An Outline Of Acts 9:32-35

Introduction: The event in this passage took place, most likely, after Peter and John had gone to Samaria, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel to many other villages of the Samaritans (Acts 8:14-17, 25). Later, as stated in Acts 9:31, the churches “had rest throughout Judaea and Galilee and Samaria” so it’s possible Peter was visiting the churches in this region. The Holy Spirit did not see fit to give any other details as to the time or location.

Text, Acts 9:32-35, KJV: 32 And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda. 33 And there he found a certain man named AEneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy. 34 And Peter said unto him, AEneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately. 35 And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord.

1 The journey by Peter, verse 32

--He was traveling throughout “all quarters“, which, though not defined here, took him at this time to Lydda. This city was about 20 miles northwest of Jerusalem, according to some estimates. Nothing is said about how many others, if any, went with him at this time.

--Note that there is no formal dictate or commission for Peter, nor any indication he gave any such instruction/s to others. Peter went by direct command of the Holy Spirit (implied).

--There is no mention of a church in Lydda before this. Those who heard the gospel, believed it, shared it with others, and started a church in Lydda are also among the great unsung heroes of the faith.

--Now Peter is coming to visit the saints in Lydda. He may not have expected what happened when he got there!

2 The ministry of Peter, verse 33

--Nothing is said about Peter’s preaching, teaching, or anything else in this passage. He probably did so, but again the Holy Spirit did not permit Luke to record any details.

--Luke does say that Peter “found” Aeneas, who had been “sick of the palsy” for eight years. “Palsy” affected any number of people in the New Testament. Jesus was said to have healed “those who had the palsy (Matthew 4:24)” but Matthew does not say how many were healed.

--At least two people are mentioned specifically in the New Testament as having palsy besides Aeneas: the servant of the Roman centurion (Matthew 8) and the man who was brought to Jesus by his friends (compare Matthew 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12, and Luke 5:18-27).

--The disease has several definitions according to Strong’s concordance; some think it means paralysis. At the least, Aeneas was not able to walk, being confined to his bed.

--How Peter found Aeneas is not specified. Either he was placed in a location by others, for whatever reason (did these others expect him to beg, or project helplessness, to receive alms?) or he was in a more or less private place when Peter found him. We can rejoice that the Lord led Peter to where Aeneas was staying. So could they, as a matter of fact!

3 The healing of Aeneas through Peter, verse 34

--Peter, according to the text, did not touch Aeneas in any way. He simply spoke the words, “Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise and make thy bed”. And it worked!

--Compare this with the other two healings of those diagnosed with palsy: Jesus simply spoke the words, “go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee (Matt. 8:13). In the case of the other man, his friends made a hole in the roof of a house and lowered the sick man down to where Jesus was speaking (Mark 2:1-12). Jesus saw their faith, again never touching the sick man, and spoke the words of healing. If Peter had been there when this took place, he may have remembered what Jesus had done then and what He could do now.

--The result was that Aeneas rose immediately. Not only was this a miracle, being healed of a very serious disease, he was able to stand. It is possible for muscles to “atrophy” or lose their strength if not used. Aeneas was completely healed, just as the others who had suffered from palsy but who had been healed by Jesus!

--Note also that Peter takes no credit for any of this. He simply spoke the words and the Lord healed Aeneas. It’s as simple as that.

4 Conclusion: what happened after Aeneas was healed, verse 35

--Luke uses synecdoche, a figure of speech where he mentions the whole population of Lydda and Saron (the New Testament form of “Sharon”) seeing Aeneas and turning to the Lord. It is possible that news of a miracle like this spread quickly, especially if the people saw with their own eyes the sick man who was now healed completely!