Acts 9:32 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda.

NIV: As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda.

NASB: Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he also came down to the saints who lived at Lydda.

CSB: As Peter was traveling from place to place, he also came down to the saints who lived in Lydda.

NLT: Meanwhile, Peter traveled from place to place, and he came down to visit the believers in the town of Lydda.

KJV: And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda.

NKJV: Now it came to pass, as Peter went through all parts of the country, that he also came down to the saints who dwelt in Lydda.

After the murder of Stephen (Acts 7:54–60), a young Jew named Saul requested authority from the Sanhedrin: the ruling religious council of the Jews. His request was to actively seek out Jesus-followers and either force them to blaspheme against Christ or face possible execution (Acts 8:1–3; 9:1–2; 26:10–11). At the time, the message of Jesus hadn't traveled much beyond Jerusalem, but Saul's persecution drove the Jesus-followers away, as far as Syrian Antioch (Acts 11:19–20), and they took Jesus' message with them.

Saul expanded his reach, eventually traveling to Damascus to arrest Jesus-followers there and bring them to Jerusalem for trial. Before he arrived at Damascus, however, Jesus appeared and confronted him. Saul quickly realized he had been completely and horribly wrong. After being baptized, he became a powerful preacher, going to the synagogues and explaining how Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament (Acts 9:1–22). Eventually, he will go by the name Paul (Acts 13:9) and become the greatest missionary of the early church.

Now that Saul and the Sanhedrin are no longer a threat, Peter travels to spread the gospel. Lydda is 9 miles southeast of modern-day Tel Aviv and 25 miles northwest of Jerusalem. In the Old Testament, it was the city of Lod (1 Chronicles 8:12). Peter is continuing the work he had done in Jerusalem: spreading the news about Jesus and performing miracles to authenticate his God-given message.

"Saint" is from the Greek root word hagios which literally refers to a holy person. In the Bible, it means any born-again believer in Jesus Christ. To be holy is to be set apart or sanctified. Every Jesus-follower is set apart by God for His redemption and His work.

Acts 9:32–35 is a short story about Peter healing a paralyzed man near the western slope of the coastal range of Judea. It is also the beginning of an account, running through Acts 11:18, of Peter opening the doors for the apostle Saul's mission to reach the Gentiles for Christ. Saul has become a Jesus-follower and will soon go by the name Paul. The immediate, intense threat to the church is greatly eased. Peter is traveling, possibly visiting the churches that were started by those who fled from Saul's persecution (Acts 8:1–3). Soon, he will witness and validate that Gentiles can be saved and receive the Holy Spirit. The last phase of Acts 1:8 will begin in earnest.

Acts 9 sets the stage for the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles. Saul continues the persecution of the church by traveling to Damascus to arrest Jesus-followers. Before he reaches the city, Jesus confronts him. Saul realizes Jesus is the Messiah and immediately starts spreading the news, first in Damascus and later in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Peter travels to modern-day Tel Aviv to heal a paralyzed man and bring a dead woman back to life. The miracles aren't unusual, but the story leaves him in Joppa, poised to take the next step in Jesus' mandate to be His witness (Acts 1:8).

The murder of the Jesus-follower Stephen has ignited a fierce persecution against the church, led by a young Pharisee-trained man named Saul (Acts 7:54—8:3; 9:1–2). When he realizes Jesus truly is the Messiah, that fervor fuels his own evangelism (Acts 9:3–30). Meanwhile, Peter travels to the coast of Judea. Soon, he will teach a prominent Gentile household about Jesus and discover that Gentiles can be saved (Acts 10). The stage will be set for Saul to spread the saving news of Jesus to ''the end of the earth'' (Acts 1:8) under the Greek version of his name: Paul.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.