February 23, 2026 –  Don’t waste the healing — Acts #30
Acts 9:26–30 

Today, we discuss the purpose of healing in God’s story.  Now, it may seem obvious that the purpose of healing is to remove disease, restore physical function, and relieve discomfort.  But the scriptures are clear that God has an even higher purpose when He heals.  And if we focus only on the healing itself, we miss the most important thing.  

Acts 9:32-35   Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda.

So Peter is traveling west of Jerusalem and along the coast, through Joppa and on to Caesarea.  (You should be able to draw from memory a quick map of Israel, at least with the Sea of Galilee, Jordan River, and Dead Sea, along with a few major cities.)  Note the following on the map below:  Lydda is the Old Testament town of Lod. Joppa is the port from which Jonah sailed when he was running from God (modern-day Tel Aviv).  Note the town of Gaza, for you are, of course, very familiar with the Gaza Strip.  And the New Testament port of Caesarea, from which Saul departed on a boat back to his hometown of Tarsus.  

Peter is traveling from Jerusalem to Lydda and then to Joppa in our scripture today.  He is following the path Philip took earlier.  We read about that in Acts 8.

Acts 8:40  But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through, he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

Peter is back in the same area, teaching the new followers and spreading the good news of Jesus.  And in the book of Acts, Luke tells us two stories of healing:  a man who had been paralyzed for years and a girl who had died.  Luke, whom Paul calls “the beloved physician” (Col. 4:14), focuses more on healing in his Gospel and the book of Acts than in other New Testament books, and frequently provides more detailed descriptions of physical problems.  But in our scripture today in Acts 9, we will see more than just two miraculous healings. Because here, Luke pulls the curtain back a little and shows us not just that God heals, but why God heals—and what healing is meant to accomplish.  

These are powerful miracles. But Luke’s focus is not on the person being healed, or on Peter, or even on the physical healing itself. Luke keeps pointing us to one truth:  Healing is a signpost. It points to the glory of Christ and invites people to believe.

Acts 9:32-35   Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. There, he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. 

Aeneas has been bedridden and paralyzed for eight years. Eight years is a long time.  Long enough to endure many unsuccessful treatments.  Long enough for hope to disappear.  Long enough for people to stop expecting any change.   But then Peter comes in and says something very specific:

Acts 9:34  And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.”

“Make your bed,” may seem an odd thing for Peter to say.    He is saying, “Your time of lying in a bed all day is over. You don’t need that now.  Roll up your bedding and resume life.”  Now, what was the result of this healing?  Verse 34 ends with this:  “And immediately he rose.”  But this is not the end of the story; it is only the beginning.  Keep reading.

Acts 9:35  And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.1

Luke does not say, “They admired Peter,” or “They were impressed.”  He says they turned to the Lord.  The healing was real. The healing was compassionate.  God wants to heal his children.  But the primary reason for the healing was evangelistic — it revealed the living power of Jesus.  That is the reason for the healing.

The miracle is not the end of the story, but only the beginning.  The healing was not the destination; it was but a doorway to faith.  Next, we meet Tabitha.

Acts 9:36  “Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity.

She isn’t introduced by illness. She’s introduced by her life:  “She was always doing good and helping the poor.”  What a great way to describe someone, Dr. Luke.

I was in the third year of Medical School and had just started seeing patients in Grady Hospital.  My first rotation was in the surgery department.  Morning rounds went like this: The medical students and interns gathered several hours before rounds to examine the patients and collect all labs.  And the whole group traveled from room to room, a parade of white coats.  If it were your assigned patient, you would present the patient to the team like this:

“This is a 67-year-old male who presented to this hospital with right lower quadrant abdominal pain.  He is status post appendectomy 2 days ago. He is afebrile with stable vital signs and a well-healing incision.  Labs are significant for…. “  You had better have memorized all the facts, vital signs, and lab results, for if they asked you and you didn’t know, they would then ask you why you didn’t want this patient to get good care.  It could be brutal for the students.  But then, later in the year, I did my first rotation in pediatrics.

We had this wonderful Pediatrician who was the attending doctor for our team.  He had been a private practice pediatrician for 25 years and was now teaching at Egleston Hospital.  I remember the first day on rounds well.  One of my friends had the first patient and began the presentation outside the patient’s room just as we had done in surgery.  “This is a seven-year-old female who presented with fever and diffuse bruising 2 days ago…” He went on to describe the pertinent labs and her current therapy.  When he was done, our attending doctor calmly asked, “What is her name?”  Who in her family is with her?  Does she have any brothers or sisters?  What is her favorite color?  Do you think she is scared?”

My friend just stood there silently.  And our attending said, “Remember, you are treating a little girl, not a disease.  She is definitely scared, and you can’t offer her any comfort if you don’t take the time to get to know her.  Her parents need to know that you care, or you will not be giving her good care.”  So Dr. Luke was not from the surgery department at Grady Hospital.  He tells us something about Tabitha.  She did many good works to help the poor in her town and became well known for them.  With that in mind, let’s get back to the story.

Acts 9:36-39  Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. In those days, she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Please come to us without delay.” So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them.

You get this touching picture of the people she had helped, likely poor people who loved Tabitha, wearing the clothes she made for them.  It always leaves a hole in the world when someone dies who was a force in this world for Jesus.  My mind, like yours, goes to many funerals I have attended for people whose Christian walk made an amazing difference in the lives of others.   And here in Joppa, they aren’t just mourning a person; they are mourning love, kindness, practical mercy. Tabitha’s life had already been a testimony.  But at the time of her death, she was just getting started.

Acts 9:40-41   But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then, calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.

A miracle of resurrection, very similar to what we saw when Jesus raised Jairus’s daughter back in Luke 8.  Remember, He sent everyone out of the room except Peter, James, and John.  Jesus took her by the hand and said almost the same thing Peter said to the girl in Acts 9.  Here we see  Peter walking in the footsteps of Jesus.  But again, this resurrection is not the end of the story but is only the beginning.  Then we see the results.

Acts 9:42  And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.

This is the result. There it is again.  Not just amazement.  Not just a celebration, but the birth of faith.  The healings in Lydda and Joppa did not end with healthier people — they ended with new believers.  God used healing to reveal His mercy, His power, and His Son.

Tabitha had already brought glory to God through quiet, faithful service. Her healing would now amplify that witness.  Sometimes God is glorified by a life that displays compassion.  Sometimes God is glorified by a miracle that displays power.  But this is the result.  God is made known to people, and God is glorified.   Throughout scripture, God uses healing as a means to reveal Himself to people.  

After delivering Israel from Egypt, God heals the bitter waters of Marah, and He tells them:

Exodus 15:26   If you will diligently listen to the voice of Yehovah your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am Yehovah, your healer.

I am your healer.  The healing isn’t just practical — it’s revelatory.  God is showing Israel who He is.   Healing becomes a means of self-disclosure.

And do you remember Naaman, the Aramean military leader who had leprosy?   He comes to Elisha, who tells him to wash in the Jordan River.   And when he is healed, Naaman says:

2 Kings 5:15  “And he said, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel.”

The healing leads to confession.  It leads to worship.  It glorifies the God of Israel before a Gentile military leader.  And Naaman returns to his country with knowledge of God.  His healing brings the knowledge of God and glory to God.  That is the point. There are so many stories in the Scriptures that illustrate this point.  Just one more.  When Jesus is told that his friend Lazarus is very sick, He says:

John 11:4   This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.

That is one of the clearest purpose statements in Scripture.  Jesus even delays coming, allowing Lazarus to be dead for 4 days — not out of indifference, but so that a greater glory might be displayed.   When Lazarus walks out of the tomb, many believe in Jesus.  And it becomes the final straw that leads the religious leaders to pursue Jesus’ death.    

When we discuss the Lazarus story, someone always asks, “I wonder what happened to Lazarus after that?”   The scriptures don’t say it, but you have to know that everywhere Lazarus went, he was a billboard pointing to the power and the glory of God.  Yes, Jesus wanted to heal his friend.  He did not want his friend to die.  But his mission here on earth was to bring glory to the Father, and this resurrection and his own crucifixion and resurrection brought glory to God.

We can’t miss this important point.  We pray for healing as if that is what we need.  Every time we meet, we pray for healing.  We text each other prayer requests for people to be healed.  And Yehovah is a God of great compassion.  He desires our healing.  In fact, He created this world to be a place with no illness or disease.  But sin cursed the world.  So we all suffer.  We all need healing. 

We have celebrated many healings in our congregation in the past several years.  As a doctor, I can tell you many instances of when I saw miraculous healing of a deadly disease or an advanced cancer.  And there have been times I have seen God’s people pray fervently in large numbers for a healing that did not happen.  It can be frustrating to see some healed and others not.  But we have to remember that healing is never the endpoint.  As in these stories in the Scripture, healing is good; healing is out of God’s compassionate heart.  But healing is for so much more than the relief of our physical problems or pain.  It is to bring glory to God.  It is to bring others to the knowledge of the God who heals.

Don’t waste the healing.  There is such a danger that we become so focused on physical needs or so fascinated by physical healing that we forget the most important part.  To bring glory to God, to make him known to others.  That is our purpose.

So what are people seeing in us?  In Lydda and Joppa, people saw something they could not explain — and it led them to Jesus.  We may not be called to raise the dead.  But we are called to tell others about the one who can raise the dead.   We can bring glory to God for the healings we see, to let people know it is not just about the healing.  It is about the God behind the healing.   We are called to live and serve in ways that point beyond ourselves. 

1 Corinthians 10:31  “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Colossians 3:17  “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

When God answers prayer… give Him glory.
When God brings restoration… name His kindness.
When God works in your life… tell the story in a way that leads people to Christ.
Because in the end, the purpose of every act of divine healing is this:
That people would see the power and compassion of Jesus — and turn to the Lord.

1.  Sharon is the Hebrew word for “field”, and usually refers to the area of fertile land on the coast extending just south of Mount Carmel to south of Joppa.  In Song of Solomon 2:1, the King James version translated the Hebrew phrase as “Rose of Sharon,” leaving out the definite article – it is actually “rose of the sharon” (field).  Translations before the King James had translated the Hebrew more literally as “rose of the field.”