Cornelius had many reasons to be proud. As a centurion, a commander of around 100 Roman soldiers, he was accustomed to being in command. As a Roman citizen, he was accustomed to having his rights acknowledged everywhere he went. As someone who gave generous gifts to the people of his town, he was accustomed to receiving the deference and respect of everyone around him.

Peter wasn’t much different. He was a Jew, someone whose people had received the Law of Moses from the mouth of God Himself. And he had faithfully followed that Law, abstaining from eating unclean animals throughout his life (v. 14). Moreover, he had come to realize that Jesus was in fact the Christ, the Messiah God promised would rule and reign over all His people (v. 36). And of course, he was also a miracle-working apostle, a leader of the Church. Oh yes, Peter had many reasons to look down on unclean, idol-worshipping Gentiles.

So it couldn’t have been easy for Cornelius to humble himself before any Jew, much less to fall down at his feet in an attitude of worship (v. 25). But he was so hungry for the truth of God that he was willing to humiliate himself in the eyes of all his relatives and close friends (v. 24).

And Peter was also willing to humble himself in many ways. After all, he was lodging with a tanner, a man the Jews considered to be ceremonially unclean because he dealt with the skins of dead animals (v. 6). And he eventually travelled to meet Cornelius, even though many of the Jews refused to associate with any Gentile (v. 28).

And why did Peter make that trip? For the same reason that Cornelius reached out to him. Both were men of prayer (vv. 2, 9), seeking God and His will above all else. And God gave both of them a vision (vv. 3, 11-15), directing them to seek each other out, regardless of their social and cultural differences. In short, God told Peter not to consider anything common that God had made clean (v. 15), and both men learned that lesson well.

So how about us? Will we put aside our pride in our knowledge and our traditions, and reach out to those who, for whatever reason, we might be tempted to look down on? As Peter and Cornelius did, will we look beyond our individual differences and see the value of all those for whom Christ died?

Acts 10:1-26 (ESV)

At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort,
2 a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.
3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.”
4 And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.
5 And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter.
6 He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
7 When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him,
8 and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
9 The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.
10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance
11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth.
12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air.
13 And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”
14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”
15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”
16 This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.
17 Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood at the gate
18 and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there.
19 And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you.
20 Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.”
21 And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?”
22 And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.”
23 So he invited them in to be his guests. The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.
24 And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.
26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.”