Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.”

“No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.”

But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven.

Acts 10:13-16

Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right. This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.”
Acts 10:34-36

• Peter, a devout Jew, receives a shocking vision while praying: a sheet descends from heaven full of animals considered unclean by the Mosaic Law.
• A voice commands: "Rise, Peter; kill and eat" (v. 13). Peter refuses, citing the Law. The voice responds: "What God has made clean, do not call common" (v. 15).
• While this vision does pave the way for a New Covenant understanding of dietary laws, the primary purpose of this entire chapter is not about food. It is about a new spiritual reality that breaks down the barrier between Jews and Gentiles.
• Cornelius was a Roman centurion who was devout, feared God, prayed regularly, and gave generously. Despite his piety, he was outside the covenant community of Israel. God sends an angel to instruct him to send for Peter.
• This shows God's sovereign initiative in reaching the Gentiles.
• As Cornelius's servants travel, Peter falls into a trance. He sees the sheet containing four-footed animals, reptiles, and birds, all of which were unclean according to the Law (Leviticus 11).
• Peter's immediate rejection ("By no means, Lord") highlights the strict adherence to the ceremonial laws that defined Jewish identity and separated them from the world.
• "What God has made clean, do not call common" is repeated three times. This repetition emphasizes the absolute, irreversible nature of the change God is instituting. The change is not Peter's idea, but God’s. 
• The meaning of the vision is revealed not in a theological lecture, but in Peter's physical action of going to Cornelius's house.
• As Peter is confused over the vision, Cornelius's men arrive. The Holy Spirit directly intervenes, telling Peter to "go with them, having no doubt whatever, for I have sent them" (v. 20). 
• The vision about food was a spiritual illustration for a relational directive.
• When Peter arrives at Cornelius's house, he immediately explains the true meaning of the vision:"You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean." 
• Peter recognized that the distinction between "clean" and "unclean" was never ultimately about animals, but about people. 
• The ceremonial laws were a temporary hedge designed to keep Israel separate until the Messiah arrived. Now that Christ has established the New Covenant, the wall of separation is demolished (Ephesians 2:14-16).
• The fulfillment of the vision culminates in the Holy Spirit falling upon the Gentiles, confirming their full inclusion.
• Peter preaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He declares, "I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him." 
• The standard for salvation is no longer ethnicity or adherence to Mosaic law, but faith in Jesus.
• While Peter is still speaking, the Holy Spirit falls on all who heard the word—the Gentiles! Peter and the accompanying Jewish believers are astonished because the gift of the Holy Spirit, which they received at Pentecost, is now given directly to Gentiles before any ritual (like baptism).
• This event was the proof that God had fully accepted the Gentiles. 
• The sign of the Holy Spirit confirmed that the vision of "clean" animals meant the "cleansing" of the Gentiles for fellowship and inclusion into the body of Christ.
• The lesson of Acts 10 is that Christian unity transcends all ethnic and cultural divisions.
• Our focus must be on welcoming all people who have been declared clean by God through faith in His Son.

Acts 10 shows that God initiated a radical, irreversible change. What area in my life or doctrine am I still trying to define by Old Covenant boundaries or legalism, rather than trusting the New Covenant freedom to welcome those God has saved?