At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion….” Acts 10:1

(by Pam Benedict) One of my favorite places to visit when we were in Israel was Caesarea Maritima, a coastal city two hours southwest of the Sea of Galilee. Herod the Great, the wicked ruler at Jesus’ birth, built massive stone palaces and fortresses for himself throughout the land of Israel. And in order to make his own name great, and to win favor of Caesar, he ordered slaves to create the port city of Caesarea.  One of the wonders of the ancient world, Caesarea had a lavish palace, imposing public buildings and large pagan temples. On the day we visited the ruins, we had a breathtaking view of the aqua waters of the Mediterranean Sea in front of us and a vivid cerulean sky with brilliant cumulus clouds above us.

What Herod didn’t know was that Caesarea would be remembered for something far greater than his pools, hippodrome or amphitheater. While he meant it to be a memorial to the might of man, God intended it to be a memorial to the grace of Jesus. Christians celebrate Caesarea as the place God formally announced and demonstrated that the Gentiles were officially grafted into the nation of Israel. Salvation was not just for the Jews, but available to the Greeks, Romans, Asians and to nations scattered to the four corners of the globe.

Throughout the Old Testament, God had given hints of his plan to include Gentiles.

• Rahab, the prostitute and spy from the cursed city of Jericho, became Rahab, the woman of faith and the mother of Boaz.
• Ruth, the former idol worshiper from the hated land of Moab, became Ruth, the follower of Jehovah, wife of Boaz and great grandmother of King David.
• Ninevah, an enemy city known for its wickedness, repented when Jonah preached to them and thousands were spared destruction.

In the New Testament, Jesus broke with the traditional opinions on women and foreigners…

• He dialogued with the Samaritan woman at the well.
• He spoke just a word and healed the centurion’s slave.
• He cast out the demon from the Syro-Phoenician woman’s daughter.

Yet in the disciples’ minds, these instances were exceptions rather than the rule.

Enter Cornelius of Caesarea in Acts 10…

He was born Italian, not Jewish. And he was a Roman centurion, an occupation known for their oppression and cruel treatment of conquered lands.

Yet at the perfect time, God revealed Himself and Cornelius turned from idol worshiping to God fearing, from praying to Caesar to praying to Jehovah, from robbing the poor to giving generously to them. But his transformation was not yet complete since Cornelius hadn’t had an encounter with the risen Jesus or His Holy Spirit. Read all of Acts 10 for the beautiful story of how God sent Peter, the former impetuous, denying disciple, who was now an apostle to the Jews and head of the church in Jerusalem.

Acts 8:40 and 21:8 mention that Phillip (an evangelist and early deacon) was actually in the same town as Cornelius. So, humanly speaking, it would have been easier to just send someone from across town, rather than calling for Peter who was several days journey away. I think God wanted no doubt in everyone’s minds that this event was not an exception. Now the gospel was the be regularly preached to the Gentiles. From this day forward the Holy Spirit was guaranteed to everyone who repented and by faith believed in Jesus’ death and resurrection and Lordship.

We toured the ruins of Herod’s palace and saw a few of the columns still standing in place. Nearby was the hippodrome for the chariot races and gladiator games. Our tour group sat in the restored 2,000 year old theater that is still used for events today, complete with it’s hewn-rock stadium seating and original stone flooring. Three hundred believers worshiped, Max Lucado preached, and then we shared communion together. As I gazed at the Mediterranean Sea and pondered the historical setting, my eyes filled with tears of thankfulness. I was taking communion in the city where God declared, “Yes, the Gentiles are included!” My heart was so humbled and overwhelmed I could barely swallow the wafer and grape juice. Jesus had told Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life!” I was overcome with emotion that God chose to share salvation with the Gentiles…that He gifted it to my parents when they were in their 20’s and that He called me by name as just a child.

Even as I write this now, my eyes are again filling with tears and all I can do is whisper, “Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord.” Thank you that Caesarea is not a memorial to man but to Jesus. As we enter this Easter season may we never cease to be amazed at the wonders of His love and grace.

Your grace still amazes me;

Your love is still a mystery.

Each day I fall on my knees,

Your grace still amazes me.