Acts 10:38

‘“went about doing good”’
(Acts 10:38)

Jesus ‘“went about doing good”’ according to His close friend the apostle Peter here. In fact, when Peter spoke these words, Jesus’ life on earth had only just ‘“happened”’(Acts 10:37), a few years earlier, and was widely known about, even by some ‘Gentiles’(Acts 10:45) living ‘in Caesarea’(Acts 10:1ff.) who had ‘gathered’(Acts 10:27) to understand more, after some extraordinary prompts. The fact that Jesus was at least a ‘“good”’ person is widely known about and acknowledged even today – but what does it mean, and what are its implications, for us too?

The first thing to note is the extraordinary reality that accompanied Jesus’ going about ‘“doing good”’ – He was ‘“anointed… with the Holy Spirit and with power… for God was with Him”’(Acts 10:38). In other words, He was the long-anticipated Messiah or ‘Anointed’(Psalm 2:2ff.) one – that’s what ‘Messiah’ actually means in Hebrew (and ‘Christ’ in Greek). He wasn’t just any old do-gooder! The ‘“good works”’(John 10:32ff.) of our Lord Jesus Christ sprang from the very goodness of ‘God’(Philippians 2:6; Colossians 1:15ff.) Himself – ‘“Father”’(John 14:10), ‘Son’(Hebrews 1:3) and ‘Holy Spirit’(Luke 3:22, cf. Luke 4:14ff. & Isaiah 61:1). So there’s an important supernatural element to Jesus’ goodness for us to ‘taste… see’(Psalm 34:8) and understand.

The first obvious way this manifested itself was through Jesus’ physical healing ministry. He set about that sort of ‘“doing good”’ as soon as His public ministry began: ‘all those who had any sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them, and healed them’(Luke 4:40). The miraculous element of this obviously provided evidence that ‘“God”’(Acts 2:22) was at work through Him, but such things demonstrated His ‘compassion’(Mark 1:41ff.) too, consistent with the ‘goodness’(Psalm 145:7ff.) of God’s very nature.

However, the goodness and compassion of God described in that psalm, and displayed throughout scripture, addresses more than simply our physical wellbeing. The physical points to a greater healing, from our spiritual oppression under the ‘“devil”’(Acts 10:38; Hebrews 2:14ff.) more widely, who Peter mentions here too.

That’s the primary reason Jesus ‘“came”’(John 12:27), to release us oppressed ‘captives’(Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18) in a broader sense. He was ‘pierced for our transgressions… and by His wounds we are healed’(Isaiah 53:5) – a ‘“physician”’(Mark 2:17) in every way, able to wipe out ‘“sins”’(Luke 5:24) and ‘save’(Psalm 145:19ff.) eternally. This was the ultimate ‘“good”’ accomplished by Jesus – establishing His ‘“good news”’(Acts 10:36; Luke 8:1) of salvation and access into the eternal Kingdom of God.

Alongside that He came to ‘destroy the works of the devil’(1 John 3:8) in a further related sense, ‘that we would no longer be in bondage to sin’(Romans 6:6ff.). On receiving His gracious ‘washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit’(Titus 3:5) we’re set free to bear the ‘fruit of sanctification’(Romans 6:22) as we ‘walk… according to the Spirit’(Romans 8:1ff.).

As the resurrected Jesus explained to Paul, it’s about people being turned from ‘“‘the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me’”’(Acts 26:18).

We should note the ongoing role of Jesus is this too – He not only ‘“went about doing good”’ but continues what He ‘began’(Acts 1:1), through ‘the Spirit of Jesus’(Philippians 1:19. cf. Galatians 4:6), as He said would happen: ‘“ I will not leave you… I will come to you”’(John 14:18ff.) and be ‘“with you always, even to the end of the age”(Matthew 28:20).

Therefore, first through the apostles and now though His people more generally, Jesus continues to go about ‘“doing good”’, through His ‘body’(1 Corinthians 12:27), the true church or ‘temple’(Ephesians 2:21; 1 Corinthians 6:19), also described as His ‘“vine”’(John 15:5), which by its very nature bears good ‘fruit’(Galatians 5:22ff., cf. Matthew 7:17).

Like Him, we ‘receive power when the Holy Spirit’(Acts 1:8) dwells within us, anointing and transforming us to do His ‘good, well-pleasing, and perfect will’(Romans 12:2ff.) and ‘overcome evil with good’(Romans 12:21). As with Jesus, this might include ministering to the ‘sick’(James 5:14) or practical and compassionate doing ‘good’(Acts 9:36; Matthew 5:16, cf. Luke 10:30-37) more generally. However, also like Him, as His ‘ambassadors’(2 Corinthians 5:20), our calling will involve going about with His ‘“good news”’(Romans 10:15), to ‘“make disciples”’(Matthew 28:19). Moreover, again reflecting Jesus’ earthly ministry, this will include ‘“teaching them to observe”’(Matthew 28:20, cf. Matthew 5:2ff.) what He commanded, promoting sanctification.

All of this then compounds to facilitate ‘the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving… the building up of the body of Christ’(Ephesians 4:12) ‘that each person who belongs to God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work’(2 Timothy 3:17)…

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