Acts 10:15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

God has cleansed the latter. Therefore, under the image of beasts, they appear together with the Jews and inseparable from them; cf. Chrysostom and Theophylact.

This cleansing was accomplished by the death of Christ on the Cross. It was a sacrifice to God, offered for the whole world by the Redeemer of the world, both for Jews and for Gentiles.

Therefore, in the new Kingdom of God on earth, the Kingdom of the Messiah or the Church of Christ, there is not, and must not be, any distinction between Jew and Gentile, clean and unclean.

All have been cleansed by the precious blood of the most pure Lamb, Christ. Therefore Peter says later that God revealed to him that he should call no man common or unclean, verse 28.

The matter clearly concerns only the general question. It concerns the capacity and equal right of all people to enter the Christian Church.

This does not exclude a certain sinful uncleanness of people, even within the Church of Christ itself, which is unavoidable here on earth.

Thus, according to the meaning of the vision, the division that had existed until then between Jews and Gentiles in relation to the Kingdom of God on earth must now cease in relation to the Kingdom of Christ.

Gentiles must and can enter the Church of Christ without any mediation of Judaism; cf. Gal 3:28; Col 3:9 and parallels.

Therefore the greatest importance of this vision is clear. With it begins a new epoch in the history of the primitive Christian Church: the epoch of the calling of the Gentile world into Christianity without the mediation of Judaism.

In the allegorical words of the Lord there is much that clarifies this question. It stood before the Church for urgent resolution because of the universal purpose of the Gospel.

For everyone remembered the Lord's word: preach the Gospel to every creature, Mk 16:15.

But now the Apostle Peter finds that many creatures are unclean. Why? Because, according to the law of the Old Testament, some were recognized as fit for use, and others as unfit.

Yet the same Lawgiver, God, declares that when He has cleansed anything, it can no longer continue to be regarded as unclean.

Consequently, when it was commanded that the Gospel be proclaimed to every creature, then it must be preached to all.

Those who accept this preaching must no longer be considered unclean, but must be received into communion equally with the Jews.

The miraculous character of the appearance, and the threefold instruction, certainly had to lead Peter more deeply into the meaning of the vision.

He had to understand that it was not to be taken in the ordinary sense of food. What he saw descended from heaven and was raised there again as something immaterial and spiritual.

Therefore it had to be considered spiritually.

The command to the Apostle to arise is significant. He was either praying on his knees, or, seeing heaven opened and what descended from it, he fell on his face.

So the Old Testament prophets did at especially overwhelming visions; see Dan 10:9.

The adaptation of the vision to Peter's felt hunger is also significant. It shows that, when eating food, one must firmly remember that man does not live by bread alone.

It is good to share food with the one most in need of it, verse 23. Still better is it to share spiritual bread.

According to blessed Theophylact, "Peter, the first of the Apostles, needed a divine revelation concerning the calling of the Gentiles to the Christian faith.

For he did not know that circumcision and uncircumcision make no difference in relation to faith.

Certainly he did not clearly know that the Lord had said that, when service through faith was revealed, the Gentiles also were to be taught that faith.

They did not know this until His ineffable will, through this appearance, revealed the mysteries."

"The vision occurred three times as a sign of the undoubted truth of what was communicated in it, and to assure Peter of the unchangeable divine decree concerning this matter."