Bold and Humbling Power: Acts 3:1-10

Acts 3

Peter Heals the Crippled Beggar

¹One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. ²Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. ³When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. ⁴Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" ⁵So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

⁶Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." ⁷Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. ⁸He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. ⁹When all the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Its long sorry.

I've been reading Acts. As you can see I've only recently started. I've been trying to read a chapter at a time, but these ten verses just stopped me in my tracks. I was struck by the pure love. I was floored by the what was happening 'in between the lines'.

First, off they carry this guy to the Beautiful gate. A cripple from birth, mostly likely dressed in rags, he probably smells because he can't move to clean himself, his muscles atrophied, probably skin and bone, a leech on society. So, as people would walk through this 'beautiful' gate, he'd be there juxtaposed against the beauty, he would be there this scourge of the earth.

Of course, their heart strings tugged them to no end, the passersby would give him something. You had to. Your hypocrisy would otherwise be blatant. So, they dropped a coin barely giving him the time of day, averting their eyes.

Here's the second thing that floored me. See having served on an urban mission trip before I learned that the dehumanizing of such eye-aversion was worse than not giving. Peter being a fisherman, he's used to being smelly, avoided, looked down on, etc. Though people most likely gave Peter more respect, he was not much further up the proverbial ladder than this man. So, he, with all the empathy he can muster, looks this man straight in the eye. He even says, "Look at me!". He is boldly acknowledging this man's humanity. Something everyone else would rather not do. Peter has just spent three years unemployed following a messiah. He knows how to live off of people's offerings. We can easily conjecture about his financial thoughts after Jesus' death, because Peter returns almost immediately to fishing. Most likely heartbroken, disappointed, maybe even angry that Jesus was such a weak leader.

So, Peter looks at this man, knowing how it is to live at others mercy, knowing how it feels to be disappointed with life, knowing the degradation endured by those at the bottom of society's 'ladder', and knowing that this man is ready for something amazing.

Peter first gives this man something he probably doesn't get often: recognition; then something else most likely novel: honesty. Peter says, "I'm like you. I'm poor. I was crippled but in a different way. In a way we all are. But I also have the answer. I know you're ready, so I'm going to give to you. Because I know you barely have enough hope to ask. You have faith, why else would you be here at God's doorstep? Well, don't worry God is here."

Maybe, you don't like conjecture; maybe you can take this for what it is, not as much conjecture as it is translation and background info.

What you can't miss is this: Faith. How much faith must it take for that man to sit there day by day begging, for Peter to go and proclaim a risen and resurrected messiah when his nation wanted a physical warring messiah, for Peter to acknowledge God's power in him - power to do the extraordinary in the ordinary, and finally for Peter and John not to balk and run or try and quiet the man, but deliver the sermon that follows these versus.

People talk about an Apostolic age, like God's power in humanity has diminished. I think it's an excuse that modern comfort-loving Christians use to shirk from their responsibility of taking on the bold and humbling power of God. They (and I know because I'm one of them) would rather trust in their own strength and be favored by the world, than trust in God's strength and face persecution.

I have to look at it like this. It may be selfish but I think the perspective gained is more important: what has the world ever or will ever do for you? Really, what have they done for you? Ok, you can think of a few things. Good so can I. Maybe you feel fulfilled, included, even liked! But wait. Oh there they are: conditions. On what conditions do you gain these? Do you have to conform to them, buy there clothes, root for their team, go to their school, do their activities... take on their morals? How good is it now? How long will it last? Do you still feel included or used? And maybe you need to do this exercise with your weaknesses and not mine.

Now: what has God done for you? And I'm seriously asking you to think about something that you can only attribute to God. Maybe that job was through an old friend, maybe this, maybe that; not those. God is doing, has done, and will do things in your life or the lives of others that are inexplicable. These are miracles, these are the things of the 'apostolic age', these are the things which only the bold and humbling power of God can do through you.

So, why are we still catering to the world? Well, probably because we are short-sighted and selfish. I am, and if I am - me the finance plan 5 years in advance, the plan everything down to the dust mite - then I know many more will struggle with this as well.

But God is staring us down, saying, "Look at me! I don't have all the stuff of this world that you want, and you cling to. This stuff you don't need but want more than what you need. Well, I have what you need. What you really, really need. So, I'm going to give it to you."

There are no conditions with God, He loves, and through His love we are transformed. I hope and pray that you will take on the strength of our Lord letting go of your strength (which is really just weakness) so that we may transform this world by being beacons of the light of His love in this dark world.