Episode 12

Overview: This series concludes with the message of Jesus thriving in the Judean countryside, but violence brewing in Jerusalem. An angel tells the centurion Cornelius to send for Peter, who has seen a vision telling him to comply. Peter shares the truth of Jesus, and Cornelius becomes the first Roman to follow Jesus.

Bible Connections: Acts 10.

Other Sources: Ancient historian Josephus wrote about Caligula’s attempt to put his own image in the Jerusalem Temple, and also about various popular uprisings in Judea, which were met with violence by Roman governors, including Pilate.

Dramatic Imagination: The screenwriters have taken historical events and woven them together with biblical accounts to make a workable plotline. Historically, there is some question about the timing of these events—Pilate was long gone by the time Caligula’s statue arrived. Yet we know Jerusalem remained a violent place for the next three decades, and Jewish Christians like Peter, John, Mary, and Joanna were torn between grief for their homeland and excitement around the rapid spread of the good news of Jesus.

Entry

• If you were there, then, as one of the disciples, would you fight, pray or do something else?
• At this point, having seen him throughout this series, what are your impressions of Cornelius? What kind of man is he? What drives him?

Dig Deeper

• When Cornelius and Peter met, which of them do you think was more fearful?
• Before meeting Cornelius, Peter received a vision from God that was a game-changer (see Acts 10:9-16). What sort of mental-spiritual-social adjustment did Peter have to make in order to offer God’s blessings to a Gentile? (Some of this he explained later in Acts 11:1-18.)
• As this series ends, many details are left hanging. What do you think happens to Caiaphas, Pilate, Cornelius, Peter, Saul or the others?
  (We have some answers from history and Scripture. Caiaphas and Pilate were both removed from office. We don’t know much more about Cornelius, except a fourth-century document might suggest that he became bishop of the church in Caesarea. Peter and Saul—later known as Paul—continued as church leaders and missionaries, both martyred in the same Roman persecution in the mid-60s AD.)

Takeaway

• Looking back over the many Jesus-followers we met in this series, we saw different types of personalities. Which of these do you resemble the most?
  Barnabas, the encourager
  Peter, the quiet leader
  Mary Magdalene and Joanna, the networkers
  Saul and Stephen, the fiery speakers
  Philip, the faithful explainer
  John and Ananias, the caring helpers
  And there were some who came to faith in different ways. If you’re still on the road to faith, which pathway is most like yours?
  Tabitha, the giver who receives new life
  Cornelius, the soldier who serves a new leader
  The Ethiopian eunuch, a seeker who finds truth
  Simon the sorcerer, a dazzler who gets dazzled
• What is the next step for you, as you seek to know God better and to serve him more?