Bible Study series: Acts 9:32-35. Peter performed this wonderful miracle on his preaching tour.
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I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click on this link:
At the link to the original post, next, I write more commentary and dig a little deeper into the Greek. I also offer a section titled Observations for Discipleship at the end. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided in the commentary section for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Acts 9:32-36
32 And so it happened that Peter went through the entire region and went to the saints living at Lydda. 33 He found there a certain man named Aeneas who for eight years was lying on his bed and who was paralyzed. 34 Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you! Get up and make your bed!” And instantly he got up. 35 All the people living in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. (Acts 9:32-36)
Comments:
This brief section of Scripture holds some key lessons for those of us who believe in healing today, and we believe in it because Scriptures says so, and we have seen them. It’s that simple.
32-33:
“went through the entire region”: it looks like Peter is on a preaching tour.
Peter in Lydda. It is good to see the lead apostle outside of Jerusalem, though he was already at Samaria (Acts 8:14-24). But he is still in Israel. Eventually he will expand his ministry horizons and wind up in Rome. You can google where Lydda is.
“saints”: see v. 13.
“for eight years”: it could be translated “since he was eight years old.”
34:
Peter saw Jesus heal a paralytic (Mark 2:3-5). He also simply pronounced his healing, though in that case, sin got in the man’s way. Here, however, sin was not mentioned. We have to be careful about working out an unbendable system for causes of disease. They are not always sin-caused (most are not), but natural—the physical world is messed up, including the human body.
In Matt. 8:3-15, a centurion had a servant who was paralyzed and suffering terribly, but the centurion said that Jesus only had to issue a command where he stood at a distance, and the healing would happen. Jesus commended the centurion in the highest terms. And why wouldn’t he? It was a marvelous and faith-filled declaration.
Jesus also commanded a disabled man at the pool of Bethesda to “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk!” “And at once the was cured. He picked up his mat and walked” (John 5:8-9).
When you pray, speak a declaration over the diseased. Don’t pray some flowery prayer: “O thou God, if it be thy will, heal this man.” No. “Aeneas, get up!”
“Jesus Christ heals you”: This is in the present tense: “Jesus Christ is in the process of healing you!” Sometimes healing is a process. However, it has an aorist (past) sense to it. “At this moment, Jesus Christ healed you!”
In this passage and the next one, Peter used their names. It makes me wonder whether we should incorporate this into our healing ministries. It makes things personal. However, Jesus did not often call on names, because there were large crowds around, so this became impossible.
In Peter’s small setting here and in Joppa, it is intimate. If your setting is small, learn the sick person’s name. It shows you care.
35:
Finally, signs and wonders are designed to help the sick down here on earth, but also to give glory to God in heaven. He has broken into the world and is putting things right, slowly, one person at a time, until everything will be put right instantly at the second coming of his Son. Signs and wonders bridge the gap between heaven and earth.
GrowApp for Acts 9:32-35
1. Have you been healed of a disease? Or have you ever heard of this being done? Tell your story.
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SOURCES
For the bibliography, please click on this link and scroll down to the very bottom:
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 