Book of Common Prayer

¹⁷ `I have seen a strange thing,' Peter said to himself. `I wonder what it all means.' He was thinking about all this. And the men whom Cornelius sent had asked the way to Simon's house. Now they stood at the gate.

¹⁸ `Is this where Simon Peter is staying?' they called.

¹⁹ Peter was still thinking about what he had seen. Then the Spirit of God said to him, `Three men are looking for you.

²⁰ Get up. Go down and go with them. Do not fear to go, because I have sent them.'

²¹ Then Peter went down to the men whom Cornelius had sent to him. He said, `Here I am. You are looking for me. Why have you come?'

²² They answered, `God sent a holy angel to Cornelius. He told him to call you to his house and hear what you have to say. Cornelius is a captain in the army. He is a good man. He does what is right and obeys God. All the Jews speak well of him.'

²³ Peter said, `Come in.' He had them stay as his guests. The next day he and some of the Christian brothers from Joppa went with the men.

²⁴ The day after that, they reached Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them. He had called his family and close friends together.

²⁵ Peter was about to enter the house. Cornelius met him. He kneeled down at his feet and worshipped him.

²⁶ But Peter raised him up and said, `Please stand up. I too am only a man.

²⁷ Peter talked to him and went in with him. He saw many people who had come together.

²⁸ He began to talk with them. He said, `You yourselves know it is against our law for a Jew to visit and be friends with someone who is not a Jew. But God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.

²⁹ So when you sent for me, I did not say "No". Now I ask, why did you send for me?'

³⁰ Cornelius answered, `Four days ago, it was just at this time, three o'clock. I was in my house talking with God. I had not eaten any food. A man stood in front of me wearing shining clothes.

³¹ He said to me, "Cornelius, God has heard what you said to him. He has remembered your gifts to the poor.

³² Send men to Joppa to call for Simon Peter. He is staying with Simon, the man who makes skins into leather. His house is by the sea."

³³ So I sent for you right away. You have done well to come. Now we are all here before God to hear all that the Lord has told you to tell me.'

¹⁴ When the feast was half finished, Jesus went to the temple and taught the people.

¹⁵ The Jews were very much surprised. `How can this man know books? He never went to school.'

¹⁶ Jesus answered the people, `I am not teaching you my teaching. It is the teaching of the one who sent me.

¹⁷ If any man wants to do what God wants him to do, he will know the teaching. He will know if it is God's teaching or if I am speaking from my own mind.

¹⁸ The person who speaks from his own mind only wants to be great himself. But the person whom God has sent wants to show that God is great. That person is true. He is not a bad man.

¹⁹ Did not Moses give you the law? Not one of you is keeping the law. Why are you trying to kill me?'

²⁰ The people answered Jesus, `A bad spirit is in you! Who is trying to kill you?'

²¹ Jesus answered them, `I have done one thing. You are all surprised about it.

²² Moses gave you the law of circumcision. You obey the law, not because it came from Moses, but because it came from the fathers long ago. You circumcise a baby boy on the Sabbath day.

²³ You do it on the Sabbath day so that you will not break the law of Moses. If you do that, then why are you angry with me because I healed a man on the Sabbath day?

²⁴ Do not judge by what you see, but judge in the right way.'

²⁵ Some people from Jerusalem said, `Is not this the person they are trying to kill?

²⁶ See, he does not fear to speak and yet they say nothing to him! Do the rulers really know that this man is the Christ?

²⁷ But we know where this man comes from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where he comes from.'

²⁸ Jesus was teaching in the temple. He spoke loudly saying, `You know me and you know where I come from. I have not come in my own power. The one who sent me is true. He is the one you do not know.

²⁹ I know him because I came from him. He sent me.'

³⁰ Then the people wanted to catch him. But no one put a hand on him. It was not yet the time for that.

³¹ Many of the people believed in Jesus. They said, `When Christ comes, will he do greater works than this man has done?'

³² The Pharisees heard what the people said about him. The chief priests and the Pharisees sent soldiers to catch him.

³³ Jesus said, `I will stay with you a short time longer. Then I will go back to him who sent me.

³⁴ You will look for me, but you will not find me. You will not be able to go to the place where I will be.'

³⁵ The Jews said to one another, `Where will he go that we cannot find him? Will he go to our people who are living in other countries? Will he teach them?

³⁶ What does he mean by this: "You will look for me and will not find me. You will not be able to go to the place where I will be"?'