We see in chapter 3 verses 1-11 the telling of the lame beggar being healed by Peter and John. You're familiar with this portion of scripture. A lame man is carried to the temple everyday in order to ask for alms of those entering the temple. This particular day he sees Peter and John going into the temple and he asks them for alms. Peter looks to him and says "Look at us. I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!" And with the assistance of Peter his feet and ankles were made strong and he began to leap and to walk! He then enters the temple with Peter and John and the text tells us that all the people saw him and recognized him and wondered what was going on!
What a great day for this guy! The text seems to indicate that he had been lame since birth so he has had to rely on others his whole life due to his immobile state. These days we rejoice when we hear success stories of handicap individuals overcoming the odds...unfortunately the odds were a lot greater in the days of this story. Yet this true story reminds me of some of our reality television today. I watched an episode of Extreme Home Makeover profiling a former college baseball player who is now paralyzed from the neck down. He has a family consisting of a wife and 2 or 3 children. They were living in a home much to small and impractical for a man in his condition and the Extreme Home Makeover crew comes along and builds him and his family a much larger home complete with all the latest technology for him and his medical needs as well as his sports driven family. It's a wonderfully touching story, much like the story of the lame beggar. The difference is Peter and John didn't just set this man up with a new living establishment and some new clothes. Peter and John didn't have the funds or the resources to do that, but they had something even greater, the power of Jesus Christ.
What made God choose this lame beggar to be the recipient of such great a gift? I've traveled to the 3 largest cities in the U.S. and each have had so many beggars it would be impossible to serve each of them just as it was in Bible times. But for some reason God chose this beggar. Maybe he had some faith in Christ that pleased the Lord. Possibly the lame man had seen Jesus in the past at the temple and had cried out to Him but Jesus could not make it through the crowds to him. I also notice that the text says that Peter and John made eye contact with him. That's backwards from what I've usually done. When I'm around beggars and to my shame, I try to avoid eye contact in hopes they would leave me alone. But in this passage, Peter and John made eye contact with him. They saw the opportunity to make much of Christ in this man, and so they did. The beggar did not expect anything from them but Peter and John knew they could give something to this man. Something greater than what the beggar was expecting. The beggar probably knew of Christ's death and ascension and at some level may have thought his dreams of being healed were ascended with Christ. So the least this man was expecting was a little cash, but Peter and John could not give what they did not possess, but they did possess Christ and Christ had temporarily given them the power to heal for His glory. So that's what they gave. What a sight to behold. A man who has been a spectacle his whole life and probably a daily burden to many, is now able to leap and walk and care for himself.
Implications:
This lame man can symbolize all who are 'lost'.
-The lost are without hope. Their day may be good or bad in their eyes but in eternity they have no hope. They 'don't have a leg to stand on' similar to the lame beggar. Just as the beggar could not approach Jesus (or Peter or John) sin has separated the lost from God and it keeps them from approaching Him. Peter and John reached out to this man with more than just temporary comfort, they offered him the power of Christ. Christ also takes the initiative to come to the fallen man, offering them more than just temporary comfort, He offers them Himself and the gift of eternal life.
This lame man can symbolize many Christians.
- How often do we come to God in prayer for only material things? How often do we come before Him and at the root of who we are, hardly believing that God cares or that He will provide?
-We seem to think that our problem is getting God's attention, when His eyes are already fixed on us, to bless us. And what He wants to give us is so much more that anything we might ask or think. (1 Corinthians 2:6-13)
Peter and John were just vessels used by God.
-Though Scripture teaches that Christians no longer have the power of physical healing of others, we to can still be used as vessels for God. We are His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) and have a great opportunity to share the gospel in words and deeds.
-Are you looking for opportunities to minister the gospel to others? Are you looking for creative ways to serve others and help serve them for the glory of God?
-What about sharing the gospel verbally? When is the last time you told an unbeliever about the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Verse 4 and 5 explain that Peter and John told the beggar to "Look at us." "And he (the beggar) fixed his attention on them..."
-Do you fix your gaze on Christ? When you encounter trials, and stress, do you fix your eyes on Christ? Do you allow yourself to focus on your imperfections or others imperfections or do you strive to focus on Christ's perfections?
Remember, it's only by God's wonderful grace that we are still not lame beggars!
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