Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. - Acts 9:32-34
Here we have a story about the healing of paralysis of the body. For eight years it held this man impotent, unable to fulfill life as God intended human life to be lived. We don’t know much at all about this man. We are not told if he was a member of the church in Lydda, or if he was just some guy in the town. All we know is his name, Aeneas, which was a very common greek name in the first century. I think the point is that this could be anybody, this guy represents us all, he pictures the condition of humanity apart from Christ.
He was paralyzed; he could not move. This can happen to the spirit as well. In fact it does happen to many of us. Some of you are suffering from paralysis of the will, from paralysis of the spirit. There are things you have been wanting to do, knowing that you ought to do them. For years you have been saying, "Oh, I wish I could do that. I'd like to. Someday I want to do it." But you never have. You are suffering from paralysis of the will because you are looking to your own resources. You hope that someday, somehow you will get some new desire, and then when you feel motivated, then you will do it.
The truth is that apart from the power of Jesus Christ, you and I can no more take steps to change our sinful condition than a paralyzed man can get up and walk! It is to this very condition of the soul that this story makes its appeal. Jesus Christ says to you, "Rise, and begin to live. Do what I’ve called you to do, and do it in my name!” That is what this account is for - to show us that Jesus Christ can heal us from the paralysis of death.
It is very interesting to notice that the miracle Jesus does through Peter here in Acts 9, closely parallels a miracle that Jesus Himself performed in Matthew 9 - And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” - Matthew 9:2-6
In this account, not only does Jesus also heal a paralytic, but He actually gives us the reason for why He healed him. He is showing the religious leaders, and us, which is the greater miracle! I think we have a strong tendency to focus on the wrong things. We too often focus our hopes on the material world and the on the hope of a physical healing, but the greater miracle is not the fact that Jesus can make a lame person walk or a sick person well, it is the healing that Christ does in our hearts; the forgiveness of our sins and our redemption through the Cross!
Jeff Frazier
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