It was a pitiful sight. He was a grown man but he could not walk. He was lame. He had been born that way. Whether his legs were deformed or he had something like polio, we do not know. But he had never walked or even taken a single step. The muscles in his legs were in a state of complete atrophy. They could not support his weight. Every day he was carried to what was called the Beautiful Gate of the temple and there he would sit and beg alms. He had witnessed many people enter the temple grounds, but it is possible that he himself had never been admitted. He may have even saw Jesus and His disciples pass before him on several occasions. Undoubtedly, he also witnessed the occasions when Jesus drove the animals and money changers from the temple. By default he had become a beggar. He had picked the perfect spot. This was the one place people were more prone to show compassion for the needy. No one could say he was poor by choice or blame him for being lazy. He was indisputably lame and over time had become as much of a fixture at the gate as the doors or hinges that held them. He may have even filled another void. He was the perfect target for the rich and prideful self righteous to publicly display their religious benevolence. I am sure some made no small scene when they gave gifts to him. He was the perfect object for public recognition. One day everything changed. Peter and John were about to go through the gate and into the temple grounds. Listen to what happened; 3) When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms. 4) But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, Look at us! 5) And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6) But Peter said, I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene-walk! 7) And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. 8) With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9) And all the people saw him walking and praising God; 10) and they were taking note of him as being the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. (Acts 3:3-10 NASB) What an amazing story! Dont skim over it quickly or pass it off as trivial. It is second only to the day of Pentecost in terms of how God used it to launch the gospel in the early church. Acts 3-4 are devoted to the fallout of this one event. It was verse 6 that caught my attention this morning. Lacking silver or gold is not a hindrance to ministry. We have something to give that is far more important and more valuable. It was not even the healing that became the focal point of the context; it was the gospel and personal faith in Jesus Christ. Peter seized on the healing as a means to preach Jesus and validate the gospel. People frequently ask me what I think about healing. My answer is You are asking about the wrong subject. The real question relates to what I think about Jesus Christ! Because of who He is, He can heal ... But who He IS ... is far more important than what He can do!
Posted on: Sat, 25 Jan 2014 10:25:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015