Acts 9:32-43 | You Will Do Greater Things Than Theseনমুনা

Aeneas and Tabitha were brought low by illness. Aeneas was paralyzed and had been confined to his bed for eight years. Tabitha got so sick that she died. Sickness twists and distorts God’s good creation.

Acts doesn’t tell us anything else about Aeneas, other than he was paralyzed and bedridden for eight years before Peter arrived. Try to picture what Aeneas experienced as he lay in bed those eight years. Was he angry? Resigned? Hopeful? Was he resentful of his condition? Did he pray for healing? Was he in pain? Was he at peace? What about those around him, who were caring for him? What were they thinking and feeling?

The Bible says that Peter found Aeneas and said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed” (Acts 9:34). And he got up immediately. Suddenly, everything was different. Aeneas was no longer paralyzed. He could move again. The man who was confined to his bed, trapped because his body was not functioning properly, was now free. His body worked again. Through the hand of his servant Peter, Jesus brought healing, freedom, and new life to Aeneas.

Here's how the CSB puts it: “Get up and make your bed.” There’s something so normal and routine about Peter’s words to Aeneas. These words are familiar to every parent trying to get a child moving in the morning. Let’s go! It’s time to get started on the day ahead. And get off to a good start by making your bed. After eight years, life was suddenly back to normal for Aeneas and his loved ones. Time to get on with it!

Sometimes when there has been a dramatic change in our circumstances, even a very positive change, it can be difficult to know what to do next. It can be disorienting. Perhaps we have grown accustomed to life being a certain way and have even found a sense of comfort in the familiar. The unknown can be scary. After Peter healed him, Aeneas could have stayed in bed, surrounded by what was familiar. But Peter told him to get up and make his bed. And Aeneas did.

When God brings healing, transformation, or new life, how will you respond? Will you stay with what’s familiar? Or will you get up and get on with your life? Remember that people are watching. Show them what God has done for you.