Acts 9:34 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed." And immediately he rose.

NIV: "Aeneas," Peter said to him, "Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat." Immediately Aeneas got up.

NASB: Peter said to him, 'Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your own bed.' Immediately he got up.

CSB: Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed," and immediately he got up.

NLT: Peter said to him, 'Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you! Get up, and roll up your sleeping mat!' And he was healed instantly.

KJV: And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately.

NKJV: And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately.

When Saul, with the full support of the Sanhedrin, first started persecuting the church in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1–3), the Jesus-followers made the reasonable decision to leave town, but they took their faith with them. One of these refugees was a deacon named Philip. Philip first headed north to Samaria, where he shared Jesus' message with the Samaritans. When the church leaders in Jerusalem heard, they sent Peter and John to see what was going on. They validate Philip's message and the Samaritans' faith (Acts 8:4–8, 14–17).

Next, the Holy Spirit told Philip to head back south into Judea and speak with a court official of the Ethiopian queen. He worshiped the Jewish God and was reading from the book of Isaiah. Philip explained that the passage was talking about Jesus of Nazareth. The official put his faith in Jesus, as well. The Holy Spirit carried Philip to Azotus, the old Philistine city on the coast of the Mediterranean. From there, Philip traveled north to Caesarea Maritima, preaching as he traveled (Acts 8:26–40).

Two of the possible towns on his route were Lydda and Joppa. Now that Saul is a Jesus-follower and is no longer persecuting the church, Peter is traveling, building up the new believers and preaching to those who haven't heard. He finds himself in Lydda and heals a man named Aeneas who has been bedridden for eight years with paralysis. This healing, credited to the power of Christ, is instantaneous. As a result, the people of the town and the plain north of Lydda, between the mountains and the sea, become followers of Christ (Acts 9:35).

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.