Acts - 26

Acts - 26

Acts 9:32-43

Introduction

When you anchor in watching one particular TV show across all of its multiple seasons, you know that there are some episodes that are more important than other ones. Some of the most critical episodes are known as set-up episodes. While they may not be the most entertaining, they are critical to ensure great storytelling. Their sole purpose is to get the characters in the show set up in the right places so that something important can take place later. Sometimes it is getting a character to the right city where they will later face off against the villain, or having a character endure some struggle that changes their worldview, which will come into play later on in the season. Regardless of the manner the setup happens, the purpose is always the same…get the character ready for what is coming next.

In Acts 9, we have spent the last few sermons focused in on the early life of the Apostle Paul. We have walked through the miraculous conversion of Saul of Tarsus to his early ministry of preaching and teaching, to the beginnings of his missionary endeavors in the world. But Saul/Paul is now away in Tarsus and will not come back into the narrative for a couple of chapters, representing 14 years of history. In the meantime, Acts will zero in on the Apostle Peter for this season. It all culminates in chapter 10 with the conversion of Cornelius, the first recorded Gentile convert, as the gospel has officially, powerfully, made its way out of its Jewish heritage to go to the nations.

But before that happens, God has to get Peter ready. He will need to maneuver his location to get him to the right place, which He does. But He also needs to do some work on Peter himself. Peter, as a devout Jew, has struggled with the fact that the gospel is going to people outside of Israel. When Philip was evangelizing in Samaria and they had readily received the good news of Jesus, the apostles dispatched Peter and John to leave Jerusalem and go to Samaria to verify it. They couldn’t believe their eyes. Upon their arrival, they laid their hands on the Samaritan believers and the Holy Spirit fell upon them.

That is the last we heard of Peter. After experiencing that great event in Samaria, he and John traveled throughout Samaria and preached to them. Acts 8:25 - 25So, when they had solemnly bore witness and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were proclaiming the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. Peter has already experienced some shifts in his view towards outsiders. And while it will crescendo with Cornelius, an unclean Gentile in chapter 10, God now gets him ready. As Peter is traveling around doing this preaching, God leads him into two experiences that are both designed as setup in Peter’s heart for what God is going to do with him next.

Acts 9:32-43 - 32Now it happened that as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. 33And there he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years, for he was paralyzed. 34And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Rise up and make your bed.” Immediately he rose up. 35And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

36Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated is called Dorcas). This woman was full of good works and charity which she continually did. 37And it happened at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room. 38Now since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, pleading with him, “Do not delay in coming to us.” 39So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him, crying and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. 40But Peter sent them all out 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. 41And he gave her his hand and raised her up. And calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. 42And it became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 43And it happened that he stayed many days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.

Both of these are incredible events, both occurring in Gentile cities. God is setting him up. God is preparing his heart to be open to ministry in and among Gentiles. While his ministry here likely occurs among Christians who come out of a Jewish background, since there aren’t any official Gentile converts yet, this is God getting him ready for what is next. Let’s look at these two events and see what God is up to.

It begins with Aeneas, bedridden for eight years. So he wasn’t born this way, like the man who had been healed in Acts 3. Maybe this guy experienced some injury that paralyzed him, or he contracted a disease that disabled him. Either way, he is in bad shape. Paralytics lived hard lives in ancient cultures. There are no treatment programs or disability plans for him. He cannot work. He cannot provide anything for himself or his family. He cannot even care for himself. He is fully reliant on family and friends to clean him, bathe him, get him food and water. No hope and no future. That’s a tough way to live.

Peter comes into town, meets him (likely a Christian as one of the ‘saints who lived at Lydda’). Peter doesn’t hesitate. v. 34 - And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Rise up and make your bed.” This is why we love Peter. All throughout Acts as Peter has been thrust into the spotlight, healing people, preaching sermons, testifying before the Jewish senate…all that he has done the entire time is deflect the attention off of himself and onto Jesus. And he does that again here. There is clear authority in his words, but Peter knows where that authority comes from. “Jesus Christ heals you.” In the present tense, meaning right now, as I am saying this, Jesus is healing you. Peter takes no credit. He is truly interested in Jesus receiving all credit and glory.

Why? Peter has power, but he knows where that power came from. Luke 9:1 - 1And calling the twelve together, He gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. Jesus bestowed onto His apostles the power to heal and to perform miracles. And all throughout Acts we see those apostles, and those on whom they lay their hands, performing miracles. All designed to validate the truth of their preaching. That is why the miracles are called ‘signs.’ The miracles themselves are never the point. They simply point to Heaven’s validation of the gospel.

And can we admit how great of a miracle this truly is? I have issued this same command at my children for two decades now, to “rise up and make your bed,” but with no success. Peter says it once and Aeneas does it! Obvious miraculous power. And how do the crowds respond? End of v. 35 - they turned to the Lord. They see the power of God to save and the validation of the truth of the message about Jesus, and they believe. They trust in Him for salvation.

Who are these people who are coming to faith in Christ? ‘All who lived at Lydda and Sharon.’ Luke certainly doesn’t mean that the entire city of Lydda, in the entire region of Sharon were converted. But a large mass of the community coverts. This has gone beyond this little Jewish circle that Peter is operating in. The Gentile population is getting wind of this Jesus and they like what they hear. Peter is not directly evangelizing them here. It is indirect as word is spreading about the healing. But God is preparing him for what’s next. Jesus is inviting the world to be saved.

Further up the coast is the city of Joppa. Word has spread that Peter is in the region and he is needed in Joppa. v. 36-38 - 36Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated is called Dorcas). This woman was full of good works and charity which she continually did. 37And it happened at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room. 38Now since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, pleading with him, “Do not delay in coming to us.”

Tabitha lives in Joppa. She is a disciple of Jesus (the only time in the NT the feminine usage of ‘disciple’). Sadly the Greek equivalent of her name is Dorcas. Both names are the word for ‘gazelle.’ The sense of the word is ‘graceful.’ Her name is quite fitting because she is apparently full of grace. She is ‘full of good works and charity which she continually did.’ We like Tabitha. She is kind. She is generous. But she has fallen sick and died. So they summon Peter. We don’t know their motivation…is it for Peter to participate in the funeral and burial, or were they expecting resurrection? During His earthly ministry, Jesus only raised 3 people from the dead, so it would be a stretch to think this was their expectation. But regardless of what they were hoping for, the Lord provided more.

Acts 9:39-42 - 39So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him, crying and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. 40But Peter sent them all out 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. 41And he gave her his hand and raised her up. And calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. 42And it became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.

Once again, as Peter is involved in the miraculous, the focus is clearly on Jesus. Upon arrival Peter is greeted by all the widows showing off the generous gifts from Tabitha. He sends them all out and does something that is rarely recorded…he kneels down and prays. Why? Because the power is not Peter’s to wield. It is the power of the resurrected Jesus that raises the dead. If you are going to command a dead body to get up, then you’re probably going to want to pray first. Confident in the Lord’s ability to raise the dead, he commands her to rise and she does.

Jesus is everywhere in the text. Unlike modern day false teachers who claim the ability to heal, and do so on a platform in front of a camera completely for personal gain, Peter always points to Jesus. Even in the details Luke provides as he records these accounts points us to Jesus. The healing of Aeneas has clear echoes of Jesus healing the lame man in Mark 2, telling him to pick up his mat and go home. And this raising of Tabitha has clear echoes of Jesus raising Jairus’ daughter. In fact, there is only one letter difference between what Jesus said and what Peter said. When Jesus commanded Jairus’ 12 year old daughter to rise up, the Bible records the Aramaic statement, Talitha cumi. It means little girl, rise up. And here Peter says Tabitha cumi. All of this is designed to point us to the power of Jesus to heal and raise the dead, not to Peter’s superstar status.

And the result in Joppa is the same as it is Lydda. v. 42 - many believed in the Lord. Not Peter, Jesus. And again, this is helping get Peter ready for what is next. Just as God would use Peter in these miraculous ways, and Gentiles are indirectly coming to faith through him, God is getting ready to use Peter in a way that is beyond his imagining…taking the gospel, personally, to the Gentiles.

God’s preparation of Peter is shown one final time. V. 43 - And it happened that he stayed many days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon. Again, God has done all the necessary set up. In chapter 10, God will appear in a vision to Cornelius, the first recorded Gentile convert, by telling him where Peter is. Acts 10:5-6 - Now send some men to Joppa and summon a man named Simon, who is also called Peter; he is lodging with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea. You got to get those characters in the right place to prepare them for what happens next. God has orchestrated even Peter’s physical, geographical location to get him ready for what is next. But God has been preparing Peter’s spiritual location as well. He is preparing him. How so? Tanners are notoriously unclean in many ways. They work directly with dead animals. Blood. Hides. Tanners were considered religiously and ceremonially unclean. So a good Jew would not dare enter a tanner’s house. But Peter does. It is evidence of a heart in transition. Which is good, because Peter is going to need that pretty soon.

Let’s talk about this. God has prepared you for what He has planned for you. This has always been God’s way. Think about Moses. God called Moses to go to Pharaoh in Egypt and command him to let God’s people go. That is quite a task, one that Moses didn’t really want to do. But God had already orchestrated that Moses, though he was a Hebrew, was raised in Pharaoh’s own house and was familiar with all Egypt’s customs. God prepared him. And once Israel is freed from their slavery, Moses has to lead the people through forty years in the wilderness. And it just so happens that after he grew up in Egypt, Moses was a shepherd in Midian for forty years, learning how to deal with stubborn, obstinate animals…now he knows how to lead stubborn, obstinate people. God had prepared him for what He had planned for him.

Think about King David. When David steps up, still likely a teenager, to fight Goliath, David himself testifies that God had been preparing him. As a shepherd boy, David had to fight off lions and bears to protect the sheep. And now to protect God’s people, he is happy to fight this uncircumcised Philistine…David is not intimidated at all. God had prepared him for what He had planned for him.

God does this over and over again. He did it with the OT figures. He did it with Paul. He does it here with Peter. And He does it with you. God is preparing you for what He has planned for you. I don’t know what that is. You don’t know what that is. But God does. As Sovereign Lord, He knows exactly what is coming for you. Whatever you are dealing with right now…God knew exactly what was coming for you. He is not surprised by anything, He sovereignly controls everything. He has prepared you for today. And He is preparing you for tomorrow. Find comfort in that. Find courage in that.

Let me talk for a minute to those of you who have not yet placed your faith in Jesus Christ. He is doing this even for you. You’re exploring. You’re interested in faith stuff. You are curious about this whole Jesus, church thing. You are seeking answers to some very serious, critical questions. That is not by accident. That is not necessarily even your own doing. Jesus said in John 6:44 - 44No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him. So if you are genuinely interested in this faith thing. If you are genuinely curious about Jesus…that is the work of God in your life. He is preparing you for the salvation He has already planned for you.

What would it take to convince you that Christianity is true? Is there some piece of evidence I could provide that would seal the deal? Is there some persuasive argument I could offer that would push you across that line? No. Or is there some experience you could have that would cause you to say ‘Yes, I believe this.’? Maybe you are a bit envious of the crowds in Lydda and Joppa. They see these miracles and turn to faith in Christ. Of course they did! How could they not! A man was healed. A woman was raised from the dead. Would that be nice? So maybe you think…if God would do that, then I would believe.

But what if He doesn’t? What if you ask for a miracle and He declines? What if you demand a sign and God says ‘no’? Is God holding out on you? Could you now be justified in blaming God for your lack of faith? Well, if God would just do this…or if God would just make that happen…then I would believe.

I want to point you to something that Peter himself wrote. You see, Peter got to be a part of some pretty cool things. Even right here, he personally participates in raising a woman from the dead and healing a man who hadn’t walked in 8 years. That’s cool stuff. But Peter also walked with Jesus for 3 years. He got to see all of Jesus’ miracles. He got to hear all of Jesus’ teaching.

And of all the experiences he had with Jesus, Peter points back to one of them in particular. It is an event recorded in Luke 9, known as the Transfiguration. Jesus goes up on top of a mountain and takes Peter, James, and John with Him. In front of their eyes, Jesus is ‘transfigured’ hence the name of the event…in fact they even begin to refer to the mountain as the Mt. Of Transfiguration. The veil of Jesus’ humanity is removed and they get to see, with their own eyes, the glory of the eternal Son of God. They overhear Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah. They audibly hear God the Father speak and say, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.” Unbelievable! Incredible! That is a life changing event. That is an experience that anyone could have and then justifiably say, I believe this is true! How could they not? They saw it with their own eyes. They heard it with their own ears.

2 Peter 1:16-19 - 16For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, following cleverly devised myths, but being eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”— 18and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

19 And we have as more sure the prophetic word, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.

We were there. We saw it. We heard it. But…more sure than that, more sure than what our eyes saw and more sure than what our ears heard…is the Bible. It is more reliable. It is more trustworthy. It is more sure than any experience you could ever have. And here is why I bring this up to you who are searching for some answers…God is not holding out on you. He has already provided for you everything you need. God has already prepared you for the salvation He has planned for you by ensuring you have access to the ‘more sure’ Word of God. And as Peter said, you will “do well to pay attention” to it. It is the shining lamp in a dark world. It is truth in a deceptive world. It is ‘sure’ in an undependable world. Look for Him there and you will find Him.

God is preparing you for what He has planned for you.