NOTES for Act 10:34-35

What mean the words of Peter about God being no respecter of persons? The fact that God cannot be deceived and nor can be corrupted? Certainly, and that also. But Peter, it would seem, somehow particularly admires and is delighted at the fact that this is related to all the peoples. It would be strange to expect from God another thing. But before the arrival of the Christ, an equal relation for all from God was obviously far from being for each. In the Jewish environment, at this moment, was rather widely spread the representation of the God of Israel, as the God, Who if is interested in the fate of other peoples, it is only globally, in terms of how will turn the history in the result, for example, of the victory of either side in the war.

Several Jewish believers were then insured that the God of Israel does not worry about the fate of certain heathen: because only the Jewish people are His people, and it is only here that we can speak about the importance of every separated person for God. There could be of course exceptions: either when the heathen entered the Synagogue, having accepted the Judaism and having then become part of God’s people, or in particular cases, when too much depended on heathen, including in the fate of the Jewish people, to let the matter to chance.

Peter sees something completely different. He sees that God "is no respecter of persons", and including in the sense of the national or religious affiliation too. It turns out that for Him, particularly man is important, and besides it happens not to be important for Him if this man belongs to His people or not. Of course, God really has with His people special relationships, the union existing at that moment for almost two millennia was not in vain. But this union does not make small in the eyes of God other nations and those people, who belong to them. For Him each is really absolutely important.

He is ready to open the Kingdom to everyone. And the Messiah, sent by Him to the world, although He was born Jewish and preached only to His people, now He is open to every seeker. And it is not surprising: because with the coming of Christ, on the replacement of the former subjects of the historical process - of great civilizations (what in Daniel's Book is called "kingdoms") comes a new one - the Kingdom with a capital letter. And all the period from the Pentecost to the return of Christ becomes the period of the Kingdom, the Kingdom to come. And in the Kingdom, the mass, collectives, crowd and great leaders do not play role. Here is important only a concrete person, to whom God addresses.