ACTS: Healings draw attention.

Acts 3:1 It was time for Peter and John to come to the temple at the 9th hour of the day, the hour for prayer. 2 Sitting on the road to the gate called Beautiful, was a man who had been lame from birth. He would be carried to this spot every day. 3 He started begging for help when he saw Peter and John going into the temple. 4 They stopped and stood looking at the man, and then said, "Look at us!" 5 Thinking he might receive something from them he turned his attention fully on them. 6 Peter spoke, "I do not have gold and silver for you, but I would be happy to give you what I have; In the name of Jesus, the Christ, the Nazarene -- walk!" 7 Then Peter reached out grabbing the man's right hand and lifted him to his feet; and he stood there full of strength in his feet and ankles. 8 Then he started to jump around and walk; as they went into the temple he followed, jumping, and skipping and giving all the praise to God. 9 When people saw him moving around like this, 10 they also recognized him as being the man who used to sit by the Beautiful Gate and beg for handouts. Everyone wanted to know what had happened that he could now walk and jump and move around so freely. 

 

God healed the lame man. Was it to make him well? Did it happen so Peter would feel more spiritual or get excited about his spiritual gifts? Or was this a healing to primarily draw attention? With the focus on Peter and John and the healed lame man, the people watching have their hearts open to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. 

 

That is true as well with the people around you. They need to hear the message of Jesus, but the real question is are they open to hearing this message? In the society where we live people have been jaded into unbelief and they have heard all of the words and phrases of Christianity and chosen to discount everything because of the media and many people they have known and heard about. The church has not done a good job of telling what we know to be the truth. And we have not done a good job of loving one another so that the people around us will see something they cannot see anywhere else in the society. When we talk about Jesus, they think they know the rest of the story. But they do not. 

 

The people around you are just as precious to God as the lame man that Peter and John healed that day. And I believe that God would desire all people to be well and whole, but I do not think the issue is just physical healing or health. God’s love for us desires us to be completely whole and that will include our mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical health. The physical is the one we see most clearly, but in some ways is the least necessary. Many people who have physical ailments live a happy life because they have found peace in their mental, spiritual, and emotional sides of life. 

 

We need to focus on what it means to be lame. I know the story is talking about a 40-year-old man who has had a defect in his legs from birth. But did he have other ailments of the mental, spiritual, and emotional nature? That we do not know. And how much of that did God heal at the meeting of Peter and John?

 

There is a multitude of lame people in the world. If they all were physically healed in an instant, that would not solve the problems of humanity that we live with. Healing the whole person includes helping them find spiritual peace with God and helping them know living Jesus, the world’s Messiah, in a personal way. 

 

The lame man in this story was dependent upon others to get him around. He probably came to Beautiful Gate each day so he could be around people who could give him what he needed. The begging provided money for he and possibly his family to live on. But it might also have been a way for him to have personal interactions with others and find a kind of peace in his soul. 

 

Peter saw faith in this man. He saw an expectant hope. And he commanded the man to walk. Something he had not done in over 40 years, actually, he had never taken a step. Yet, at Peter’s command and with the aid of Peter’s grip, the man rose up and could walk, even leap around.  

 

Think of yourself as a lame person, for in some way we all are lame. Jesus has commanded us to walk in His ways. We are now, because of Jesus, in a beautiful place in our lives. We have forgiveness of sins; we have the presence of the Holy Spirit. Other people are amazed at who we are; they marvel and wonder when they see us. They might not talk about it. They might not even indicate in any way that they are impressed. But they are because they see Jesus in us. The benefit of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our lives in so we can get something more, it is so we can give something to others. We can help them find wholeness and praise and peace and love and hope. 

 

We come together in church because we have something in common. We were all lame, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and/or physically. We needed to be carried along in life. We sought to beg from others, even when we thought we could do it all ourselves, we needed them. In Jesus we have found healing. Someone invited us to come and others drew us to stay. Our lives are different because we made the leap of faith. It might just be a placebo. I can live with that because I have been healed at least in my mind. And it feels good. 

 

But my miracle is not just for me. It is for all who see that they might become a follower of Jesus as well. I have been touched by Jesus and I want to see others touched as well. I believe God is a worker of miracles, then and now. Watch and see as He does miracles in you for the purpose of helping others who have the need to be healed. 

 

            The people saw Peter and John perform this miracle and they marveled at what these men had done. Far too often we point to the people who do things and forget to also see God working behind the scenes. Peter said, “God did the healing. God is the worker of all miracles.”  If your life changes, God is at work. And God works on faith, His faith in us, our faith in Him.  

 

Explanation

 

11 He was staying very close to Peter and John and that was attracting a crowd of amazed people gathering around them near the portico of Solomon. 12 Peter took this opportunity to speak with the crowd that was gathering. "Why are you so surprised? We did not do anything here. He does not walk because we are more righteous or have some strange magic. 13 "This is the doing of the God of our Fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has given glory to Jesus, His servant, the same one you took to trial before Pilate and chose to have Him crucified even after Pilate wanted to let Him go free. 14 Now you will see that you turned against the Holy One of God, the Righteous One, and had Pilate release for you a murderer instead. 

 

            While the lame man stayed very close to Peter and John a crowd began to form. And these people recognized the lame man who had regularly sat at the temple gate. Peter took advantage of the amazement of the people. Much the same as we have the opportunity to share with those who see us and make comments about what they see. 

 

            Peter asks they way they are so surprised. He is playing on their belief in God. “Don’t you believe that God can do great things? Aren’t you hoping that He is still present and wants to interact with us in this life?” He went on to explain that the man does not stand before them able to walk because of some special magic or some goodness in the life of Peter and John, but because of the work of God. And from there Peter had a story to tell an audience that was open to listen. 

 

            I do not know that Peter’s message is much different than what ours might need to be. You turned your back on Jesus when He was the only one who could help you. Riches will not make your life better, nor will health. Riches are fun for a moment, but faith, spiritual and emotional well-being is the real blessing in our lives. 

 

            I encourage you to spend time with Jesus so that your heart is right with Him. Realize the many ways He has healed you. And then pray He will give you opportunities to talk with others. To plant a few seeds of faith. To talk about how and why you have been healed. And let the Holy Spirit do His work in their lives. It does not need to be a healing from heart disease, or a reversal of your diabetes, it can be something relatively simple, an answered prayer, a feeling of calm, a peace as you approach a situation that normally makes you fearful. Speak about the ways that Jesus has stepped into your live and made you whole. 

 

            That is all we are called to do. If we see other’s lives changed then we can rejoice. But in the meantime, we are just witnesses of what we have seen and heard. 

 

            I bless you in the name of Jesus with a true excitement of your journey from lameness to wholeness. 

Pastor Edd