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NOTES for Act 9:32-43

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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.
36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.
37 And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.
38 And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.
39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.
40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
41 And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.
42 And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.
43 And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner.
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The Book of Acts, like the Gospels, says much about healings performed by the apostles, and today's passage even tells of Peter raising Tabitha from the dead. These accounts are, of course, first of all a vivid illustration of one of the Savior's promises fulfilled.

He had promised His disciples that everything He did during His earthly ministry would also be possible for His followers. During His life on earth, He healed and raised the dead; the apostles do the same. But this is not only about promises fulfilled. It is about the Kingdom. The Kingdom that has entered the world and now spreads through it, embracing ever more people. Even before, when He Himself healed during His earthly life, healing was possible only when the person being healed came into contact with the Kingdom. Of course, such contact guarantees nothing in itself: by no means all those Jesus healed became His disciples and followers.

Yet the very fact of sharing in the Kingdom, however briefly, changes a person's life so that it will never be the same again. Now, after the Resurrection, the Ascension, and Pentecost, this process continues with the participation of His disciples and followers, who have themselves become inhabitants of the Kingdom. What matters is not only that He has fulfilled His promises, but that the work He began continues: the work of spreading the Kingdom in the world. The very work for which He came.

It continues, of course, with His direct participation. Even now, after Pentecost, the apostles are as closely united with Him as when, during His earthly ministry, He sent them to bear witness to the Kingdom which, in His words, had “drawn near.” This inner, essential spiritual unity between what began during His earthly ministry and what is happening now, after Pentecost, is what the sacred writer wants to emphasize. That is the main thing: the story of the Kingdom Christ brought into the world continues. And we too can take part in it, if only we wish.

Other notes

 
For Act 9:32-43
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.
36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.
37 And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.
38 And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.
39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.
40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
41 And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.
42 And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.
43 And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner.
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It is noteworthy that Peter's words in v. 40 and Jesus Christ's words in Mark 5:41 differ by one letter...  Read more

It is noteworthy that Peter's words in v. 40 and Jesus Christ's words in Mark 5:41 differ by one letter! In general, here one can see many parallels with the miracle of the raising of Jairus's daughter, not to mention the episode with Aeneas (the healing of the paralytic). By this similarity in the narrative, Luke emphasizes that the divine presence which had earlier acted through Jesus now acts in His Church. To Aeneas, for example, Peter says exactly this: Jesus Christ heals you. Again and again, in the biblical accounts of the early Church and in later traditions, right down to our own time, we will learn that Christ is alive and actively present in this world through those who do His will.

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For Act 9:32-43
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.
36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.
37 And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.
38 And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.
39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.
40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
41 And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.
42 And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.
43 And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner.
Hide
Today's reading seems to take us back to the time of the Savior's earthly ministry, telling of a healing...  Read more

Today's reading seems to take us back to the time of the Savior's earthly ministry, telling of a healing (vv. 32–35) and a raising from the dead (vv. 36–41). But now these miracles take place through Peter's prayers. This change bears the clearest witness to what changed in the world after Pentecost. Outwardly, everything remains as it was, apart from the emergence in Jerusalem of a new messianic movement that later spread beyond both the city and Judea. Yet only Jewish circles knew of this movement, while the rest of the world went on ignoring it for a long time. People began speaking of the Church only decades later, after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and the first persecutions of Christians by the Roman authorities. Even then, however, the Church remained a marginal phenomenon in Roman public life. For several centuries, outwardly, it remained something of very little importance, almost unnoticed. But throughout this time, uninterrupted spiritual work was going on in the Church, invisible from outside. Its purpose was for the Kingdom, as it spread through the world, to embrace ever more people. The spread of the Kingdom was the very reason for the Church's existence; everything else—preaching, healing, raising the dead—was only a means of helping those who sought the Kingdom to find it. Previously, during the Savior's earthly ministry, miracles, including healings and raisings from the dead, bore witness that the Kingdom had come into the world. Now miracles taking place through Christians' prayers became evidence that the Kingdom was spreading through the world and embracing ever more people. The healings and raisings themselves become signs of sharing in the Kingdom, for only those already living in the Kingdom can overcome illness and even death. For those who have not yet heard anything of Christ or the Kingdom, such miracles bear witness to the reality of the Kingdom, in which they can share if they wish. Thus the Kingdom spreads through the world, transfiguring it and bringing closer the day of the Savior's return.

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For Act 9:32-43
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.
36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.
37 And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.
38 And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them.
39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.
40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
41 And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.
42 And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.
43 And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner.
Hide
After many other healings, the healing of Aeneas no longer surprises us, but the raising of Tabitha is striking even against the background of the “familiar”...  Read more

After many other healings, the healing of Aeneas no longer surprises us, but the raising of Tabitha is striking even against the background of the “familiar” miracles. Even today, however, one may encounter such reasoning: should a righteous person’s earthly life be prolonged, or should that person be restored to temporary life, if he or she has earned a place in paradise after death? No one doubts that Tabitha is righteous, but are the widows she cared for interceding with Peter on her behalf only for practical reasons, because their helper has left them?

Such reasoning would be unjust. If earthly life were valuable only as an antechamber to the life beyond, Christ would not have needed either to rise from the dead or to promise people the resurrection to come. But unlike other religious teachings, the Bible speaks not only of a spiritual afterlife, but also of the transformation of the created world and the importance of life on earth. Tabitha was therefore raised not only so that she could continue caring for those who remained. The Lord is the Giver of life, and the gift of raising the dead bestowed upon Peter is a visible sign of the coming victory over death at the end of time.

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