A Man Named Æneas and a Woman Named Dorcas

And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda. And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy. And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately. And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord. 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. 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. 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. delay...: Or, be grieued 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. 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. And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive. And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord. And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner. - Acts 9:32-43

    Peter was on a preaching mission visiting the churches of Judea, Galilee and Samaria which had been recently established as a result of the persecution at Jerusalem. He travelled from church to church preaching the gospel of Christ, establishing them in the faith of Christ and in the truth of God.

    'The saints which dwelt at Lydda' (9:32). Lydda was a town about thirty-five miles from Jerusalem in which God had been pleased to raise up a gospel church. It should be noticed that Luke and all the writers of the New Testament referred to all believers as saints. This title, 'saints', is not a title of distinction reserved for a few very eminent believers. It is a title for all believers. Every person who is born of God is a saint. The word means 'sanctified ones'! We were sanctified by God the Father in electing grace before the world began (Jude 1). He set us apart from the rest of mankind unto himself, for his own holy purposes and uses. We were sanctified by God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in redemption. By his substitutionary sacrifice at Calvary the Son of God made all of God's elect holy, and God the Father, looking on us through the blood of Christ, declared us to be holy (Heb. 10:10-14). This is our justification. Then God the Holy Spirit sanctified us in regeneration, giving us the holy nature of Christ (2 Thess. 2:13;2 Peter 1:4; 1John 3:5-9). All believers are saints because all have been sanctified. Their sanctification is the gift and work of God's free grace in Christ.

    'A certain man named Æneas' (9:33-35). Æneas' healing by Peter is given as a picture of God’s saving grace in Christ. This man really was healed of his physical infirmity by the power of God, but his healing was intended by God both to confirm and to illustrate his saving grace. Everything about this man and his healing corresponds to and reflects the saving grace of God experienced by every child of God.

    I . Æneas was a chosen object of mercy

    Luke describes him as 'a certain man'. In those days it was common to find paralyzed beggars laid in conspicuous places, hoping for alms or other acts of mercy from those who passed by. Where one was found, there were likely to be many others (John 5:1-9). No doubt there were many like Æneas in Lydda, but Æneas was chosen by God. Grace always comes to certain men and women, to certain ones chosen of God unto salvation (Eph. 1:3-6; 2 Thess. 2:13-14).

    2. Æneas was a helplessly sick man

    His disease was real. Peter was not a fake healer, but a real apostle. He healed a man who really was in an utterly helpless condition. But Æneas had not always been in such bad shape. So it is with us. God created man upright, in his own image (Gen. 1:26-28). But when Adam sinned against God, we sinned in him and we died spiritually (Rom. 5:12). All men and women since the fall of Adam are in a helpless condition of sin and death. We were all born in sin (Ps. 51:5).

    3. This man knew something about the Lord Jesus Christ

    By some means or other, he had heard about Christ. Otherwise, when Peter said, 'Jesus Christ maketh thee whole,' he would not, and could not, have believed on him (Rom. 10:13-17). It is not necessary for a sinner to become a theologian to be saved, but it is necessary for him to know who Christ is and what he has done. It is not possible to trust an unrevealed, unknown Saviour!

    4. Peter's word (God's word by Peter) came to Æneas’ heart with divine power and personal application

    Peter's word was the very word of God. God spoke to this man personally by the voice of another man, a gospel preacher. This is the way God calls sinners to Christ (John 10:1-5): '. . . Æneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole!' The effectual call of the Spirit (Ps. 65:4) comes to chosen sinners through the voice of gospel preachers. Sinners are saved, born again and called by the Word of God (1Peter 1:23-25).

    5. Æneas believed on the Lord Jesus Christ

    He did not believe on Peter. He did not believe in the power of his own free will. But he did believe that Jesus Christ had made him whole. He proved his faith by acting upon it. 'He arose immediately!'

    6. He was made whole immediately

    But suppose he had not been! Suppose he had believed and yet had not been healed! Peter would have been proved an impostor. Christ would have been shamefully dishonoured. And the gospel Peter preached would have been proved a lie. The point I am making is this: it is impossible for a sinner to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and not be saved by him (John 6:37; Heb. 7:25).

    7. Once he was healed, Æneas acted like a man who was made whole

    'He arose immediately!' He no longer lay upon his bed among his former companions. He had been made new (2 Cor. 5:17). He went all over town telling people what Christ had done for him. It was obvious to everyone! Therefore, many 'turned to the Lord'.

    'Dorcas: [a]woman . . . full of good works' (9:36-43). Dorcas is set before us as an example of faith and godliness. She was truly a woman who lived by faith and evidenced her faith by her works (Eph. 2:8-10; James 2:14-26). She made it her business in life to 'adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour' (Titus 2: 10). Luke tells us three things about Dorcas:

    I. She exemplified the gospel by her deeds of love (9:36,39) Dorcas was not a preacher or a teacher. She held no public office in the church (1Tim. 2: 12). But she was gifted of God as a seamstress. And she used her gifts in Christ, like love and self-denial, to make coats for God's poor saints. If I had to choose between the two, I would much rather live like Dorcas than preach like Peter (Phil. 2:1-8; 1 Cor. 13:1-13).

    2. She died in faith (9:37)

    We are not told what caused her death, or where she was when she died, only that she was sick and her sickness led to her death. But she died in faith. Nothing else really matters! 'Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints' (Ps. 116:15).

    3. She was raised from the dead for the glory of God (9:38-43)

    Dorcas was raised from the dead to die again. We who believe on the Lord Jesus shall be raised to die no more (1 Cor. 15:51-58). When Dorcas was raised from the dead God was glorified in Joppa. And when God's elect are raised from the dead in the last day, our God will be glorified universally, for ever (Rev. 5:9-13).