Have You Been Institutionalized?

Acts 10:17–23 (NKJV)

17 Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate. 18 And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there. 19 While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you. 20 Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.” 21 Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?” 22 And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.” 23 Then he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him.

We are beginning a new study of the effects of Peter’s vision, but first let’s review what we understand so far. We know that this was the third of three previous occurrences of the same vision. Upon this third occasion, the apostle Peter interacts with his conscience and the Word of Truth, associating the voice he heard with the Lord Himself. Peter doesn’t yet know within his own conscience what the vision means, but we were able to carefully unveil the depth of it in our previous study. We discovered that the intention was for Peter to lower his expectations of the Gentiles and sacrifice his own preferences of customary, dietary restrictions to be a missionary of the Gospel to the Gentiles. We know that God has made all things good and pure since the beginning of creation for the stewardship and dominion of man. We know that the vision was given, directly for Peter’s own conscience, and secondarily for ours, to begin the acceptance of every kind of animal that walks, creeps, and flies in the heavens, as though they were fish in the nets of a sail vessel that was drawn in as a catch for an offering to the Lord. We know that there were are also four authorities that this vision was directly tied to in the Mediation of the intercession of Christ for the sanctification of the saints. We also know that it was a warning to Peter, as a holy priest, not to call common what God has sanctified through His Son; and is therefore an example for every priest to follow thereafter.

Now while Peter doubted with extreme confusion in himself as to what to make of the vision, which had been clear -- Behold now, the men who were sent from Cornelius stood before the gate having made inquiry for the house of Simon. (MAST)

Luke gives us the clear impression that Peter had no reason to doubt, and that all his confusion was wrapped up in his false views of the law and the fathers' traditions. The vision was so clear that Luke transitions from Peter's confusion and ecstasy with an interruption of the narrative to the fulfillment of the vision's intent with the exclamation -- Behold now! This exclamation is for the reader to pay attention to what follows as it directly connects to the vision, and it follows that there were Gentiles approaching the house of the Tanner. Later in our context we see that they spend the night; but now having been around noon, the Tanner would have offered them the sacrifice of the day. It is here that Peter is to eat with the Gentiles and the Tanner. Luke, who is the author of Acts, is breaking into his own narrative of Peter's experience with this exclamation to behold the providence of God.

This is one of many ways how I know that Peter was not known to be (in the days of the apostles) the first Vicar or Pope of the church. Luke, who obviously had a strong conviction as to the intent of Peter's vision, lets the reader know that Peter's struggle was with the New Covenant, a covenant instituted in the fulfillment of Christ's first coming. We see clearly here that Peter was not the head of the church, but that the Word of Christ was the head of the church. The Holy Spirit, who also indwelt Luke, chimes in here to emphasize what the Lord is doing in the church for the Gentiles. Peter is to step aside and submit to the Holy Spirit. It is as if Luke is recording this with an "I told you so" imperative, as a stab into Peter's weakness. Peter never 'blacks out' or covers this historical account. It remains in Scripture for all of church history as a testimony to the accountability of church government. Peter does not have the liberty to write his own story; and under the accountability of the apostolic church and her Divine Head, the Holy Spirit, he must submit to the Word – the Lord Jesus Christ. Luke is so sure, as to the meaning of the vision, that he is like, as Paul Washer would say, a school boy shouting, "Pick me, pick me; I know, I know.” “Look! God has brought the Gentiles to you. They are at the gate!" (Isa.60:3)

They shouted out to ask if Simon, the honorary Peter, was entertained in this place. (MAST)

Luke gives Peter his proper respect even though he butted in front of his showcase in the previous verse. Now since the men called out for Simon, Luke honors him before the reader with Peter, the name that Christ added to him for his honor, and to make up for his previous interruption in the narrative. The whole point of the angel sending for Peter's subpoena was for his authoritative witness. Therefore, Luke is careful to give him the proper respect, but not without first making clear to the reader that Peter was in gross error regarding the example of the Gospel, and that he is not the head of the church (Eph.5:23;Col.1:18). Because the gate was some distance from the house it was necessary for them to shout out their questions, and all three men apparently were caroling the same question. Luke is paraphrasing what they asked, but it is clear that they sought Peter firsthand, after concluding that this was the Tanner's house. Again, I don't believe that Luke intends to use the Greek verb epikaleomai (surname) as just another name, but intends to associate it with its honorary implications of Peter. This was the whole purpose of the vision coming to Peter and not to the other apostles in the first place.

Surname Heb. piel of kānâ; Gk. epikaléō (Acts 1:23; 4:36), ónoma epitíthēmi (Mk. 3:16f)]. Give an additional name to someone. All RSV uses of this term have to do with additional names, not family names. Heb. kānâ, used in Isa. 44:5 and 45:4, means “give [someone] an honorary name.” The same term in Job 32:21 is translated “use flattery.” The idea of honor is not implicit in the terms used in the. Neither the Greek nor the RSV usage is consistent. The same kind of naming is sometimes indicated in the Greek by the simple form, kaléō, and the RSV renders other uses of epikaléō with “called” (Acts 10:5, 32; 11:13) or “whose other name was” (12:12, 25).

Smith, E. W. (1979–1988). Surname. In G. W. Bromiley (Ed.), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Vol. 4, p. 667). Wm. B. Eerdmans.

2126 ἐπικαλέομαι (epikaleomai), ἐπικαλέω (epikaleō): vb.; ≡ DBLHebr 7924; Str 1941; TDNT 3.496—1. LN 33.131 call, to give a name to (Mt 10:25; Mt 10:3 v.r.); 2. LN 33.176 (dep.) ask for help, call on someone for aid (2Co 1:23); 3. LN 56.15 (dep.) appeal to a higher court, claim a legal right (Ac 25:11, 12, 21, 25; 26:32; 28:19+); 4. LN 11.28 be people of, formally, those who call upon the name; this means that they are one of God’s people (Ac 9:14; 15:17), for another interp, see the second entry

Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

If we remember back to a previous study of ours, we knew that sacrificial foods would eventually have to be addressed; since the prejudices of the Jewish believers also had to be addressed when it became known that they withheld from giving the daily bread to the Hellenist widows before the persecution of Saul occurred. Therefore, the dietary laws also would eventually have to be lifted. Luke may have been a witness or known those who have witnessed those previous events and reminds the reader to stay on par with the narrative and intentions of the Holy Spirit's outpouring since Pentecost (Acts 6:1). See links here and here.

As a result of the changes in the majority of those converted to Christ, the circumcision group was eventually going to have to succeed their biases to the liberty of the Hellenists and Gentiles. God is not taking away the circumcision's liberty to remain kosher or to continue in their own rightly understood traditions, but that they were not to impose those traditions as law on other members of Christ's body. It would be wise to make a mental note here that this doesn't apply to the infant versus believer's baptism debate that continues today. The “tradition” of infant baptism is a contradictory tradition that goes against “the command” to repent and be baptized; and therefore forfeits “the promise” that is contained in the obedience towards the command (Mk.7:13). Therefore we are commanded to stay clear of teaching traditions that void the commandments of God. Peter, who later wrote about the commandment to love our neighbor, makes a statement about the effects of obedience to God, which was that love covers a multitude of sins (1Pet.4:8). In effect he is saying that when we judge others out of the liberty to which Christ has set us free, the body of Christ is covered from the multitude of sins that the traditions of our fathers has heaped upon us (Ex.20:5,12). James, also a Jew, needed to learn how to love all the brethren in Christ, and later gives his understanding of the commandment to love, also (James 2:12).

The Greek verb xenizetai (lodging/entertain) has its roots in the adjective xenos (strange), which should give the reader the impression that Peter was observed as a stranger in the house of Simon. The normal word for hospitality in Greek is philoxenos, which is a compound word to express the entertainment of friends. Therefore, Luke is indicating that the Tanner was not yet spiritual friends with Peter, and intends to more clearly define why Peter was not including himself at the table of the Tanner. Therefore, this was a hurdle that the Holy Spirit desired Peter to jump; not the Tanner. It was Peter's responsibility to make friends with the Tanner without grumbling against the Spirit (1Pet.4:9). Therefore, the following verse indicates that Peter finally hears the voice of the Spirit, as he observes the men seeking him from the roof of Simon’s house.

As Peter rolled over the meaning of the vision in his mind, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are seeking after you." (MAST)

If we examine this verse with verse 17, we see somewhat of a repetition, a one two punch if you will. This is a heavy poke to awaken Peter out of his trance, a call to focus (Behold) on what is happening before his own eyes. Luke is writing this in a historical context in which Peter stumbles at this stumbling block again when Paul has to confront him before all the brethren (Gal.2:11-14). Peter is on the rooftop and has a full view of all that was occurring below in the courtyard at the gate. The Greek verb dienthymeomai (thought (NKJV)) carries the word picture of churning butter or a cement mixer, as it turns over and over. In other words, as Peter was turning the vision over and over in his mind, he was interrupted by the loud calls from the gate of the courtyard.

Still remaining on his knees, he hears the Holy Spirit say to him, “Arise” (vs.20). The Greek word for Spirit is a neutered noun, which means that it was not the same voice that spoke to him in his trance. In his trance, it was the feminine noun, phone, which symbolized the Word of God, but the voice in our context is an entirely different voice. The voice of the Holy Spirit was heard in His working in the providence of God and the Word of God acting as one singular voice. In other words, it was the living Word of God in unison with the Holy Spirit speaking to Peter, as his eyes are now opened to the understanding of the vision. Peter is seeing, in providence, what God was showing him in the vision. Peter knows that the three men are seeking after him and the vision correlates to these men and the Tanner.

While Peter is the Lord’s fishermen, he is still very much being sought after by God. Peter is now a slave of righteousness and a slave of God. The Greek verb zetousi (seeking) has an additional meaning in the Biblical context. Peter was being sought after with a ‘subpoena’ to appear in the presence of Cornelius with the evidence of his witness. But it was God's subpoena; not Cornelius's. Remember that it was the angel who commanded Cornelius to send the men. In salvation God is always the seeker. If a man seeks, it is because the Holy Spirit has sought out to convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (Jn.16:8). If a man believes, it is because the eternal Son's life, death, and resurrection sought to witness against him with the judgment of the Holy Spirit (Jn.3:19-21; Lk.19:10). If a believer preaches, it is because God has laid on him the obligation to preach (1Cor.9:16). Therefore, Peter is subpoenaed to give witness to the first coming of the Messiah. This is the proper definition of the Greek verb zeteo in this context.

"Arise therefore, now go down and join up to proceed with them, judging none of them; for I have sent them." (MAST)

Now that Peter has seen the providence of God, the command from the vision is emphatically understood and made expressly clear to him. This command is just a reiteration of what God told him in the vision as he wrestled with God about the content of the sacrifice (vs.13). As Peter remained on his knees in resistance and disobedience to the voice of the Lord in the vision, the providence of God came alongside the vision to emphasize the command. Peter, Get up! Stop doubting and join with the new converts! Take and eat what they give you. I have already sent you! Remember your training!

Luke 10:2–11 (NKJV)

2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. 5 But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. 9 And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’

This was spoken in the context of Jesus on his way to Jerusalem; and therefore the cities that the apostles entered where most likely dominated by the Jewish customs; and therefore Peter did not have to eat anything unclean on this mission. Which would also explain why he was still struggling with the change that Christ ‘instituted’ for the liberty to eat so-called unclean foods. We also see, here, that Peter was informed to stay in a house until the appointed time. It doesn’t do justice to preach the gospel one time and expect the listeners to retain all that is necessary for salvation. It must be offered again and again. This was Christ’s intent in the New Covenant institution of the Lord’s Table; that Gentiles would be invited into the fellowship of the Holy Spirit filled church in her communion with the Father (Rev.22:17). This was how they were to be made partakers of the Divine nature, through the observation of the assembling of the saints, and their worship and sacrifice unto the Lord of their salvation. Christ’s blood has broken down the wall of separation to invite all men into the holy of holies. But those that reject the offering of Christ’s sacrifice bring a greater judgment upon themselves having known the way and rejected it (Heb.6:1-6). Remember the Ethiopian eunuch? Click here

The Greek verbs katabethi (go down) and poreuou (go toward) are both imperatives in connection to the main verb, arise, which means that they are expected to be immediately obeyed. The Holy Spirit, whose presence controlled Peter, was making it emphatically clear to him what he was to do with the visitors at the Tanner’s gate. Hearing their request shouted from the gate, he knew that they were sent by a high officer of Rome, which may have caused him some fear; but the Holy Spirit comforted Peter that this was by the design of the Lord in keeping with the vision. The Greek verb poreuou (proceed) is also rooted in the feminine noun poreia (journey) which means that Peter was to join the traveling party. And since this party was like three Sheriff Officers issuing a warrant, Peter was to judge none of them and join them on their journey. The verb action (go) connected with the feminine noun (journey) also clarifies that this was not an aimless journey but is an identifiable journey towards a destination and a desired effect. The noun is not neutered as if they were going to wander around aimlessly in the wilderness, but that this particular journey has a purpose and the verb action requires Peter to join with them on this special journey.

πορεία (poreia). n. fem. journey. Refers to a journey, and figuratively refers to someone’s regular course of action. This noun is related to the verb πορεύομαι (poreuomai, “to go”)

Litke, A. W. (2014). Journey. D. Mangum, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, & R. Hurst (Eds.), Lexham Theological Wordbook. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

The Greek verb diakrino (doubt) and the adjective medeis (nothing) are in reference to the singular traveling party of the Roman men sent by Cornelius. Therefore, the medeis (no one) is really referring to the plurality of the men that were sent; not something “unidentifiable” as nothing. If we take the word to mean nothing, it could refer to what the men say or do, but I believe Luke wants us to interpret this to mean the personhood of the men sent. If we take the adjective in context with the verb diakrino (judge) we see that several meanings could be offered.

1359 διακρίνομαι (diakrinomai), διακρίνω (diakrinō): vb.; ≡ DBLHebr 9149; Str 1252; TDNT 3.946—1. LN 30.109 evaluate carefully, judge (1Co 14:29); 2. LN 30.99 prefer, judge as superior (1Co 4:7); 3. LN 30.113 make a distinction, to judge there is a difference (Ac 15:9); 4. LN 31.37 (dep.) doubt, be uncertain (Ro 14:23; Ac 10:20; Jas 1:6; Jude 22+); 5. LN 33.444 (dep.) dispute, argue (Jude 9+); 6. LN 33.412 (dep.) criticize, express disapproval (Ac 11:2+)

Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

In context, we see, that Peter is not to judge himself superior to these men, but is to submit to their summons to report to Cornelius as witness of the Gospel. He is to make no discernment or distinction regarding their dietary habits and express criticism of their hospitality, both now at the Tanner’s and upon the journey toward Caesarea to meet Cornelius. Therefore, medeis should only be referred to the men that were sent, as opposed to their testimony regarding Cornelius; for that will be necessary further down in our context. Peter will have to make a judgment regarding if the Gentiles have indeed received the Holy Spirit later on. We also see the word medeis (no one) used in 1 Corinthians 10:24 (NKJV) 24 Let [no one] seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being. Paul used it here in the nomitive case, but Luke used it in the accusative in reference to judgment. It is like the English word (one) which can be used as an adjective or a noun. Therefore, our application here is to judge no one or make ourselves superior to another based on dietary preferences.

Immediately, Peter went down to the men who were sent out from Cornelius, saying, "Behold, I am he whom you subpoena. What is the warrant for which you have come?" (MAST)

Again, the Greek verb katabas (went) and the conjunction de (then) are in conjunction to the main verb, arise, in the previous verse. Katabas (went) is an aorist participle, which is antecedent to the imperative of arise; therefore the conjunction should be translated, immediately, in response to the main imperative. In other words, Peter immediately responds to the Holy Spirit’s command to arise and go with the search party in submission to their requests. At this point, in the mind of Peter, he does not know that these men are sent from Cornelius. All that he perceives is that they are Roman soldiers who are seeking a man named Simon, who is also honored as Peter. Now, in our mind, we have been already tipped off to the fact that these men were sent because of the angel’s visitation to Cornelius. Luke is merely reminding us that these men were sent by the authority of Cornelius. I will spare you the word for word labor that I put into reforming my own rendering of this verse, but there are two main words that stand out, which bring out the purpose for which the men were seeking Peter. The Greek verb zeteo (seek) was used in two previous contexts of our study and should clearly be understood in the legal sense of the term. Which is why I chose to use the English word subpoena, which means to seek for the purpose of delivering an order to appear in court as a witness. This is clearly the purpose of the context for this word zeteo (to seek).

Through hearing and seeing the men on the roof of the Tanner’s house and through the discernment of the vision, he knew that these men were seeking him to appear in a Roman court. In our mind, we know what for; but Peter had no clue that an angel had sent them. Peter was arrested years earlier in Jerusalem for public preaching, and now he may have thought that it has caught up to him, again. All he knew was that God was going to use him again as a witness to what Christ had done. But he had to remember that God had protected him then and will protect him again. The Holy Spirit comforted him, as he had risen out of prayer, and that he would be safe to submit to them for whatever reason they may be seeking him. Nevertheless, he still asks them what the purpose is for their inquisition. The Greek noun aitia (charge) is what gives away some of the fearful unawareness of their intentions for seeking him at a private location, which most likely only the disciples knew about, and therefore gives Peter plausible reason to doubt. So Peter asks them for the warrant. In other words, he asks them to state their purpose for seeking him.

And they said, "Cornelius the centurion, a just man, whose fear of God is witnessed wholly by the nation of the Jews, and was divinely [instituted] by a holy angel to subpoena you to his home, to harken words from you." (MAST)

These respectable men quickly stated their business. They represent their master well by not over exercising their Roman authority. They describe their business in great detail to ease the suspicion of the private enterprise of the Tanner. First, they state the name of their authority, Cornelius, who was an officer of 100 men in the Roman army. Second, they state that he is a just man. The Greek adjective dikaios (just) describes how these Roman men felt towards their commander. They perceived him as a just man or to put it another way as a man of justice. The manner by which he ordered his affairs before them was perceived to be just and good in their eyes. But Peter is being called upon to give witness from the eternal perspective of the infallible and inerrant justice of God. It should be obvious to the reader that these men loved their commander and gave him the highest honor and respect. In other words, Cornelius’s men were honorable officers who respectfully showed their badge of authority before they entered into the house of the Tanner to bring out Peter.

Third, they expound upon their master’s credentials by testifying of his witness before the nation of Israel. They claim he feared the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; a fear by which all of Israel witnessed. In other words, he conducted the business of Rome in a reverence for the God of Israel and made efforts not to offend the Jews in an unnecessary way. He made extra efforts to understand the beliefs and practices of the people of Israel, to offer a more protective service for them through the liberty that Rome permitted. In other words, he did not add to the already heavy yoke that was laid upon the backs of the Jews, and because of this he was respected as a Roman. The Greek adjective holos (wholly) describes the levels of society that Cornelius’s fear of God penetrated. This portrays that his fear was observed from the highest positions of authority to the lowest classes of Israel’s society. It shows that he had no partiality toward a particular monetary class and exercised justice apart from bribes in the fear of God. Indeed, and in deed, he was a respectable man worthy to be honored. This should have eased Peter’s fears and caused him to be submissive and cooperative with Cornelius’s men.

Lastly, the men appeal to an even higher authority to justify their warrant. They state that Cornelius was divinely instituted by an angel of God to harken Peter’s testimony. The Greek verb chrematizo (instituted) clarifies that government is ordained by God and in fact is to be ordered by God as divine (Rom.13:1). However, the problem was that Rome’s government was corrupted from top to bottom with injustice, but Cornelius was called by God to be the representative of His divine character and oracles in the midst of the corruption of government. Therefore, Peter is called upon to give further testimony to the truth and validity of the person of Jesus Christ and to the witness of the Holy Spirit’s purpose at Pentecost. Cornelius is a man chosen by God to offer up his body and soul as a living sacrifice to God before all men (Rom.12:1, 9).

† χρηματίζω.*

1. From χρῆμα in the sense of “affair,” “business” (→ line 5), χρηματίζω means “to handle a matter” in some way. Class. authors often use it in relation to public authorities, ἀπεχώρησαν … οἱ Ἀθηναίων πρέσβεις ὕστερον ἐφʼ ἅπερ ἦλθον χρηματίσαντες, “after they had ruled on the matters for which they had gathered,” Thuc., I, 87, 5.

a. In its vocabulary of government and commerce Hellenism then made of this a gen. expression for official action, “to take up a matter,” “to deal with something,” “to answer,” e.g., ἐ]πέδωκα ἔντευξιν … τῶι στρατηγῶι, ἣν χρηματίσας ἀπές[τειλε, “I handed the strategos a petition which he dealt with and forwarded,” Pap. Enteuxeis,1 75, 9f. (3rd cent. b.c.). Often the deity is the answering authority, περὶ δὲ τῶν χρησμῶν ἔφησε μὴ χρηματίζειν τὸν θεὸν καθόλου περὶ θανάτου, “in relation to the oracle he said that the deity does not answer any questions about death,” Diod. S. 15, 10, 2. A passive can be used for the recipient of instructions, cf. Moses, εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν εἰσιὼν ἐχρηματίζετο περὶ ὧν ἐδεῖτο, “when he went into the tent he was instructed regarding what he needed,” Jos. Ant., 3, 212. Linguistic similarity to χράω “to give an oracle,” e.g., Hdt., I, 55, 2, and χρησμός “oracle,” helped to promote this religious use of the term.

b. The word also denotes public action “to be active under this or that title,” i.e., “to appear publicly as something,” “to be called officially,” e.g., χρηματίζε βασιλεύς “to appear officially as king,” Polyb., 5, 57, 2; 30, 2, 4; Μάρκος Ἀντώνιος Δεῖος καὶ ὡς χρηματίζω, “and whatever I am called,” P. Oxy., I, 100, 1 (2nd cent. a.d.).2

Kittel, G., Bromiley, G. W., & Friedrich, G. (Eds.). (1964–). Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 9, pp. 480–481). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

The Greek verb metapempo ( to summon) in the context of a Roman officer summoning Peter to make judgments based on testimony determines that this should be translated subpoena, because it wasn't a general summons but required a desired effect, which was justice. The will of God for this man and his house was that they would receive a reward for its witness in the land of the Jews and abroad in the Empire of Rome (Heb.11:6). The Greek verb akouo (to hear) should be translated harken, because the intentions of the angel's visitation was for Cornelius to obey the words that are to be heard. The word harken conveys the thought of its synonym (hark back), which defines the message that Peter is commanded to convey. The definition of (hark back) is to turn back to, in our context, a message's origin or source. Peter is to recall the days of the Messiah and his purpose for coming into the world. Cornelius was fully aware and expectant to obey the words of Peter (vs.33); and therefore was ready and willing to obey. I imagine that as he waited for the arrival of Peter that he was impatiently eager to hear and obey the words that God has given Peter to impart to him. The ISBE gives a detailed and sufficient analysis of the verb akouo:

Jesus’ repeated saying “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Mt. 11:15; 13:9, 43; etc.; see also Ear) entails understanding and perhaps also a response of faith. Although the NT quotes no cries for God to hear prayers, it is said that He does hear them, and this hearing implies response (cf. Mt. 6:7; Lk. 1:13; Acts 10:31; Heb 5:7 [all of which use eisakoúō]; Jn. 9:31; 11:41; 1 Jn. 5:14 [all of which use akoúō]; note that the RSV does not use “hearken” in the NT).

A similar use of akoúō may be seen in Mt. 18:15f, where human relations are in view, and in Lk. 16:29, 31, where Moses and the prophets are to be heard with a response of repentance. The phrase “He who has an ear, let him hear [akoúō] what the Spirit says” (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17; etc.) recalls the prophetic admonitions, which call for repentance and obedience (cf. Ezk. 3:27).

The close association of faith and obedience is manifested in several ways. Obedience is used as a synonym for conversion (Acts 5:32; 6:7; Rom. 1:5; 15:18; 16:26; 1 Pet. 1:22), and as a primary characteristic of believers (Rom. 6:17; 16:19; 2 Cor. 2:9; 7:15; Philem. 21; 1 Pet. 1:2); hence, believers are called “children of obedience” (1 Pet. 1:14). When they are misled and cease to “obey [peíthōmai] the truth” (Gal. 5:7), they require reproof and correction in order to avoid judgment (Rom. 2:8). Believers then are to obey the leaders of state (Tit. 3:1; see also Subject) and church (Heb 13:17); children are to obey their parents (Eph. 6:1; Col. 3:20), wives their husbands (1 Pet. 3:6), and slaves their masters (Col. 3:22); and of course God and His word are to be obeyed (Jn. 3:36; Acts 5:29; Gal. 5:2; etc.).

Lee, G. A. (1979–1988). Hear; Hearken; Listen; Obey; etc. In G. W. Bromiley (Ed.), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Vol. 2, pp. 649–650). Wm. B. Eerdmans.

Lord willing, we will get into the mutual submission that is displayed for us in our study of this interaction between the apostle of Jesus Christ and this Roman Cohort. 1 Peter 5:5–8 (NKJV) 5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. If anyone understands big cats and little cats, you know that they don’t always roar like a lion. Big cats only roar, in defense, when their territory is invaded and feel threatened, but the females quietly and gracefully sneak up on their prey and pounce on them by surprise. Our adversary is not always that noticeable by appearance but is crafty like a snake.

Therefore they were called in for entertainment, but the following day Peter went with them and some of the brethren, those from Joppa, joined with him. (MAST)

Peter does not hesitate to submit to these men and calls them in for the sacrifice of the day, and is now, after communion with the Lord, prepared to give all of himself to both parties: the Gentile soldiers and the house of the Tanner. No doubt, the Lord was the topic of their discussion around the table. It was no ordinary entertainment, but was filled with joy in the appearing of Jesus Christ; regardless of what they ate and regardless of the ‘sanctified’ entertainment that was displayed. Because it was late in the day the men spent the night, for they would not have made the distance to Caesarea in time for sundown. Therefore the soldiers did not hesitate to submit to the Tanner’s offer of hospitality.

These events obviously sparked the curiosity of the circumcision group who believed. The brethren of Joppa chose to join this party most likely to keep Peter accountable. I can't draw from this text their intentions with any certain dogmatism, but I believe that their intentions for traveling with Peter weren't originally pure. My assumption is that they wanted to make sure Peter was not led astray into idolatry. But of course the tables turn on them as verse 45 exposes their astonishment as the gift of the Holy Spirit is poured out also on the Gentiles. It is possible that their intentions were pure if they went along to be witnesses for the protection of Peter. I hope the latter is truer than the former.

Either way, our application here is to join the parties of truth and not to be left behind in the lies no matter where the appearance of the party leads; as long as it leads to truth. In repentance, we need to first understand that our current way of thinking is not according to the principles of God, and that all our motives and thoughts must be weighed in the balance of God's Word. God's Word is the final authority on all matters of life, government, and godliness. But our mind is not capable to understand these truths apart from the Spirit of God. If our minds are to be renewed according to truth, we must have an attitude of repentance that believes every word of God is pure, true, and righteous for the wisdom that imparts salvation because of what had died in Adam's fall into sin, which was the conscience and heart of man.

We must agree with God and with what He has declared us to be apart from Him and what we are intended to be ‘in Him.’ You must begin with this question, “Am I in Jesus Christ?” Your calling and election depend on your own labor to answer this question for yourself. You must exercise faith to come to the spiritual conclusion that is necessary for your salvation. No one is going to do it for you, God has already given all that is required, but you must receive it in truth. You cannot inherit it from your parents and you cannot buy it with money. All you can do is believe every Word and pray that God will work in your heart to will and to do for His good pleasure.