The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace. It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord, and with the consolation of the holy Spirit it grew in numbers.
32 As Peter was passing through every region, he went down to the holy ones living in Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been confined to bed for eight years, for he was paralyzed. 34 Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed.” He got up at once. 35 And all the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
36 Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated means Dorcas). She was completely occupied with good deeds and almsgiving. 37 Now during those days she fell sick and died, so after washing her, they laid [her] out in a room upstairs. 38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” 39 So Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs where all the widows came to him weeping and showing him the tunics and cloaks that Dorcas had made while she was with them. 40 Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to her body and said, “Tabitha, rise up.” She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. 41 He gave her his hand and raised her up, and when he had called the holy ones and the widows, he presented her alive. 42 This became known all over Joppa, and many came to believe in the Lord. 43 And he stayed a long time in Joppa with Simon, a tanner.
After the dramatic conversion of Saul (Acts 9:1-30), this passage (Acts 9:31-43) offers a brief moment of peace, growth, and healing in the life of the early Church. It marks a shift in focus from persecution and conflict to restoration and outreach, revealing the living presence of the Risen Christ working through His apostles.
Luke’s summary in verse 31 echoes Acts 1:8—that the Gospel would go forth from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. It also recalls the peace God promised through His prophets (cf. Isa. 52:7; Jer. 29:11)—not merely political calm, but a deep spiritual flourishing that comes from living in reverent awe of God and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
In verses 32–43, Peter moves beyond Jerusalem to Lydda and Joppa, performing signs that mirror Christ’s own miracles. In Lydda, Peter heals Aeneas, a man paralyzed for eight years, with the words, “Jesus Christ heals you” (v. 34). This healing is not Peter’s own act but a continuation of Christ’s healing power. The result is conversion: “All the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord” (v. 35), evoking the evangelistic power of healing seen in Luke 5:17-26. Healing miracles reveal the mercy and authority of Christ and open hearts to faith and conversion.
In Joppa, Peter raises Tabitha (Dorcas) from the dead. Her name, meaning "gazelle" in both Aramaic and Greek, is remembered with affection by the Christian community, especially by the widows she had served. This miracle recalls Jesus’ raising of Jairus’s daughter (cf. Mark 5:39–42), especially as Peter sends others out of the room, prays, and then commands her to rise—just as Christ had said “Talitha koum” (Mk 5:41). Luke is not merely paralleling the miracles; he is showing that Christ’s ministry continues through His Church, now animated by the Holy Spirit. Raising Tabitha from death reveals the Lord’s power over life itself and stirs faith in the hearts of those who witness or hear of it. Peter acts under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, not by his own initiative or to imitate Christ, but as one commissioned to manifest the power of the Risen Lord.
These events recall not only the miracles of Jesus—healing the paralytic (Luke 5:17-26) and raising Jairus’s daughter (Mark 5:39-42)—but also the resurrections performed by the prophets Elijah and Elisha (cf. 1 Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:32-37). In this way, Luke presents Peter as standing in the prophetic and apostolic line of God's chosen instruments. Through him, the Church emerges as the living Body of Christ, bringing physical healing, spiritual restoration, and new life to those who believe.
The peaceful flourishing of the Church in verse 31 follows the conversion of Saul, formed under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), the revered Pharisee known for wisdom and restraint (cf. Acts 5:34-40), who had previously spearheaded the persecution after the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 7:54-8:3). Now, that same Saul has undergone a complete transformation. The Church’s growth in this passage is therefore not only due to peace from external threats, but spiritual transformation within—even among its former enemies. This mirrors Isaiah 60:14, where the prophet foretells that “those who opposed you shall come bowing before you,” and it prepares us for the expansion of the mission to the Gentiles in the coming chapters.
The Church today still experiences times of upheaval and calm, persecution and growth. Like the early Christians, we are called to “walk in the fear of the Lord and in the consolation of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:31). The healing of Aeneas and the raising of Tabitha remind us that Christ continues to bring healing and new life, especially through His grace at work in the Church and through acts of charity, often unseen but powerful.
Tabitha’s life of service, especially to the vulnerable, also stands as a model for every Christian. Her resurrection is not merely a miracle of physical life, but a sign of what awaits all the faithful through Christ’s resurrection (cf. Rom. 6:5; John 11:25-26).
O Lord Jesus Christ, You are the Resurrection and the Life. Strengthen Your Church throughout the world to walk in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. May we, like Peter, bring healing in Your name; may we, like Tabitha, serve with compassion; and may we, like the early Church, grow in faith, unity, joy, and love. Amen!
O Lord, guide
every heart that longs for Your presence
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: The Pentateuch. Four Courts Press, 2017
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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