Book of Common Prayer
Peter’s vision
10 In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion with the cohort called “the Italian.” 2 He was devout, and he and all his household revered God. He gave alms generously to the people, and constantly prayed to God.
3 He had a vision. Around three o’clock in the afternoon he saw, quite clearly, one of God’s angels coming to him.
“Cornelius!” said the angel.
4 He looked hard at him, terrified.
“What is it, Sir?” he said.
“Your prayers and your alms have come to God’s notice,” said the angel. 5 “What you must do is this. Send men to Joppa, and ask for someone called Simon, surnamed Peter. 6 He is staying with a man called Simon, a tanner, whose house is beside the sea.”
7 When the angel who had spoken with him went away, he called two of his household and a devout soldier from among his retinue. 8 He explained everything to them, and sent them off to Joppa.
9 The next day, as they were on their journey and getting near the town, Peter went up onto the roof of the house to pray. It was around midday; 10 he was hungry, and asked for something to eat. While they were preparing it, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened, and a vessel like a great sail coming down towards the earth, suspended by its four corners. 12 In the sail there was every kind of four-footed creature, reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. 13 Then he heard a voice: “Get up, Peter!” said the voice. “Kill and eat!”
14 “Certainly not, Master!” said Peter. “I’ve never eaten anything common or unclean!”
15 “What God has made clean,” said the voice, coming now for a second time, “you must not regard as common.”
16 This all happened three times, and then suddenly the sail was whisked back up to heaven.
12 Peter, though, got up and ran to the tomb. He stooped down and saw only the grave-clothes. He went back home, perplexed at what had happened.
On the road to Emmaus
13 That very day, two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, which lay about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were discussing with each other all the various things that had taken place. 15 As they were discussing, and arguing with each other, Jesus himself approached and walked with them. 16 Their eyes, though, were prevented from recognizing him.
17 “You’re obviously having a very important discussion on your walk,” he said; “what’s it all about?”
They stood still, a picture of gloom. 18 Then one of them, Cleopas by name, answered him.
“You must be the only person around Jerusalem,” he said, “who doesn’t know what’s been going on there these last few days.”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“To do with Jesus of Nazareth,” they said to him. “He was a prophet. He acted with power and he spoke with power, before God and all the people. 20 Our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. 21 But we were hoping that he was going to redeem Israel!
“And now, what with all this, it’s the third day since it happened. 22 But some women from our group have astonished us. They went to his tomb very early this morning, 23 and didn’t find his body. They came back saying they’d seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Some of the folk with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they didn’t see him.”
25 “You are so senseless!” he said to them. “So slow in your hearts to believe all the things the prophets said to you! Don’t you see? 26 This is what had to happen: the Messiah had to suffer, and then come into his glory!”
27 So he began with Moses, and with all the prophets, and explained to them the things about himself throughout the whole Bible.
Jesus revealed at Emmaus
28 They drew near to the village where they were heading. Jesus gave the impression that he was going further, 29 but they urged him strongly not to.
“Stay with us,” they said. “It’s nearly evening; the day is almost gone.” And he went in to stay with them.
30 As he was sitting at table with them he took the bread and gave thanks. He broke it and gave it to them. 31 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight.
32 Then they said to each other, “Don’t you remember how our hearts were burning inside us, as he talked to us on the road, as he opened up the Bible for us?”
33 And they got up then and there and went back to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven gathered together, and the people with them.
34 They were saying, “The Lord really has been raised! He’s appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.