Acts 8:1-18

The Continuing Ministry of Peter (9:32-11:18).

In preparing for the Gentile ministry of Paul, a preparation which has included what we have just considered concerning his conversion and ministry to Jews, Luke goes back to considering Peter's ministry. Along with the other Apostles he is continuing the oversight of the church and here, at least to some extent, following in the steps of Philip along the Judaean coast. In Acts 3:1 onwards he had brought the Good News to the ‘lame' and now he does a similar thing again to the paralytic (Acts 9:32). Luke does not want us to think that Peter has faded out of the picture, nor that the work of God does not go on apace. This is then followed by a raising from the dead of a believer (Acts 9:36). Does this raising of the dead to some extent parallel the life-giving coming of the ‘breath' of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 coming on all believers? Jesus had paralleled the resurrection with the raising of the dead in the story of Lazarus. And Luke then finalises this series of Peter's activity with the description of the opening of the Good News to Gentiles, which will result in the spread of the word to ‘the uttermost parts of the earth' (Acts 10:1 to Acts 11:18 - paralleling Acts 1:8?). Note also the build up of ideas. A paralysed man healed, the dead brought to life, the Good News goes to the Gentiles. The advancement in idea is clear.

This sequence also to some extent parallels that in Luke's Gospel where the healing of the paralytic (Luke 5:18), is followed by the raising of the widow of Nain's son (Luke 7:11) and of Jairus' daughter (Luke 8:41), between which is the healing of the centurion's son and Jesus' express admiration for the centurion's faith (Luke 7:1), although here in Acts the story of the centurion's faith necessarily follows the raising of the dead in order to stress its importance and lead in to what follows.

While at the same time we might see this as Peter's taking an interest in and following up Philip's ministry to the cities along the coastline (Acts 8:40), we should note that that is not Luke's specific intent for he stresses that Peter is going ‘throughout all parts'.