Healing Aeneas

(Acts 9:32-39)

There were many healings and miracles done by the hands of the apostles and here again we see The Lord working through Peter to heal Aeneas.

Aeneas was a very sick man. He had been bed ridden for eight years and unable to stand as ha was paralysed. We need to,understand too in those days there was no medical insurance and no hospitals or respite care facilities. When Aeneas became ill he became the responsibility of the family or friends to look after, otherwise he would simply die.

And being a long term illness the likelihood of any improvement or a complete recovery was pretty much zero. He was stuck a paralytic with the knock on effect for the rest of his family to look after him until he died. Not much of a future to look forward to and in some ways similar to the state most people in this world today. Let us have a look at this.

Parallels

Aeneas was paralysed and going nowhere. He was marking off time until he died and he had very little to look forward to but a slow and possibly painful death.

This is very similar to most of the people in the world today who have not made a commitment to come to Jesus Christ. They too have no future and nothing to look forward to but death. They believe they have to live this life to the fullest here and now because you are dead a long time.

In both cases they are and were wrong and the answer to both the problem for Aeneas and non-believers today is the same. Moving forward from where they are required just one intervention…Jesus Christ.

Healing

Peter came to the village where Aeneas lived and on seeing him said these words in verse 34.

And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose.

Note that Peter did not just say “Rise and make your bed,” but he said first that “Jesus Christ heals you.” Peter did not take any credit for this healing nor did he presume to suggest that he personally did anything to make Aeneas well. He gave the glory to Jesus totally saying that it was Jesus who was doing the work of healing him and making him well.

And Aeneas was made well for he rose immediately and walked. Consider too that not only was he healed, but he now once again had a future, me not just him but also the rest of his family who would not need to care for him 24/7.

Jesus came proclaiming freedom and release to all people and in this action he released Aeneas physically from bondage to illness, freeing him for a great future and life in abundance.

And it is the same for the people of the world today also. Their bondage to death with no future to look forward to will also be healed when and if they come to Christ for release from sin and his salvation. Jesus does not just heal physically but emotionally and spiritually as well. His healing is complete and total.

And we see that the knock on effect was dramatic when Aeneas was healed, for all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw the healing done in Jesus name and they turned to The Lord.

Purpose

I have written in many other posts about the purpose of these types of miraculous healings and other miracles. The Lord uses them to confirm the truth of the preaching that goes with them. Peter will have preached the word to all the people and having seen the miracle they will have welcomed his words and that is why they turned to The Lord.

The Lord taught freedom, Peter preached freedom and the people saw the freedom and release from bondage to illness take place in the healing of Aeneas. They will have then realised through the message of the gospel that they too had a need for healing, not necessarily physical, but from bondage to sin. Ad in Jesus they received His healing to become new creations in Christ Jesus.

It is no different today. The offer of salvation is available to all who hear and heed the call of Christ. The healing of the spirit and salvation from sin, fear, condemnation and guilt is available to everyone who calls upon the name of The Lord.

All it needs is faith and a willingness to accept the grace of God, freely given without price and to follow Jesus Christ. Then those who listen today too will have a future just as Aeneas now had.

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