Acts Bible Study: Day 16
Today’s passage: Acts 9:32–43
Focus verse: Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. (Acts 9:40)
Now we return to the story of Peter. We’re about to see two more examples of the power of God at work among his people.
Traveling the country, Peter stops at Lydda to check in on the believers there.
He meets Aeneas, who hasn’t been able to walk for eight years. We don’t know what happened to him, whether an accident or disease, but the paralyzed man is bedridden.
Peter says to him, “Be healed in Jesus’s name. Get up!”
Aeneas does.
The people in Lydda spot Aeneas walking around, and they turn to follow Jesus.
It’s heartening to see how Peter changed Aeneas’s life, by restoring his ability to walk. He does this in the name of Jesus.
What’s confounding, however, is that the other believers living in Lydda haven’t done this or can’t do this.
Aeneas has been lying in bed for eight years, waiting for the healing power of Jesus to enable him to walk again. No one helps him until Peter comes along.
In nearby Joppa lives a disciple, named Tabitha, which is Dorcas in Greek. She spends her time helping others. But she gets sick. She dies. Her friends hold a wake for her.
Hearing that Peter is in Lydda, the disciples in Joppa send for him. They ask him to come right away. He does.
When he arrives, Tabitha’s body lies there for viewing. The people mourn her passing. In appreciation for her life, they show each other the clothes she made for them.
Peter sends them out of the room. He says to the corpse, “Get up.”
Tabitha’s dead body opens its eyes and she sits up. Peter helps her to her feet and presents her to the believers who are mourning her death. Now they can celebrate her new life.
As this news spreads, more people believe in Jesus. Peter sticks around for a while, staying with Simon, the tanner.
Again we see a person needing the power of Jesus, but the believers in town don’t, or can’t, act on their own. All they can do is send for Peter. Peter restores Tabitha’s life, giving her more time to help others and to do good.
Jesus gave his followers the power and authority to heal others. Some of them embrace this and others do not.
Questions:
- Do we have Jesus’s power and authority in us to heal others in his name today?
- What about raising the dead?
[Discover more about healing faith in Matthew 17:14–20, Mark 9:14–29, and Luke 10:19–20.]
Tips: Check out our tips to use this online Bible study for your church, small group, Sunday school class, or family discussion. It’s also ideal for personal study. Come back each Monday for a new lesson.
Read more about the book of Acts in Acts Bible Study: Discover How the Early Church Can Inform What We Do Today, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.
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Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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