Acts 10:36

“The word which he sent to the children of Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ - He is Lord of all! ”

Peter's words follow the usual general pattern, although adapted to the circumstances. The Greek reflects the Aramaic background of the speaker, and its clumsiness may also reflect a speaker who was more at home in Aramaic, which Peter would be.

To summarise his message. God had sent ‘the word' to Israel proclaiming the Good News of peace through Jesus Christ, Who is Lord of all. And it concerned the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, His defeat of Satan, His death and resurrection and the fact that He was ordained to be the Judge of the living and the dead. Indeed it is according to Scripture, for all the prophets have declared that through him all who believe will receive forgiveness of their sins.

We must analyse the verse in more depth:

· It concerns ‘the word' (ton logon). It is through the word proclaimed that His truth goes out and saves. Acts is full of the power of the word of the Lord and its effectiveness. It is through ‘the word' that salvation is going out to mankind (Acts 2:41; Acts 4:4; Acts 4:29; Acts 4:31; Acts 6:2; Acts 6:4; Acts 6:7; Acts 8:4; Acts 8:14; Acts 8:25; Acts 10:44; Acts 11:1; Acts 11:19; Acts 12:24; Acts 13:5; Acts 13:7; Acts 13:26; Acts 13:44; Acts 13:46; Acts 13:48; Acts 14:3; Acts 14:25; Acts 15:7; Acts 15:35; Acts 16:6; Acts 16:32; Acts 17:11; Acts 17:13; Acts 18:11; Acts 19:10; Acts 19:20; Acts 20:32 compare 1 Corinthians 1:18).

· This is a word which he sent to the children of Israel (Psalms 107:20) for ‘salvation is of the Jews', because it was to them that God has first revealed Himself (John 4:22). This connection was important because it stressed that the new message was not some new novelty. It was based fully on the truth of the Old Testament, and on the word that had come to the people of Israel. It was the fulfilment of all that they of old had looked forward to. Even though it was in the end not only for them but also for the world (John 4:23).

· It concerns the proclaiming of the Good News of peace by Jesus Christ (Isaiah 52:7; Nahum 1:15) because he is Lord of all (Matthew 28:18). The proclamation of peace reflects both peace in men's hearts (Luke 2:29; John 14:27; John 16:33; Romans 8:6; Galatians 5:22; Philippians 4:7; Colossians 3:15); peace between men, and especially between Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 2:14; Rom 12:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:13; Hebrews 12:14; Matthew 5:9, where it relates to the Kingly Rule of God); and peace between man and God (Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:16; Colossians 1:20; Luke 2:14; Luke 7:50; Luke 8:48). It is all embracing peace in heaven and earth which brings all together in Christ.

The title ‘Lord of all' (pantown kurios) may possibly have been borrowed over from paganism, where it is found with a philosophical connection, indicating Lordship over the cosmos, but in Galatians 4:1 it (kurios pantown) appears simply to be a standard expression indicating someone in overall authority and control, and the idea in context may be to emphasise that Peter now sees Him as Lord of both Jew and Gentile. It seems that ‘Lord of all' was a natural expression for someone in overall sovereignty, and therefore for the sovereignty of God, and of Christ, but that here it indicates especially Lord over all people. We may indeed imagine that as Peter looked at these Gentiles before him, whom not long before he would have had little time for, he saw also the sheet coming down from heaven. And he say all the different animals and all the creeping things, all that God had declared that he had cleansed, and he looked again at the Gentiles, and then he said ‘He is Lord of all'. Compare also ‘the Lord of all the earth' (Joshua 3:7; Joshua 3:13; Zechariah 6:5); panto-krator, the ‘Almighty', He Who has power over all things (2 Corinthians 6:18), ‘Lord of heaven and earth' which is equivalent to ‘Lord of all things' (Acts 17:24; Luke 10:21; Matthew 11:25), ‘the Lord of glory' (1 Corinthians 2:8; James 2:1), ‘Lord of lords' (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; Revelation 19:16).