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Acts 9:31–42 (CSB)
31 So the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was strengthened.
Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
32 As Peter was traveling from place to place, he also came down to the saints who lived in Lydda.
33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years.
34 Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you.
Get up and make your bed,” and immediately he got up.
35 So all who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which is translated Dorcas).
She was always doing good works and acts of charity.
37 About that time she became sick and died.
After washing her, they placed her in a room upstairs.
38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples heard that Peter was there and sent two men to him who urged him, “Don’t delay in coming with us.” 39 Peter got up and went with them.
When he arrived, they led him to the room upstairs.
And all the widows approached him, weeping and showing him the robes and clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them.
40 Peter sent them all out of the room.
He knelt down, prayed, and turning toward the body said, “Tabitha, get up.”
She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up.
41 He gave her his hand and helped her stand up.
He called the saints and widows and presented her alive.
42 This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.
Living Miracles: He Is Risen!
The Text In Its Context
Peter seems to be the first circuit pastor, traveling throughout Palestine.
In our text he is visiting Christians in the town of Lydda, about twenty-five miles northwest of Jerusalem.
Geography is very important to Luke and very important in the study of Acts.
You can see that the early church is solidifying the Good News throughout the Palestine.
Previously in Acts, the gospel traveled by chariot to Ethiopia and by a bully to Damascus, so we know that the Good News is spreading to the nations around Isreal.
The great commission was spreading outside of Palestine- starting to reach the nations to the ends of the earth.
The growth wasn’t produced by the rock Jesus chose known as Peter, or the former bully previously known as Saul and now as Paul, also picked by Jesus.
The growth was because of what Peter and Paul did in the name of Jesus.
Fear The Lord
Remember that
Proverbs 9:10 (CSB)
10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
So we should not be surprised that the Fear of the Lord is the foundation on which the church is built and advanced in the Book of Acts.
Acts 9:31 (CSB)
31 So the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was strengthened.
Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
It is still the way way the church grow today.
The phrase “Fear of the Lord” is packed with meaning.
At it’s core it is the awe that a person ought to have before God (Psalm 33:8).
Sometimes it is truly being afraid because God is angry.
Adam and Eve were afraid of God after they ate the forbidden fruit (Gen.
3:8–10).
The threat of judgment ought to produce fear (Amos 3:7), but just being aware of God’s magnificence and His overwhelming power (Jer.
5:22, 24) should be enough to bring us to feel the “fear of the Lord.”
It can be taught (Ps.
34:11) or chosen (Prov.
1:29).
It is also closely connected with obedience to God’s commandments (Job 5:21; Ps. 19:9; Eccles.
12:13), to hating evil (Prov.
8:13), to trusting God (Ps.
40:3), to enjoying friendship with God (Ps.
25:14), to obtaining deliverance and other benefits from God (Pss.
33:18; 34:7; 145:19; Prov.
10:27; 22:4), and to experiencing life in its fullest (Prov.
19:23).
In the NT, Jesus contrasts fearing God, who can destroy body and soul in hell, with fearing humans, who can kill the body only (Matt.
10:25).
Fear is also represented by the “fear and trembling” with which Paul exhorts the Philippians to work out their salvation (2:12).
It describes the piety of the growing church (Acts 9:31; cf.
5:11; 13:26) and accords with recognition that people will be held accountable by God in the judgment (2 Cor.
5:10–11; 1 Pet.
1:17).—
Powell, Mark Allan.
[“Fear of the Lord.”
Edited by Mark Allan Powell.
The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (Revised and Updated).
New York: HarperCollins, 2011.]
Healed In The Name Of Jesus
In today’s text- part of the reason unbelievers found the fear of the Lord were the miracles done by Peter in the name of Jesus.
Acts 9:32–35 (CSB)
32 As Peter was traveling from place to place, he also came down to the saints who lived in Lydda.
33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years.
34 Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you.
Get up and make your bed,” and immediately he got up.
35 So all who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
Jesus Christ heals you, and seeing that the people turned to the Lord.
This miracle is similar to the one worked by Jesus in healing a paralyzed man (Luke 5:18–26), but there are also major differences.
No mention is made of friends bringing Aeneas to Peter because of their faith in Peter’s power to heal.
Also, Peter does not announce that the man’s sins have been forgiven.
If he is a believer, his sins already have been forgiven.
Luke gives no indication, however, that Aeneas is a believer, nor does he tell us how Peter learns about him.
Also, Aeneas makes no appeal to Peter for healing.
Peter continues the healing miracles of Jesus Christ only through the power and authority of Christ.
Peter’s command that Aeneas roll up his mat implies that he does not need to be carried any more but can stand up and walk.
Those who witness a man formerly bedridden for eight years ambling about the city respond with awe and also become interested in learning the source of this miracle.
They do not believe in Peter as a great miracle worker but put their trust in the Lord in whose name Peter pronounces the man’s healing.
Raised From The Dead
Acts 9:36–42 (CSB)
36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which is translated Dorcas).
She was always doing good works and acts of charity.
37 About that time she became sick and died.
After washing her, they placed her in a room upstairs.
38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples heard that Peter was there and sent two men to him who urged him, “Don’t delay in coming with us.” 39 Peter got up and went with them.
When he arrived, they led him to the room upstairs.
And all the widows approached him, weeping and showing him the robes and clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them.
40 Peter sent them all out of the room.
He knelt down, prayed, and turning toward the body said, “Tabitha, get up.”
She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up.
41 He gave her his hand and helped her stand up.
He called the saints and widows and presented her alive.
42 This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.
This miracle also seems to parallel Jesus’s miracle.
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