3 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. 3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. 4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, “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!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. – Acts 3:1-10
The Lame Sitting on the Church’s Doorstep
On their way to the temple for the morning prayers, the Apostles Peter and John encounter a lame man who is carried daily to the temple gate so he can ask alms of the worshippers coming and going to the temple. I don’t know how many years the lame man begged for alms outside the temple gate referred to as the Beautiful Gate, but we do know this, like the woman at the well (John 4), his deepest need was not assuaged by the water from the world’s well. Apparently, he received just enough alms to subsist from day to day, however, like the Samaritan woman, and so many people today, I think it is fair to say that he was existing more than he was living.
How many people walked past this lame man on a daily basis? How many of those that did paid attention to him? Perhaps over the course of time many became indifferent to, or even cynical of the lame man because his presence became such a consistent part of their daily lives? Beggars can make us feel uncomfortable and awkward. Why else do we try not to make eye contact with them? After all, who wants to do an act of generosity on their way to worship? Yet, just as sure as the sun was going to rise in the morning, the lame man was going to be asking alms at the Beautiful Gate. And just as sure as he was going to be sitting there, a busy world was going to be doing what the world does best; offering nothing more than platitudes and alms. But thankfully for this lame man, the Church, as represented by Peter and John, is not the world.
Power Unleashed
Peter and John were not men of great learning. In fact, later on in the Book of Acts they are referred to as uneducated and common men. Some translations say they were illiterate and ignorant. But they did not need a formal education to come to the aid of the lame man. Instead, they possessed what the lame man and the impotent world around them needed, Life and Truth. Like the rest of the Apostles (Paul excluded), Peter and John had the great privilege of sharing life with Jesus for three years. Yet, as beneficial as the time spent with Christ was, it was “just” the groundwork.
When Jesus was arrested, the Apostles scattered. When he was crucified, only John was at the cross. When His body was laid to rest, they hid like stowaways. Even after Christ rose from the dead, the Apostles remained timid and seemingly unfocused. Despite being told they would become “fisher’s of men” they went back to their boats. Then, as the Resurrected Jesus walked with Peter and John on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, He had to test the commitment of His “Rock”. “Do you love Me more…
How quickly things would change. Shortly after this encounter on the shore, Jesus ascended into Heaven and on the day of Pentecost He unleashed a power that would forever change the world. Technically, this “power” was a “person”; the Holy Spirit. He came in a violent wind from Heaven and filled the Apostles, forever transforming them and using them to grow His Church and advance God’s Kingdom.
Rise Up and Walk
I often wonder if many Christians, and the Church at large, haven’t lost their (it’s) focus. When liberal theology embraced what it deemed to be enlightenment, it discarded inerrancy and infallibility. As a result, for many the Bible has been discarded as a basis of ultimate authority and Jesus has been relegated to the ranks of a moral teacher. Further, those that later began to promote the social gospel, misplaced their primary emphasis from the eternal souls of men to the shifting needs of a temporal society. Where have these “advances” gotten us?
You can now walk into a so called evangelical church and get entertainment, political viewpoints, moral & philosophical teachings, psychological treatment (i.e. positive thinking), etc. In other words, too often the Church that should be offering the world the Gospel, is doing a better job of imitating the world and handing out alms. But the problem isn’t new.
Here is an account cited by F.F. Bruce:
According to Cornelius a Lapide, Thomas Aquinas once called on Pope Innocent II when the latter was counting out a large sum of money. “You see, Thomas,” said the Pope, “the church can no longer say, ‘Silver and gold have I none.’” “True, holy father,” was the reply; “neither can she now say, ‘Rise and walk.’”
In the Name of Jesus
Peter and John healed the lame man in the name of Jesus, which is another way of saying in the power of Jesus. Do we recognize that the same power is still available to the Church and only to the Church today? It is. I’m not talking about a healing ministry to the physically lame, but a soul saving ministry to the spiritually lame. You have to agree that this lame beggar is a vivid illustration of lost humanity. Lost souls born in sin. Sin which paralyzes and make spiritual cripples of them. This is a paralysis which neither the individual can overcome, nor can the world cure it. The world can offer alms, but that at best is only temporary physical relief. What the lame need is soul help.
Consider this quote from Martyn LLoyd-Jones:
“The Church in an expert on the soul. It is not a cultural center or a psychological clinic or a social agency. No; her calling, her commission, is to deal with the souls of men and women. This is what causes their paralysis. Their trouble is not in the mind, nor in the heart, nor anywhere else primarily, but in the soul-that is, in the essence of their being, the center of their life.”
Once again, the Church is not the world. Christianity alone has the cure to redeem souls and make them right with God. A cure that can raise the spiritually lame to their feet so their souls can walk and dance and praise God. The cure of course is the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth!
Born in Bethlehem the Son of Man. Died on Calvary the Son of God. Rose from the dead the Savior of Souls.
“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!”
