Acts 3:1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
Acts 3:2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple;
Acts 3:3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.
Peter and John are solicited by a paralytic beggar on the way to prayer at the temple
We are told many signs and wonders were done through the apostles in 2:43;
this chapter gives a specific example
Apparently, Peter and John saw no problem in continuing their Jewish custom of
prayer at certain hours of the day
Morgan points out that Peter and John were not going to the temple at the
hour of sacrifice, but at the hour of prayer which followed the afternoon sacrifice
Josephus describes a gate made of fine Corinthian brass at the temple, seventy-five feet high with huge double doors, so beautiful that it “greatly excelled those that were only covered over with silver and gold”
The lame man simply wanted to be supported in the condition that he was in; God wanted to completely change his condition
When Peter and John gave him no money, we might hear him complain: “You
don’t care about me. You won’t support me. Look at the mess I’m in.”
But Peter and John have no interest in supporting him in his mess; they want to transform his life by the power of the risen Jesus Christ
“It is not the Church’s business in this world to simply make the present
condition more bearable; the task of the Church is to release here on earth the
redemptive work of God in Christ.” (LaSor)
Acts 3:4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.”
Acts 3:5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
Acts 3:6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
Acts 3:7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
Acts 3:8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them; walking, leaping, and praising God.
Acts 3:9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God.
Acts 3:10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
The healing of the lame man
The lame man was correct in expecting to receive something from them; but he
received much more than the monetary donation he would have been satisfied with!
Many of us haven’t even come to this place: where we really expect something
from God.
This is faith, plain and simple, even if the man was expecting the wrong thing
Better yet, we should expect the right things from God; we are so often ready
to settle for much less than God wants to give us; our low expectations often rob
us
Peter didn’t have any money, but he did have authority from Jesus to heal the sick, having known what it was like to be used of God in this way (Luke 9:1-6)
There is a story about a humble monk walking with a Roman Catholic cardinal
at a time in the Middle Ages when the Roman Catholic church was at its zenith
of power, prestige and wealth; the cardinal pointed to the opulent surroundings
and said to the monk, “We no long have to say, silver and gold I do not have.”
The monk replied, “But neither can you say, In the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
When Peter so boldly took the man’s hand and lifted him to his feet, he was
receiving the gift of faith described in 1 Corinthians 12:9 – a supernatural ability to trust God in a particular situation
This wasn’t something Peter did on a whim or as a promotional event; he did it
under the specific prompting of the Holy Spirit; God gave Peter the supernatural
ability to trust Him for something completely out of the ordinary
The formerly lame man responded logically: with immediate praise and worship to God
If this man was more than forty years old (4:22), and had been crippled since birth, and a familiar sight at this temple gate (3:10), then Jesus must have passed him by many times without healing him.
Why?
Because God’s timing is just as important as His will, and it was for the greater glory of God that Jesus heal this man from heaven through His apostles
When there are problems in our lives, it is very easy for us to focus on the immediate need. We have all, at one time or another, experienced feelings of desperation. During those times, we are only able to think about how to resolve our immediate problem.
It is easy to sympathize with the lame man at the Beautiful Gate. He was crippled, and had an immediate need: he needed money to live. His need was real, not imagined. He was not able to improve his condition. He did not bring this condition upon himself, but was an innocent victim of circumstance. His life had been reduced to being a beggar. All of his thoughts and energy went towards begging for enough money to live on. He was so helpless, that he even needed to be carried to the Gate, in order to beg. He never expected that this day would be very different.
Peter and John were men devoted to God, and were on their way to prayer. They were men who walked in the Spirit, were sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and were empowered by the Spirit. As they approached the Temple, they saw the needy man, and then the miracle happened.
The lame man hoped for a temporary solution for the need of the moment. God wanted to give him a permanent solution for the need of his life.
God not only healed the man physically, but the spiritual life of the man came alive as well.
He ended up not only walking, but praising God!
Many people spend time in church, seeking a temporary solution for the problems of their lives. Their needs are real, and many times not self-inflicted. They may be so crippled, that they also need a great deal of help. But their problems have become the focal point of their lives, and they never think about anything except an immediate cure.
May we realize that God wants to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. God not only knows our immediate needs, but knows that our greatest need is to know Him better. May we expect greater things than what we desire.
Peter and John saw the immediate need of the man, and they were unable to help him in the way he desired. But they knew that there was a greater need, and that they had something great to give, and so they allowed God to use them. They were not frustrated about what they could not do, but rather allowed God to use them the way He desired.
The result is indeed Beautiful.