of God's incorporation of Cornelius into the church. Perhaps this is most important for us to hear. This is God's doing, God's idea, not humans. As throughout Acts, the apostles and the church have to run to keep up with God's surprising activity in the strangest places, even unbeknownst to them. Peter has just given his sermon of the word God sent to Israel, preaching the good news of peace by Jesus Christ -- he is Lord of all. In vv. 44-48 we have the subsequent episode, the initial finale in the story.

V. 44: Upon whom does the Spirit fall? Now this is a trick question in some way. We want to think of the focus on Cornelius and those gathered with him. But go back to v. 23b. If this is so, the Spirit falls on Jew and Gentile together here! Notice as well, that no human response comes. As Jarislov Pelikan states, "The use of the verb 'fell' in 10:44 and other passages of Acts serves to emphasize the sovereign freedom of the Holy Spirit to 'blow where it wills' (John 3:8) beyond human control or manipulation" (Acts, p. 136). The focus here is on God's faithfulness to God's promise that through Jesus, the heirs of Abraham become as blessing to all the nations. Cornelius and family are united with the Jews by the Spirit of God, incorporated into the people of God.

V. 45: The Jewish Jesus messianic loyalists (the 'believers from those circumscribed') express surprise. Rather than "Gentiles", the term used in Greek is "ethna" or the nation. Yet if the Spirit is indeed a "gift", can a gift be given to the nations, or merely to the Jews? If a gift, of course it can be given to others. This raises interesting issues of why it is that upon receiving the gift of God in the Spirit, we become surprised when others receive the gift. We want to turn the "gift" into what is "given" -- what 'naturally' belongs to us. Yet God has ways again of surprising us, reminding us that we too have been enfolded into God's Spirit only as gift, not because of we are good enough, or smart enough, or because people like us.

V. 46: The verse is interesting, because the evidence of the Spirit to the Jewish messianic believers is vocal expression of the praise of God, the God of Israel. Here "tongues" does not seem to be an unintellgible language, but a language understood by those around that expresses Cornelius and his posse's loyalty to the God of Israel.

V. 47: Peter interprets the whole event here -- finally understanding what had been given to him in his initial vision. The confessions of praise of the God of the Israel, the faith, loyalty, allegiance that is evidence of the presence of the Spirit, brings the unbaptized into the waters. Their faith must be sealed in baptism, the working of the Spirit in bringing forth faith must issue into baptism into Christ and therefore, into the body of Christ, the Church. Again, it is interesting that baptism is not Cornelius' idea -- he remains remarkably passive throughout the story. Baptism is Peter's idea for them in light of God's incorporation of them into God's own Life through the Spirit -- Peter accepts them as candidates for baptism in light of their confession of praise that comes from the Spirit's presence. They must submit to Peter's command for incorporation into the church. The text assumes that they found such a submission no problem.

V. 48: Indeed, the submission into the faith requires Peter to stay with them. While understated, here is Peter completing their initiation into the church, into the faith given to the saints. The whole conversion process, begun by the Spirit in the visions to Cornelius and Peter, finds itself continuing in prolonged teaching, immersion in the apostolic faith. It is not merely a "one and done" episode. Baptism is not an end, the mastery of faith, but the beginning of faith that requires its nurturing and growing and immersion through the life and teaching in the body of the apostle Peter.

Maybe you can talk about your baptisms, how your baptism sealed your faith that came as a gift of the Spirit, even as a surprise of those around you. What is it today to submit to the teaching of the apostles? How can we all keep baptism as truly an initiation into the church -- a beginning into the teaching of the apostles, rather than being seen as an end? What does it require of the congregation? What does it require of each person?

Gee, if I would have planned, I would have thought that this lesson was designed for Ash Wednesday and our beginning of our journey with our catechumenates towards baptism!!