KINGDOM BLESSINGS!
Acts 9:32-43
Introduction: One danger in
slowly walking through an historical book like Acts is that we can get
“lessons” from the individual episodes each week, but lose track of the bigger
picture. The church has titled this book “The Acts of the Apostles.” That is
not very descriptive since we don’t hear much about most of the apostles after
the first chapter. Paul is perhaps the key human character in the story from
13-28, and Peter is central in 1-12. But it is really the story of Jesus,
working through the Holy Spirit who indwells and empowers His people. How about
calling it, “The Acts of Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit, through His Church.” My point is that God is building the church,
and amazingly he uses us in the process. Paul talks about this idea in Ephesians
2:13-22,
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off
have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and
has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of
commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in
place of the two, so making peace, 16
and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby
killing the hostility. 17 And
he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were
near. 18 For through him we
both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you
are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure,
being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built
together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
When you are building a structure, it is important to
have a good foundation. We saw the project for the elevator addition. It is
only small, did we really need to dig that deep and put all that cement down
there? No one is even going to see it! It was only necessary if we want it to
last! A key to understanding Acts is to understand the foundational role
of the Apostles in the first century. They were the recipients of revelation
who would bring the Word of Christ to this new entity that is the church. One
means that the Lord used to validate their authority was the miracles he did at
their hands. We see first Peter doing the same kinds of miracles that Jesus
did, two of them in the passage we look at today. Later Paul will do some of
the same kinds of miracles, showing that he too was an apostle.
The miracles Jesus did during his
earthly ministry and those which He did through his apostles in Acts gave a
glimpse of the promised future kingdom. They also confirmed the apostles’
authority to present His teaching. As we consider the miracles that
accompanied the ministry of the apostles we also see the unique, foundational
role they had in the early church. As they did miracles in the name of Jesus
they also spoke as His authorized representatives. “Apostle” means “one who is
sent,” and in the context of the first century it was understood as “one who is
sent on a mission as an authorized representative of another.” The Hebrew term shaliach had much the same idea. It was very similar to the idea of an
“ambassador” in the political world, or maybe something akin to “power of
attorney”. Through all of our years in
Brazil, I never did my taxes (Don’t get nervous, I had my taxes done, I just
didn’t do them myself!). Actually, I never even saw our taxes during that time as our mission treasurer had power
of attorney and he signed and mailed our tax returns for us. Jesus ascended
into heaven, but He was still building his church, and the apostles whom he had
sent were given authority to act and to speak in his name.
The miracles were also a kind of
“window” into the future. What do I mean by that? Well just as those who Jesus
healed during his earthly ministry would eventually get old or sick and die,
the same was true of those that the apostles healed in His name. Even people who were raised from the dead
like Jairus’ daughter and Lazarus, and Dorcas in this story, would eventually
get old or get sick and would die. But these miracles were a glimpse into the
future, to the day when the Lord will make all things new and when this
corruptible will put on incorruption, this mortal, immortality. So in that sense the miracles are signs that
confirm the apostles’ authority to speak for Jesus, and they were works of
power in that revealed the reality of the already/not yet kingdom (Col 1:13; 2
Cor 5:17).
Context: After Saul’s departure for Tarsus, Dr. Luke shifts
his attention back to Peter, the apostle who had been part of Jesus’ inner
circle, and who, along with John and James, was one of the leaders of the
church in Jerusalem. Luke is a master story teller, and he wants us to be sure
that we have a correct understanding of the early church as the church of Jesus:
it is not a particular human servant, but Jesus himself, who is building the
church. In that sense, v.31 was a
snapshot in time that illustrated that the Lord’s plan was unfolding exactly as
He had planned.
The Big Idea: The day will come when sickness and death will be no
more. Until then we can trust in His goodness and rest in His presence as we
carry out His mission.
I.
Healing in Jesus Name: The best is yet
to come (32-35)!
31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and
Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord
and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. 32 Now as Peter went here and
there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. 33 There he found a man named
Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. 34 And Peter said to him,
"Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed." And
immediately he rose. 35 And
all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the
Lord.
V.31 was a summary statement, and also a reminder that
despite the opposition of humans, Jesus was in control and His plan would be
accomplished. God even showed his power by “arresting” one of the leaders of
the opposition, a young rabbi named Saul, and turning him into a fearless
preacher of the gospel! So now the scene shifts, Paul is in Tarsus until
further notice, and Luke turns us back to a man who seems to have been a leader
among leaders, Peter, the Rock.
Peter went “…here and there among
them all.” He might have been a key leader, but he knew the church was all
about people, and he was “among them”. In the midst of that kind of ministry he
came to Lydda, which tells us his ministry was extending out of Jerusalem into
other parts of Judea. He was about twenty miles northwest of Jerusalem, heading
toward Joppa on the coast. According to v.32, he went to the “saints” first of
all, the Christ-followers who lived in the city of Lydda. It may be that God
was preparing Peter for the next stage of his ministry when he would journey to
the home of a gentile named Cornelius. In the meantime, v.33 gives the
circumstance that sets the stage for the miracle:
“There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had
been bed ridden for eight years and was paralyzed.”
If you have had someone close to you who
was immobile for a long period of time you have an idea of what this implies
about his condition. Some form of paralysis, whether the result of disease or
injury we don’t know, but after 8 years surely the muscles had atrophied from
disuse, perhaps there were pressure sores from his immobility. It is a bleak picture of hopelessness. And given his condition, there was no
possibility of missing the fact that this was a miraculous healing, that
something supernatural had happened. We
are not told for certain if this man was a believer, but since the “saints at
Lydda” are mentioned in the preceding verse, I think it was likely.
Little
is mentioned about Aeneas. Nothing about his prayers, his faith, his
asking for help. Peter sees him, and tells him to get up, saying, “…Jesus Christ heals you…” Notice the
wording. It isn’t Peter in his own power or piety. It’s all about the work of
Jesus. Peter is simply a humble servant, a human conduit, used by the Master,
to reach out to this one in need. Jesus is still present and working in the
church. He receives the glory. And He is the same yesterday, today, and
forever.
The miracles, like this, done through the hands of the apostles, had a
unique purpose: to validate their ministry and calling as the ambassadors, the
authorized representatives, of Jesus. Because they did the works of Christ
their teaching could be accepted as the words of Christ. Their ministry was
unique in that sense. A foundation is laid only once, on that foundation the
building which is the church is being constructed. With that in mind one might
ask, does God still heal? The short
answer, yes, when it suits His purpose.
It is also true that these
miracles, like those done during the earthly ministry of Jesus, were temporary
and provisional. The people healed would still get old, get sick, and one day
die. But another day is coming. Ultimately
all who know Him will be healed completely, once and for all. That is our
sure hope. Remember the story of the
lady who was making the arrangements for her own burial. She said she wanted to
be buried with a fork in her hand. She explained, “When we have potluck suppers
at church someone will always say, when dinner is ended, ‘Save your fork, the
best is yet to come!’ Well its been a good life, but when this is over, the
best is yet to come!” The miracles Jesus did, and the miracles He did through
his apostles, were a glimpse ahead to that day.
The day will come when
sickness and death will be no more. So “…The suffering of this present age is
not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us.” Until then we can trust in His goodness and
rest in His presence as we carry out His mission.
II.
Life from the Author and Giver of Life:
Anybody for a New Body (36-42)?
36 Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha,
which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of
charity. 37 In those days she
became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper
room. 38 Since Lydda was near
Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging
him, "Please come to us without delay." 39 So Peter rose and went with
them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows
stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made
while she was with them. 40
But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the
body he said, "Tabitha, arise." And she opened her eyes, and when she
saw Peter she sat up. 41 And
he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he
presented her alive. 42 And
it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.
Healing
a paralytic is a powerful demonstration of the presence and authority of the
Lord. Raising the dead brings things to
another level! This story remarkably
parallels the scene where Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus to life. We read
in Mark 5:39-42,
39 And when he had entered, he said to them, "Why are you making a
commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping." 40 And they laughed at him. But he
put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were
with him and went in where the child was.
41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, "Talitha
cumi," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise." 42 And immediately the girl got up
and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately
overcome with amazement.
Peter put the mourners out of the room as Jesus had
done, and, assuming Peter spoke in Aramaic, he would have said almost the exact
same words, with only a one letter difference, “Tabitha cumi…” (Jesus had said, Talitha
cumi…). Peter no doubt remembered
that earlier scene with the Master. It
seems that an aspect of Luke’s purpose in including this story is to show us
that Jesus was working through His apostles, that the miracles He did, He did
through them as well. I think the purpose of these kinds of works is revealed
on the first missionary journey, in Acts 14:3 where we read:
“So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly
for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and
wonders to be done by their hands.”
The works Jesus did at their hands vindicated
and validated their authority to speak in His name. They were indeed his “apostoloi,” his ambassadors, his
authorized spokesmen.
The big difference between Jesus’
miracles in the Gospels and what we see in Acts is that Peter kneels down to
pray. Just as he healed Aeneas in the name of Jesus, (or more correctly, Jesus
healed him!), he prays to the Lord, knowing that only God, the author of life,
could do such a miracle. It’s clear in Acts that it is not always God’s will to
do such a restoration. Stephen was stoned in chapter 7 and buried. John the
Baptist had been beheaded. In Chapter 12 James will be put to death with a
sword. As far as we know there were no
prayers offered for these men to be resurrected. But on a couple of occasions,
we see God doing this kind of miracle at the hand of the apostles. The last
phrase of v.42 perhaps tells us why, “…And
it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.” In
this case it served the Lord’s purpose for getting the Gospel out further,
another step toward the “ends of the earth” (cf. 1:8).
Later Paul would write a letter to the
church in Corinth, and devote an entire chapter (I Corinthians 15) to the
promise of a future resurrection. We read in I Cor 15:52-55,
For
the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall
be changed. 53 For this
perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on
immortality. 54 When the
perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then
shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in
victory." 55 "O
death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"
The dead in Christ will rise, that is a
promise! As surely as Jesus rose from
the dead, so one day will those who are His.
The day will come when sickness and death will be no more. Until then we
can trust in His goodness and rest in His presence as we carry out His mission.
III.
God works through His people and in His people: Get ready, Get Set, GO! (v.43). “ And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one
Simon, a tanner.”
The
scene ends with what may seem to be an incidental detail in v.43. It is a
subtle reminder that God is preparing us, molding us, equipping us for what is
coming next in our walk with Him. A
couple of things to note. One, Peter had moved by now 30 miles or so from
Jerusalem to the coastal city of Joppa. The idea that the church was to move
outward and that they couldn’t be content with a ministry in Jerusalem seems to
have reached the apostles’ hearts. The whole world is God’s world, and world
evangelization is God’s work. So Peter goes from Lydda, where he was
encouraging the saints, to Joppa, and there does this miracle, reminiscent of
the miracles Jesus had done. But there is also a clue here that God is working
in Peter, preparing him for what comes next.
Notice that “…he stayed …with one
Simon, a tanner…”
For us this may be just an
incidental detail that we would skip over. But remember the context, the church
is largely Jewish, and Peter was raised in the Jewish tradition. It was his
heritage, his ethnicity. It may be that as a Galilean fisherman he was not the
most pious of Jews, but here he is staying with a tanner. Someone who worked with dead animals and prepared and treated
their skins. Tanners were necessary, but
because of their work, their frequent contact with dead animals, the odors
associated with their work place, they were looked down upon, even despised, by
more pious Jews. And here was Peter, of all places in Joppa, staying with Simon
the tanner. God was working in Peter, preparing him, and still, he is not
finished with him yet! In chapter 10
Peter would have a vision of a sheet coming down from heaven with all kinds of
animals that had previously been considered unclean, and he would directed to
the home of a gentile who had not become a proselyte to Judaism. God was
preparing him for those next steps. Do you have a sense that God is working
in you? Have you thought about the fact that all of your experiences, good
and bad, have been used by God to mold you into the person you are today? God is that big, He “…causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him, to
those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28). We should all have one of those t-shirts: “Be
patient with me, God isn’t finished with me yet!” He is molding us, preparing
us. And He will use us. We have a chorus in Portuguese, “Loving Lord, I want to
be like a pot in the Potter’s hands. Break my life, make it new, a want to be a
new pot.” (It sounds a lot better in Portuguese but you get the idea!).
What is God
saying to me in this passage? The day
will come when sickness and death will be no more. Until then we can trust in
His goodness and rest in His presence.
What
would God have me to do in response to this passage? Praying for the sick is a good thing, we are told to
do it. When it pleases the Lord and serves His purposes he will answer in the
affirmative, and either through natural means or miraculous intervention bring
healing. The point I want to make is
that ultimately he will heal our infirmities. One day God himself will
wipe away the tears from our eyes, and there will be no more sickness, no more
pain, no more death. That is not wishful
thinking, it is our sure hope in Christ. The Lord’s supper is a memorial, an
invitation to look back, to remember the Cross. And so we show forth the Lord’s
death until he comes. Maranatha Lord
Jesus. Amen.
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