Acts 9:32-35

Now it came about that as Peter was traveling through all those parts, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years, for he was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; arise, and make your bed." And immediately he arose. And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

 

When the apostles heal people in the book of Acts, one of the amazing aspects of these stories is how simple it seems – how simple it is. Peter traveled. Peter met up with believers in Lydda. Peter encountered Aeneas, a paralyzed man who had been bedridden for eight years.

 

And Peter told him about Jesus. “Jesus Christ heals you.” We say things like that today questioning what they mean. “Jesus Christ heals you… spiritually.” “Jesus Christ heals you… at least, He will some day.” “Jesus Christ heals you… because He makes doctors really smart so that they can figure out what’s wrong and get you just the right medication.” Peter knew about spiritual health. Peter knew about Christ’s return, when everything will be fully restored. Peter knew about doctors and medicines, and probably thanked God for them (in fact, a doctor wrote the book of Acts!).

 

But Peter knew that Jesus heals. And Peter didn’t limit what that meant. Jesus heals spiritually, and entirely (when He returns), and through doctors and earthly medicines that He provided for us. But Jesus heals, and one of the ways Jesus heals is simply through His authoritative words. The one who was there at the beginning, who said, “Let there be light,” and saw light burst forth to obey Him – He heals by telling people, sometimes through His servants, “Arise, and make your bed.”

 

It is this sort of authority that tells us that Jesus is truly Lord. Jesus is the Master, the King of the universe. What Jesus says goes. And when people understand that what Jesus says goes, they are bound to humbly bow before Him, confessing that they have (foolishly) rebelled against this Jesus who holds all authority in His commands. All who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw the healed paralytic, and they turned to the Lord, to the King whose authority to heal proves His authority to demand everyone’s obedience.

 

It is simple. Jesus heals because He has the authority to heal, and His servants heal because Jesus has given them the authority to heal. And that same authority calls us all to repent of our sins and serve Him – to receive forgiveness from the one who died on the cross in our place. The only way we would reject this authority is if we don’t believe that Jesus heals – in any way He wants.

 

Father, may I recognize that Jesus is Lord, and may I help others to see this, too. And may His authority to heal just make sense to me. May I realize that His ability to heal is as unlimited as His authority – that our Healer can heal by His commands, by His good creation gifts (medicines), by His restoration of the entire world when He returns, and by His restoration of our relationship with God before He returns. No matter what kind of healing it looks like to us, it is Jesus who heals. May I stop mentally limiting His authority. May I understand how thoroughly He reigns in every area of my life – and willingly go along with His commands.