Good Monday morning to you. We continue our reading thru the New Testament in a year with another shorter section, Acts 9:32-43. Please read it - as always - first, and then come back, and together we’ll take another look at the stories.
The verse we ended with last time serves as the reason for the beginning of the story of Peter’s encounters away from Jerusalem. “...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.” (9:31)
For a period of time there had been persecution, and then Saul, now Paul, had come to be with the disciples in Jerusalem, but because of plots against his life, the Apostles sent him back home - to Tarsus, a city in modern southeastern Turkey, a few hundred miles north of Jerusalem. For the next three chapters the story shifts from Paul back to Peter and the Acts of the Holy Spirit through Peter which would lead the most significant change in the church yet (which we will see tomorrow).
Since there is peace in Jerusalem as things have settled down, Peter takes the opportunity to do some itinerant ministry among churches outside of Jerusalem. In 9:32, the next verse, it says, “Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda.” Luke says he embarked on an itinerant journey, visiting “here and there”, but eventually comes to Lydda. Lydda was a village in the plain of Sharon, a land area west of Jerusalem, but not on the Mediterranean coast. It is a fertile valley and also a crossing point for highways going east-west from the coast to Jerusalem, and north-south, to and from Egypt. Obviously, Peter’s visit is motivated by a church that has begun to meet in Lydda. When we speak of churches that develop at this time, we are speaking of “house churches”. Small groups of believers meet in houses for the sake of worship, breaking bread, prayers, and study of the Scriptures. They are led by Elders, Pastors, appointed by the Apostles. Peter goes on a trip to visit these house churches and arrives in Lydda.
Much has changed in Peter’s life since his days following Jesus where he both makes a confession of Jesus as the Messiah (Matt. 16) as well as a denial of Jesus when Christ was arrested. On the seashore, after the resurrection, Jesus had restored Peter with a new charge to “feed my Sheep” (John 21). When Jesus ascended to heaven he told the newly formed leadership of Apostles to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit to descend. Ten days later, on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles and the others in the Upper Room and as they spilled out into the street, it was Peter who served as the Apostle’s spokesperson, proclaiming Jesus as the risen and ascended Lord. Subsequently, It was Peter, along with John, walking into the temple saw a lame man, and spoke to him in the name of Jesus to arise and walk - and he did. It was Peter and John who raised the wrath of the religious leaders and were arrested, yet when they appeared before the Sanhedrin to testify they proclaimed that it was “by the name of Jesus...that this man walks” (4:30). It was Peter, and the other Apostles, the Chief Priests arrested and jailed a second time, only to find out that they were not in the cells the next morning - an angel had released them - and instead of fleeing, they had returned back to the Temple to preach Jesus. They were brought before the Sanhedrin, warned to stop, or else, and even beaten with whips of cords. Peter’s response had been, “we must obey God rather than (you) human beings” (5:29). Peter’s life had been changed. This man who had been so quick to respond to Jesus, but unaware of his own pride, needed to be humbled in order to be restored, and now was filled with the Holy Spirit in leading the early church.
Peter took a journey to the west from Jerusalem, stopping in the village of Lydda. Peter comes upon a man named Aeneas. He is known as a paralyzed man who had not been able to do anything for himself for 8 years. For 8 years someone had to dress him, feed him, go get things for him, clean him up...he was paralyzed. Peter did what Jesus often did...no theatrics, no yelling, no pleading, but rather a simple command: “Jesus Christ heals you, get up and roll up your mat.” With that, Aeneas is healed. The word spread in the village of Lydda and spilled out into the Sharon valley - an area about 50 square miles - and many more (“all” meaning a great number from the area) became believers.
Peter continued his journey and arrived at the port city of Joppa. Joppa was the ancient port city that Jonah had fled to centuries before, in order to flee from the Lord’s command to him. Now Joppa was a port city with a small house church and Peter went to visit it. Peter is traveling to Joppa and unbeknown to him there is a widow woman who was a believer, who had been known for her good works, that had died. Her name in Aramaic was Tabitha, and Luke adds her Greek name, Dorcas, and tells that the body was being prepared when Peter was traveling. Two believers hear of Peter traveling towards Joppa and they hurry to get him - i.e, stopping the burial process to allow Peter to arrive first. When Peter arrives they take him upstairs where the body of Tabitha laid. As Jesus had done, Peter sent them all out of the room. There’s no show here, no desire for personal acclaim, or for pleading, crying saints. Peter got on his knees and prayed. When he was done, he turned to the dead body and spoke two words: “Tabitha, get up” (in Greek, “Tabitha, Koum”). With the exception of one letter, it was the same command Jesus had spoken in Mark 5 when to Jairus’ little girl, who also had died, Jesus said: “Talitha, get up” (“Talitha, Koum”). Now in Joppa, Peter's words were similar, and the results were too. “She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.” As Peter opens the door, to the awe of all in the room, Tabitha comes walking out the door with him.
What does this all mean? Peter is on a journey to visit believers...many of whom have already come under pressure for believing in Jesus. The church is in houses because they have been banned from the Synagogues. Families are divided, and even households have split up, and yet the believers hang on to their faith in Christ Jesus. The miracles that appear are meant to confirm the Lordship and authority of Christ Jesus who had said to the Apostles - “All authority in heaven and on earth is mine; Go, make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and I will be with you always, even to the ends of the earth.” It is coming to pass as Jesus has promised.
Miracles are just that - miracles. If they happened all the time they would be as a friend once said, “regulars”. They are miracles because they overturn the “natural” through “supernatural” means. They are miracles because they happen instantaneously, and through the work of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ, according to the sovereign will of God. The Apostolic age was marked by various interruptions in the natural realm by miracles. Do they happen today? Yes, but we remember that even when they do, they are still temporary. Tabitha, Aeneas, testify of salvation in Christ, through the mighty works of Jesus; but both eventually die and their life is now eternal life. I pray for people with disease regularly, and ask for healing, in Jesus’ name. Without any side-show or loud noises, or attempts to spiritually cajole or plead...because if God wishes to heal he will do so according to his own divine will. It is a great event to hear of someone’s healing...and it is infrequent, but eternal life is not!
Peace
Comments