Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.” Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.
Acts 10:30-35

---

One of the first things my husband and I did when we became empty nesters was to go on a tour of Israel. It was awe-inspiring! Walking where the Bible stories took place brought them to life and sparked my interest in understanding the Bible in its original setting. As exhilarating as the trip was, after ten jam-packed days, I was exhausted and ready to go home. However, Hurricane Sandy had other ideas. The storm battered the northeastern US and delayed our return.

Our tour guides did not schedule any new events, but were happy to suggest places we could visit on our own. We joined a young pastor and his wife who were headed to Jaffa (modern-day Joppa). After some initial difficulty navigating public transportation, we arrived at Simon the tanner’s house. I had no idea who he was, but I was too proud to ask.

Simon the tanner is mentioned three times in the Bible. All we learn about him is that he was a tanner who let Peter stay at his home by the sea. Yet, today, many tourists go out of their way to stand outside his house. They want to see where God used Simon’s hospitality to facilitate a significant turning point in Christianity—the inclusion of Gentiles in the people of Israel.

On Simon’s roof, God gave Peter a vision inviting him to eat animals considered unclean under Jewish law. Peter balked, not wanting to defy a deeply ingrained command. So, God graciously presented the vision three times. Earlier, God had given a Gentile believer named Cornelius a related vision. God told him to send for Peter, who was staying at Simon the tanner’s house. While Peter was still scratching his head over the meaning of the vision, God told him to expect Cornelius’s men. The envoys arrived, and suddenly Peter understood the vision. So, he invited Cornelius’s men in, even though associating with Gentiles was a violation of Jewish purity laws. The next day, Peter went with them to see Cornelius, and a new era in God’s plan began.

Simon the tanner is still known today because his home was the place where God jolted Peter into understanding that He accepts people from all nations. I now appreciate what I did not grasp in 2012. We four Gentile believers stood at Simon’s doorway just as Cornelius’s men had. We were beneficiaries of the message God gave to Peter there. Simon could not have known his hospitality would lead pilgrims like us to his door nearly 2,000 years later, but God did. Who knows, your seemingly small part in God’s plan may be more impactful than you think.

Next Steps

Do you believe God can use your hospitality to accomplish great things? Who is standing at your metaphorical door waiting to hear that God accepts them?