Is Peter Right? | Disruptive Presence 48

In which John and David consider God's response to Peter's interpretation of his vision. Peter makes an audacious claim as a result of his vision on the roof - that God has no favourites. This is a significant claim for Cornelius. But is Peter correct? As you'll see, God responds to affirm how Peter sees things.

Episode 105 of the Two Texts Podcast | Disruptive Presence 48

If you want to get in touch about something in the podcast you can reach out on podcast@twotexts.com or by liking and following the Two Texts podcast on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you enjoy the podcast, we’d love it if you left a review or comment where you’re listening from – and if you really enjoyed it, why not share it with a friend?

Music by Woodford Music (c) 2021

________
Help us keep Two Texts free for everyone by becoming a supporter of the show:

John and David want to ensure that Two Texts always remains free content for everyone. We don't want to create a paywall or have premium content that would exclude others. 

However, Two Texts costs us around £60 per month (US$75; CAD$100) to make. If you'd like to support the show with even just a small monthly donation it would help ensure we can continue to produce the content that you love. 

Thank you so much.

Transcript

 Transcript AutoGenerated by Descript.com

[00:00:00] John Andrews: Hey, David, we, in our last podcast, finished in the most just gorgeous moment of Peter proclaiming that all the prophets testify about him. That's Jesus, that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sin through his name. 

[00:01:05] Wow. And Cornelius and the household and friends gathered are hearing this amazing. Message of grace. A, a beautiful climax to a wonderful sermon brief but wonderful sermon from Peter. And and we are about to pick up verse 44, where it, it sort of goes to a different level here and something quite amazing takes place. 

[00:01:30] David Harvey: It, it was, it was in my mind just as I was looking at this, that the tension is actually building in this story and into something we said in the last. Episode that it's, it's fascinating that Peter has to do some exegesis work on his vision. So he has a vision about foods to eat that he seems to use as the final piece of his puzzle to realize about a lot of stuff that Jesus was doing that obviously now made sense to him that, oh, wait a minute. 

[00:01:58] It's not just that we get to eat whatever we want. It's that. We should actually take the gospel to everyone that Peter makes that leap. So the end of his sermon, his sermon begins. God is not somebody who sees faces. God, God is, is treats us all equally. So therefore you get to this point. Therefore, everyone who believes receives forgiveness. 

[00:02:20] Deep significance in that because what Peter is not saying is what you would've expected. Everybody who obeys Torah, everybody who was circumcised in the eighth day, everybody who you, eats the right food laws, observes Sabbath. These are the things Peter's been raised as the exclusivity of what requires and leads to forgiveness. 

[00:02:41] But there's a question hanging over this. It's, it's implicit. Luke doesn't make anything of it until we get to this next reading. And I think the implicit question is, Is Peter, right? 

[00:02:52] John Andrews: Yes. Yes. Great question. Absolutely. 

[00:02:55] David Harvey: know, because Peter's, Peter's made a leap here. He's, he said, I've seen this vision about food. I think it also applies to coming to Cornelius, and, and I think as, as most of us reading this text, in, in the Western context, listening to a Christian podcast probably fall into the category of Gentiles. 

[00:03:13] We are predisposed to read this text going, although of course you're right, Peter. But if we read this text chronology, the question I, I mean, do you think, am I pushing it too much? But I think that question's there. 

[00:03:23] John Andrews: It absolutely is. There absolutely is there. And of course, if you're prepared to ask that question, which is implicit building in the story, then what we're about to read next absolutely makes sense. It, it connects that incredible implicit question with a definitive answer. 

[00:03:43] So, so you're, you're, you're gonna read this gorgeous. Magnificent conclusion to the Cornelius story in chapter 10, 1 44 to the end of the chapter. 

[00:03:53] David Harvey: so the, the cliffhanger was held, all the prophets testify that everyone who believes, and then it says this, while Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message? The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. 

[00:04:22] Then Peter said, surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have. So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days. 

[00:04:45] John Andrews: Beautiful. Beautiful, beautiful, 

[00:04:46] David Harvey: I love it. 

[00:04:47] John Andrews: oh my goodness. It's wonderful. The, the circumstance believers that were with Peter were astonished. 

[00:04:53] David Harvey: I know I saw 

[00:04:54] John Andrews: Astonished. 

[00:04:55] David Harvey: were asking you the question. So I mean, to my point they were sat listening to Peter's sermon thinking, eh, I'm not sure about this, Peter. I mean, I don't think that's, I don't think that's an unfair reading that we're hearing that they, they were not buying what Peter was saying, ink. 

[00:05:11] John Andrews: Ab I think that's absolutely correct. And, and, and I love the fact that I, I nearly mentioned this in the last podcast. I love the fact that actually when Peter leaves for Cornelius's house, it tells us that he actually took a number I. Of the believers with him and I, I, yeah, and, and, and of course when this happens, now you realize what wisdom that was. 

[00:05:35] So, because if Peter had a, been on his own just with Cornelius and the Cornelius's household, and then he goes and reports up, people going, well, come on Peter. Really? Really, but the fact that, and we're not, we're not told exactly how many believers were with Peter when he enters Cornelius's house, but you know, it's clearly more than a few. 

[00:05:56] The fact that you've got beautifully providentially. Independent witnesses to this moment who, who are probably sitting there, as you've suggested going well, is, is, is this right? Is this true? Has God really accepted the face of the Gentiles?  

[00:06:15] David Harvey: We've all been in one of those sermons, haven't we? Where we're listening to the sermon going. I don't think that's what the text means. 

[00:06:24] John Andrews: And then suddenly, boom, holy Spirit comes and they are astonished. So, so there, there is a supernatural affirmation. Of the point being made by Peter, and, and I do, I do love this, David, I love the fact that there is, the way Dr. Luke writes it, verse 43, verse 44 are jammed together. There's this sense of, while Peter was speaking these words, and of course explicitly the words that all people, everyone who believes in 

[00:07:00] David Harvey: Yeah, yeah, 

[00:07:01] John Andrews: I love that. 

[00:07:02] Just at that climactic, everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of censor his name, and then as he's saying those words, boom, the Holy Spirit calms. I just think that's a gorgeous knitting together of those, those two things there. 

[00:07:17] David Harvey: And, and sh I mean the, the, the word astonished. Those who were come with Peter were astonished. X is steamy to be. So, so it's the word to stand, I think. And, and, and, and so it's, it's like, it, it one one of the dictionaries offers a kind of meaning of it is to be put out of your place. 

[00:07:35] Right. So, ex like I love that astonished them is a beautiful word. Astonished is, but, but I actually love this subtlety of being put out of place cuz it's exactly what's happening here. We thought we were at the king of the castle. Turns out God has a different plan and a different, well, and actually to the point, I shouldn't say that. 

[00:07:53] This is the plan God has had all along 

[00:07:56] John Andrews: Yes. 
 

[00:07:56] David Harvey: plan is in the story of Jonah. It's in the story of Isaiah. It's in the, it's in the Passover. You know what, what do you do if there's a foreigner at the Passover? Well, you should welcome them in. Right? So, so it's not a new plan, it's a plan maybe that we've lost hope in or, or stopped believing in. 

[00:08:11] But, but this, this notion that the Holy Spirit. He's not going to wait that, that while Peter, is speaking these things, so maybe Peter had a different whole conclusion planned, but he just never got to 

[00:08:27] John Andrews: Yeah. Yes. And I'm sort of really glad the Holy Spirit interrupted. Peter, Peter, Peter Showan in the book of Ax. He's pretty good 

[00:08:37] David Harvey: Yeah. 
 

[00:08:37] John Andrews: at bringing a sermon to a good conclusion and, and calling for what we may use a language of appeal in the end of that sermon. But I love this. It saves Peter having defined an ending, but also it suggests. 

[00:08:55] That something has happened in Cornelius, in his household. Either while Peter is speaking, faith has come, or that faith in some ways was already there and then in Peter's sermon crystallized in some supernatural and dynamic way. But, but clearly the Holy Spirit is, is coming. Well, if, if we use the same terminology that he's, he's coming on these gentiles in the same way that he came under believers. 

[00:09:28] In the book of Acts at the beginning then we are assuming not only in terms of coming in to see him, sort of supernatural signs way, which we can talk about, but also the fact that he comes to a heart of faith. He's coming to a community of faith. And so you get this lovely sense that wherever it happens, Cornelius and his community have come to faith in Jesus, and the Holy Spirit immediately endorses and affirms that idea by coming on them in the same way that he came on the Jewish believers in in the Dear Pentecost. 

[00:10:03] David Harvey: Mm. A and that's an important, that is an important th thing that, that just as we have, they have received the Holy Spirit just as we have is, is a really, I mean, that's gonna be more significant in the next chapter when we get to, but, but you're seeing this thread throughout act, aren't you? That what you see is. 

[00:10:25] Is what you, is what's happening here. And, and I think that. One of the things that we're seeing here is the, the, the tongues being evidence of what Gotti is doing. And I mean, anybody that's got a background in Pentecostalism will hear the word tongues and evidence in the sentence and immediately know the rabbit holes that we could get down on here. 

[00:10:54] But, but I think the early Pentecostals, when they talked about tongues as evidence, were onto something. And I, I think we've used it in a way that has obscured what's going on here. But for me, what's happening in this here and why the tongues is so important that they are speaking in languages they have not learned, which praise God is to do exactly what Peter sees. 

[00:11:17] This is Pentecost repeated. So, so what we saw and hoped for in Pentecost, all the nations praising the Lord, we're now seeing beginning to happen. And, and the Holy Spirit wants us to tie those connections not to use tongues as a way to tell some people they don't properly have the Holy Spirit, and some people do to actually do the opposite of that. 

[00:11:37] To say, look, Peter, Peter started the day, or I mean, it's probably not one day, but Peter started this chapter, not really aware that God loved Gentiles, and by the end of the chapter, the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues. They have not learned through these Gentiles just like Peter did. I mean it to me. 

[00:11:56] That's what's going on here with tongues. 

[00:12:00] John Andrews: definitely, definitely. And, and I would totally concur with that. And it, it's really fascinating if, if you step out of this a little bit and see maybe patterns in the book of acts if, if you want to see those. I think this, this is forming part of a pattern. It's really interesting that, we've seen could, could you call it forgive, forgive my simplicity here, David, but in Acts two we've seen a sort of a Jewish. 

[00:12:24] David Harvey: Mm-hmm. 
 

[00:12:25] John Andrews: Pentecost like the, the vast majority of the people receiving the spirit in X two are probably Jews, if not in totality. In X chapter eight, we see a Samaritan type Pentecost. You've got the Samaritans receiving the spirit. Now, we're not told what happened there, but whatever happened, there's Simon, the saucers trying to like lay down serious money to buy it. 

[00:12:47] So it's a supernatural experience, whatever that was. And then here we have, it feels like a bit of a completion moment. We've got a gentile type Pentecost here. And again, it's a dynamic supernatural event. And of course, l later on, which we, we'll eventually get to at some point in the, in the foreign distant future. 

[00:13:09] We, when we get to act 19, you've got a group of Johns disciples getting filled with the spirit. So you, so, so there's this lovely Jewish flavored. Outpouring. You've got this gorgeous Samaritan flavored outpouring. You've got this Now Gentile under some dynamic similarities here. That are going on. What, what I love about this, David, if you, if you look at the meat in the sandwich, which is Samaria and Samaria, Peter and John put their hands on the people and they receive in the Jewish outpouring, no one touches them. 

[00:13:43] It's a spontaneous act of the spirit. And in the Gentile outpouring, it's exactly the same. It's a spontaneous outpouring of the spirit. So there is, it's not just the tongues stuff, which is abs and I'm a card carrying Pentecostal, so I'm a tongue speaking believer. So I, I, I love all of that stuff and I'm prepared to hunt all that down if we want to, but actually, I. 

[00:14:05] I think there's other stuff going on there. The spontaneity of the spirit on this group is exactly how it happened on the day of Pentecost with the Jews. In other words, it's not manipulated. It hasn't been contrived. It's not Peter sort of making it happen. This is happening spontaneously in the same way that it happened to us in And isn't it interesting? 

[00:14:27] One final little reflection from me on this, it's, it's not any confession of faith that convinces the Jewish believers that this is the same thing that the Gentiles can receive, but it's the fact that actually they've received the spirit. So there's a real dynamic. Understanding of the work of the spirit in the, in the sort of early Christian community, early Jewish Christian community, that really does place tremendous emphasis on the work of the spirit as part of the, sort of, forgive my language, salvation dynamic, salvation package. 

[00:15:02] So there's, there's, there's something really powerful going on there in a lot of that language. 

[00:15:07] David Harvey: Oh yeah. I mean, goodness, so many, so many thoughts, John, I, I mean, two, let me try and hold two thoughts together. One is that the Holy Spirit. Is the presence of Jesus in Jesus's absence, right? That's, if you think about John's gospel for a moment, I'm going away so that I can come back to you, right? 

[00:15:26] It's good that I'm going away because I can then be with all of you. I'm coming back to you. I'm coming as the Holy Spirit who will be another comforter for you. So I, if we're broadly comfortable with that idea that. Trini from a Trinitarian perspective as well, the Holy Spirit is the presence of Jesus. 

[00:15:43] Is the presence of God, is the presence with us. So it's fascinating to me that in Luke, Jesus is constantly fellowshipping in an anti exclusionary way. Right. He is constantly, what are you doing? Eating with tax collectors and sinners? Jesus. What are you doing? Hanging out with poor people? 

[00:16:01] Jesus. No. What are you doing? Hanging out in a tomb with the demonn possessed man? Right? This sort of Jesus is constantly with the people who are excluded. I love the fact that Jesus's spirit drops into these disciples and we see the same thing happening. So it's like, there's 12, right? 

[00:16:20] And there's like, well, we, we need to, I mean, it's, it's beautiful, isn't it? How are we gonna carry on? How are we gonna carry on the mission of Jesus? There's only 11 of us. We should get one more person. So they draw lots and, and, and, and, and we end up with an extra disciple, as if, as if, and it's gorgeous, as if the Holy Spirit was thinking, oh man, we're a man short. 

[00:16:40] And by the next, by the next, like, like three days later, there's like, th. Thousands of people that have been, that have experiencing this, this, this movement. So, so the first boundary is the apostles only is broken into the, into the Jerusalem event. Then there's like, what are these Samaritans? 

[00:16:58] They're not really sure about Samaritans. Oh yeah. Seems that Holy Spirits over there, doing Holy Spirit stuff. And then we definitely don't really think these gentiles. And then the next thing, the Gentiles, and don't forget, although without us speaking in tongues reference. Paul, Saul has been baptized with the Holy Spirit, just before this, the persecutor, the one, the one who is against us. 

[00:17:19] And then we've got these Ethiopians coming. And I just wanna point out that the Holy Spirit is doing exactly what Jesus did, is just refusing to exclude people that, that, that have turned their hearts towards him. And, and I, I think that's something. I want to always lay on the table as a Pentecostal is if I hear myself using the Holy Spirit to define me as different from somebody else. I've started to leverage the Holy Spirit in exactly the opposite way. Then the Holy Spirit is seen to be working in acts because when humans say, Hmm, I'm not sure about you in Acts, the Holy Spirit says definitely you. Right? 

[00:18:06] John Andrews: Yeah. Yeah. 

[00:18:07] David Harvey: and I think you see that in sharp relief here in Acts chapter 10. So, so I mean, I mean, unpack that with me if you want to, John. 

[00:18:13] But I think that's where I would want to say that. I, I, and I think that's a thoroughly Pentecostal statement to make, even though it's not often what you hear from Pentecostals maybe. 

[00:18:22] John Andrews: No, no, no, no. I, I, I totally agree. And, and I think you've put that magnificently, and I think the problem is, is when sometimes so, so let me speak as a Pentecostal, sometimes what we've done is Pentecostals, is we've lifted these events out of the text 

[00:18:38] David Harvey: Mm. 
 

[00:18:40] John Andrews: to make some points about the work of the spirit, which are, are all very important and very valid, but we've forgotten the trajectory of the text. 

[00:18:47] David Harvey: Yes, yes, yes. 

[00:18:49] John Andrews: So the trajectory of the taxpayer is this all grace-filled, inclusive, dynamic work of the Holy Spirit desperately trying to get his believers out and desperately trying to get the world in. 

[00:19:03] David Harvey: Yeah. 
 

[00:19:04] John Andrews: Forgive that crude language, but you know what I mean. We, we, we've already discussed this at length, so, so when you see then the outpouring of the spirit in Cornelius and you take it out of that trajectory, then it becomes a bit of a test tube examination experiment. 

[00:19:19] So you say, oh yeah, well there's tongues there. Oh yeah, well there's prayer there and prayers there, and there's prophet. Alright. So they're the key elements of what it means to be filled with prayer. Now I'm cool with that and I think there are some patterns we can learn. But the point of the story being included, the way it's included is because there's a, a, a much more dynamic trajectory to the whole conversation. 

[00:19:42] And I think my little appeal to Pentecostal says, yes, celebrate. Tongues, celebrate, prophesy, celebrate dynamic signs of being filled with about 100%. I'm totally in on all that and I've no problem with it. But don't lift Cornelius, don't lift Samaria, don't lift the book. The, the Pentecost experience don't lift it out of the trajectory of what the Holy Spirit's doing. 

[00:20:06] He, he is empowering groups to go and is also making a way for others to come. And that's the point. And as you are absolutely right, and I totally agree with you, the minute we make that sectarian, the minute we make that a means of your in or you're out, we're missing the actual point 

[00:20:27] David Harvey: Yeah. Yeah. 

[00:20:28] John Andrews: of the work of the spirit in the Book of Acts and, and of course the work of Jesus in the gospels, which are about breaking walls down. 

[00:20:37] In order to go out and breaking creating pathways to allow people to come in, and we must remember that. We must remember that when thinking about these mar marvelous and beautiful moments of the Holy Spirit. 

[00:20:51] David Harvey: It kinda makes me want to circle back now on reflection to this line in verse 45. The circumcised believers who'd come with Peter were astonished. And actually maybe there is a little bit of putting out of place. Like, wait a minute, this is, this is not quite right. And if, even if that's an overreading of this text, that's definitely how we can feel. 

[00:21:12] Sometimes is that we can sometimes feel like, I'm not comfortable with opening the doors to that particular person, that particular category of, of person, and. And I, I think our prayer so often needs to be as Christians that we live in verse 40 sevens surely, rather than being put out of our place, surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized, and there's a sense in which Peter's laying down this question of almost daring his colleagues that are with him. Like, come on, you're not, you're not, you, you, and it's been unspoken until this moment, I think We've not. Pete, sorry, Luke hasn't let us into the idea that there's some doubters with Peter. 

[00:22:00] There's some people in the room that are like, I'm not sure about this. And, and it's only when Peter turns and says, surely no one can stand in the way. I think he's talking at this point to his partners who've come with him, and, and he is like, come on guys. Like, let's, let's see where this is at here. 

[00:22:15] And again, notice just out of curiosity the similarity to the sentence that the Ethiopian eunuch says when he is look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized? Peter now is surely no one is, which led me to a thought. John. 

[00:22:34] I just, I, I wonder if it's related to this or not. So, the Ethiopian Munich. He has a Bible study and has a revelation that this is Jesus and says, can I get baptized? Peter follows Jesus around for three years. Then is filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus. See Peter is baptized, filled with the Holy Spirit. 

[00:22:57] We have Paul, who comes to Ephesus and he meets people who've been baptized by John, not by Jesus. I think it just is a little bit of humility in this for us. All that, and, and this is maybe where, where I, I lose my ordination card or something like that, but, Let's not be too stressed about order, 

[00:23:16] John Andrews: that's right. Totally. 

[00:23:17] David Harvey: know, let's not be too stressed about, oh no, I'm, I'm sure you've not been baptized. 

[00:23:21] I can't, I can't expect to see the Holy Spirit in you, or, oh, sorry, you've not been baptized or you just went to the Bible study and now you want to be baptized. I, I think, I think we need to learn to be a little bit, sort of, Just cautious with, amongst all the different Christian denominations. 

[00:23:38] We have a lot of different processes and orders. Some churches, they baptize babies, have confirmation for, teenagers and then, we'll, we'll we will see the Holy Spirit in that process. Some people dedicate babies, baptized, teenagers see the Holy Spirit in a different place. 

[00:23:53] Some, and, and actually what I love about ACT is all the people that encounter God. End up in the same place. They just don't necessarily all take the same route. And I and I, maybe I'm putting too much weight on one text to build this argument, but when I read this, I'm just reminded, David, stay humble when you meet Christians who have processes that are different from yours. 

[00:24:15] Because if we were to try to build a process structure from act, it would be very difficult. 

[00:24:22] John Andrews: No. And, and I love, and again, this is the beauty of sort of sometimes patterns when patterns are emerging and you see a difference in the pattern. 

[00:24:31] David Harvey: Mm 
 

[00:24:32] John Andrews: I think, so that this has really helped me in my reading of TaNaK of the, of the Old Testament is that so sometimes you get a passage that's beautifully structured in patterns and then you get a break to the pattern. 

[00:24:43] David Harvey: mm. 
 

[00:24:43] John Andrews: So, in the creation story, it's good. It's good, it's good. It's very good. And then it's not good and you get this so it causes you to go, hold on. Why is the pattern changed? And I think we've seen a bit of a pattern in the book of Acts, which has followed a sort of a repent confess, repent, believe, be baptized, and then, and then maybe be Phil Whisper. 

[00:25:05] Here we're seeing a change to the pattern, and we should ask the question, why is that? Why has that happened like that? And I think there's a couple of things. I think, I think you're absolutely right. I think don't get hung up on order. I, I think you can be filled with the spirit before you're baptized in water. 

[00:25:22] No, no. And this, this story shows that to be true. But, and this is where I'm back to my, my lovely sort of leaning into the providential grace of, of the Lord, I think, I think had Peter said, To his Jewish believing friends. Right. We're gonna baptize Cornelius. In his, his household, the, the boys and girls with him may have gone. 

[00:25:45] Mm, 
 

[00:25:47] David Harvey: Yeah. 
 

[00:25:48] John Andrews: I'm not sure. Are you sure you wanna do this? Because the only gentile on the record that we've had baptized before, this is an individual. Baptized by Philip in a setting that wasn't that is, wasn't sort of community public. It was a a, a sort of an intimate public, but not community public. 

[00:26:08] So, so, so actually that's the only on the record, baptism of a straight Gentile a, a gentile on their own, not, not excluding the Samaritan context. 

[00:26:19] David Harvey: Yes. 
 

[00:26:20] John Andrews: So had Peter gone straight to sort of, oh, that's baptized. These guys, you may have had a bit of hesitancy or pushback. The fact that they've been filled with the spirit and then he goes, okay, really, we really can push back on this. 

[00:26:31] Can we? Because exactly what we've seen and experienced, they have now experienced. We have seen exactly the same thing happen. Therefore, If it walks like a duck, quacks, like a duck, looks like a duck, it's probably a duck. And we should, we should baptize this sort of, so I think there's a couple of gorgeous things going on there, David. 

[00:26:51] And, and one of them I think's providential, and one of them I think is deeply practical for us because I think we mustn't shut the door to people being filled with the spirit because they haven't gone through an a, b, ABC process in our, in our church classes. The Holy Spirit wants to come to us, whoever we are, wherever we are. 

[00:27:08] He wants to come to Hungry Hearts that believe, and that's it. 

[00:27:11] David Harvey: yes. Oh, no, I love that. I absolutely love that. And that's, and that's really at the heart of what I was, was scratching at as well, is that, let's just, let's just play with these things as the Holy Spirit calls us to play with them. And and, and not, again, not accidentally exclude people on the basis of our process,  

[00:27:30] John Andrews: True, 
 

[00:27:31] David Harvey: I, I want to raise something just as we sort of maybe begin to land this episode and. 

[00:27:38] I know you'll be interested in it. I'm pretty certain you've seen it before. It's not really an act reference. Right. But I, I, I think we've got enough leeway in two text to, to sort of spread to more than one text. We are two texts of course, aren't we? Here's something that, that, that struck me and I mean, it's so blatantly obvious that this, most listeners are gonna go, yeah, David, we all knew this and. And, and somehow I've managed to miss it for the last little while. Okay? This whole story started in Joppa, right? Joppa appears elsewhere in a biblical story with a man named Jonah, right? 

[00:28:19] John Andrews: Join. 
 

[00:28:19] David Harvey: And the word of the Lord comes to Jonah and says, Hey Jonah, why don't you go to these gentiles and tell them that God loves them? 

[00:28:28] And Jonah says, no way. Right? So just. Now, and I, I'm, this isn't made explicit by anybody, but I I, you know what struck this, what struck me the other day there, who is in Jonah, Peter, but when we first PE meet Peter, he's called Simon, son of Jonah. 

[00:28:46] John Andrews: Indeed. 
 

[00:28:48] David Harvey: And I love just this symmetry of the text there that here we have Simon, son of Jonah. 

[00:28:54] Ink and the Lord comes to him and takes him to the Gentiles, but this time, he goes willingly and they receive the Holy Spirit. I mean, I, I, I just, I just couldn't help but say I just love it when the Bible does stuff like that. I mean, what do you think? 

[00:29:09] John Andrews: Oh, love it. I love it. It's, and again, it's one of those you sort of think, are we overcooking that? And I don't, I don't think we are. At the very least. That is a. Gorgeous, magnificent providential God incidents. And you go, wow, that's so cool. 

[00:29:27] David Harvey: of fun, 
 

[00:29:27] John Andrews: All right. Uh uh. Yeah, but, but, but of course. But of course if we wanna push it a bit harder, you go, my goodness. 

[00:29:34] The genius of the Holy Spirit, the genius of the Lord, that we get one of the tipping point moments of the Book of Acts and the journey starts in Choppa to a man whose father was called Jonah. It's just stunning. It's just, you go, come on. That is too cool. That is too clever. That is too magnificent. 

[00:29:57] But, but you absolutely, and again, I don't. Think a Jewish audience hearing that that would be lost on them. I think they would make those, those. And again, if we wanted to stretch the Jonah thing just a wee bit more. I, what is Mag? What's the similarities are incredible. Cornelius in his household are ready to receive, they are ready to believe they are ready to be, to repent. 

[00:30:24] They are like coil springs ready to go. And, as, as we've reflected on that half-hearted, Five word, half bake sermon from Jonah. But the whole city are ready to repent, ready to receive, ready to hear the word of the Lord. And again, this is the indication that, that as the believers end up in Antioch, they're, they discover the gentile world's ready. 

[00:30:46] These guys are ready to receive this incredible message. And Cornelius is this. Gorgeous myopic sort of, version of that, that mic microscopic version of this galactic global idea that the Gentiles are ready to receive. And if the, if the church has the courage to go, then they will go and, and see something amazing happen. 

[00:31:10] So I, I would not worry about overcooking, the Jonah connections. I think that's all over that. I think it's totally all over that. 

[00:31:18] David Harvey: And it, it strikes me that it even speaks to this sort of long memory of God,  

[00:31:23] John Andrews: Oh, it's 
 

[00:31:23] David Harvey: that he is not, he has not given up on people that, as he said to Jonah, I care about plants and I care about animals, and I care about people,  

[00:31:32] John Andrews: it's gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful.