Healing and Resurrection
Acts 9:32ff

The scene shifts back to Judah and Peter, who is going to visit a group of new Christians in Lydda. Today, that city is on the outskirts to the east of Tel Aviv, and it is  quite modern. Google it, locate it, and look at some pictures. This is likely still the first year or two after Pentecost, and excitement is still high. The church is finding its way, rapidly expanding, and developing organization by the seat of its pants.

In visiting those people of the Lord, Peter finds a paralyzed man named Aeneas. He's been unable to move much for eight years! Scripture does not mention Peter's asking him or his asking Peter to heal him. The big fisherman just does it. “Aeneas,” he begins by calling his name. Peter gives Jesus credit up front: “Jesus Christ heals you.” Get up and roll up your mat! And he did! No hesitancy is recorded, nor rehab. Perhaps Peter offered a hand to pull him to his feet, but he got up at once for the first time in eight years!

The result was evangelism! The result of everything Christians do in Acts is the flourishing of the gospel and more people following Christ. What's the result in your life, your class's life, and your church life?

Ancient Joppa is now south Tel Aviv. Pictures show adobe-like buildings there as opposed to modern structures in the city. Tabitha or Dorcas lived there as a disciple. She was well thought of because of her servant lifestyle, “always doing good and helping the poor.” Dorcas fell ill and died. Her friends cleaned her body and laid her in an upstairs room for burial. News had reached Joppa the Peter was only ten miles away in Joppa, so the believers sent two men to see if he would come. It would have to be quick, because the Jewish burial practice was to bury the same day they died if at all possible.

Peter came back with them immediately. They met him at the door and took him straight to her body. He was surrounded by her grieving friends, remembering her and showing examples of her sewing ability. For whatever reason, Peter cleared the room. (Jesus had done the same thing on a similar occasion.)  Then he knelt beside her and prayed. We don't know how long, nor what he prayed. But eventually Peter stood and turned to the dead woman. “Tabitha, get up!” in response she opened her eyes. I'm sure she looked into Simon Peter's smiling face and took his outstretched hand.  He helped her stand up.
Then he opened the door and let the mourners back in, to mourn no more! Again the news spread all over Joppa, and many believed in Christ. So Peter stayed in the area for a good while, living with a  tanner named Simon.

Notice how Luke is following his theme of expansion, moving point by point further from Jerusalem. And again evangelism took place everywhere. Do we need to examine ourselves and our institutions to see how what we are doing as believers is spreading the good news?

A good thing to think about here is your belief about healing and death. Jesus in John 14:2 says, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. Peter gives evidence here of that prophesy coming true. In spite of the effort to get rid of Him through crucifixion, He was still working through His disciples.

Remember Jesus on earth was incarnate as a man. He had to play by our rules. Therefore the verse above is one of the scariest. I ask you: is He saying you and I should be able to do much more than we attempt? I submit that I criticize the faith healers who make a production of it and build their ministry around it. They focus on themselves and not proclaiming Christ. Note Peter did not call a crowd to watch. Yet I, probably you, and thousands of ministers across the country pray daily for people to be healed. And there is abundant testimony (check a recent day on your Facebook page) that God still answers prayer. So let's keep believing and praying.

I do not say we should pray for the dead. But I do say we should use the various resurrections in scripture to reassure ourselves that death is not the end. The Bible clearly represents life for believers with the Christ who has risen!