Acts 9:35 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

NIV: All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

NASB: And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

CSB: So all who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

NLT: Then the whole population of Lydda and Sharon saw Aeneas walking around, and they turned to the Lord.

KJV: And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord.

NKJV: So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

Peter is in the town of Lydda, 25 miles northwest of Jerusalem. In the name of Jesus, he has healed a man there named Aeneas who had been confined to bed with paralysis for eight years. God gives the apostles the ability to perform miracles to authenticate them so people would know their message is from God. It works: the people of Lydda and Sharon accept Peter's words about Jesus, and they are saved (Acts 9:32–34).

Sharon is a plain between the mountains and the Mediterranean Sea from Lydda northward to around Caesarea. Lydda is called Lod in the Old Testament and today; it is about 25 miles northwest of Jerusalem and 9 miles southeast of modern-day Tel Aviv. It's very likely Philip visited Lydda on his trek between Azotus and Caesarea (Acts 8:40).

From Lydda, Peter will go to Joppa, modern-day Jaffa. There, he will bring a disciple named Tabitha back to life (Acts 9:36–43). While Peter is staying with a tanner named Simon, messengers will come from Caesarea, about 40 miles north. A Roman centurion, a devout follower of the Jewish God, wants to know more about the God he worships. Peter will come to his house and share Jesus' story. While Peter is still speaking, the Holy Spirit will come on Cornelius, his family, his servants, and the friends who have come to listen. Without Peter laying hands on them or baptizing them, a large group of Gentiles will be saved (Acts 10). God's promise to Abraham, that his descendant would bless the world, will come true (Genesis 22:18). Peter will be stunned. The other church leaders will be incredulous (Acts 11:1–18). And the way will be paved for the apostle Paul's ministry to the Gentiles.

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.