"Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon." - Acts 9:43
Interesting to me. Hopefully so to you.
At the heart of the whole thing is this reality that Peter stayed in the city with a man named Simon, who was a tanner. With this is also the reality that Jesus had changed Peter's name from Simon to Peter. So Simons being changed is important here.
While Peter was at Simon's house, the whole city experienced miraculous visions (eyes), voices (ears), healing (body), and resurrection (new life). Simon's city was totally transformed by God through Peter because Peter was in Christ and because Peter shared Christ in all that he said and did.
But there's more.
If you search the various studies, there's this whole big discussion about the meaning of Simon's name. In sum, the consensus is that Simon's name means "hearer". But the discussion around the name Simon is that the result of his hearing depends on what he does or does not do with what he hears. It's significant in today's verse that Simon is a tanner, that is someone who patiently works with a hide to make it useful. The connection is that Simon the tanner patiently hears and works with, i.e. he obeys, the word of Christ that Peter imparts to him. The name "Peter", you may know, means "rock", as in "a sure foundation". So Simon the tanner's city is transformed by visions, voices, healings, and resurrections because the foundation-giving rock of God's word of Christ is obeyed and lived out with trust in God.
I know that's a lot to follow in a short time, but it's not only interesting to study further if you have a chance, there's also two simple encouragements to take with us into the day.
One, if you really care about someone whose life needs help, then be a "Peter". Be someone who explicitly shares the strong, foundation-giving, life-changing word of God about Jesus. Better yet, get to know Jesus personally and introduce Jesus himself personally to people.
Second, if you want to see your own life and your "city" (the people around you) changed for the better, then don't just listen to God's word, but patiently hear, trust, work with, obey, and live God's word in your life. Be a doer of God's word, like Jesus says plainly in Matthew 7 in the parable of the wise builder.
"Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon." (Acts 9:43) And it changed the lives of many.
May God's word dwelling in, with, and through us do the same!
Praise God!
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
No comments:
Post a Comment