4. The Book of Acts
June 14th, 2009
A Brave new Church
The one thing that has always impressed me about beggars is that they know how to make money. I don’t mean that to be insulting I really don’t it is impressive. I remember a few years ago I was in my office working and this car pulled up. A couple came in and asked if we could help them out with some food and money. When I looked outside I noticed their car. It was a brand new fresh off the lot Lexus. It had tinted windows, leather seats, chrome hub caps, a sun roof, and every other feature you could imagine. This car was top of the line. So I just looked at these people thinking: you drive a car that is worth more than all the cars, and the yearly salaries of our entire staff put together and you are really asking for food? Do you know how much the average person with a will work for food sign makes? $75 an hour.
Beggars can be interesting to talk to. I worked in a homeless ministry for about four years in high school and met a lot of interesting people. There are some incredible people with some incredible stories who live on the streets. I met one guy I can’t remember his name I think it was Sammy. Sammy had a pretty severe limp in his left leg and a whole lot of attitude to go along with it. Of all the sermons I have heard in my life I have never met anyone who could tell a story like Sammy. Of course it was hard to understand him most of the time because he was drunk every time I saw him. The incredible thing was what happened when we talked with them. When I started out I hung out with the other volunteers and rarely talked with the homeless people because they were awkward and creped me out. I had this prejudice against them. One night I finally tried talking with one of these hurting people and they just gave me a hug. I learned something later that really broke my heart. In an entire week we were often the only human contact they had. Most people wouldn’t talk to them. They just passed by occasionally tossing money at them as they went. Not many people really cared enough to learn their names. I would watch as their entire demeanor would change when someone just talked to them.
It is amazing the effect that human contact can have on a person. What is perhaps even more amazing is what happens when the Spirit contacts someone. I wonder what happens when the Spirit of God gets a hold of you. If you look at Acts 3:1 we are going to meet our very own Biblical beggar. There is nothing exceptional about his life, nothing really worth noting. He was just a crippled beggar. He’d been that way since birth. For him this day was just like every other day. His brothers got him out of bed, dressed him, and carried him to the temple. The grass wasn’t any greener, the sky wasn’t any bluer, the air didn’t smell any sweeter. It just seemed like a regular day. So he sat shriveled legs extended in front of him unaware that his entire life was about to be changed. This seemingly ordinary day would change his life and be recorded and ready by millions of people for thousands of years.
Ac 3:1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Ac 3:2 Now 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. Ac 3:3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Ac 3:4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” Ac 3:5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Ac 3:6 Then 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.” Ac 3:7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. Ac 3:8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. Ac 3:9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, Ac 3:10 they 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.
Peter and John are apparently very close friends. They have been together for a long time. Not only were they disciples of Jesus they were part of His inner three. They saw things first hand that the others didn’t get to. When you see two disciples with Jesus it is Peter and John. When you see three it is Peter, John, and James. If you remember though their connection goes further back than that. When Jesus came along Peter and John were already together. They were fishing buddies. It seems that the father’s were business partners and they got used to working together. Even more than that though if you remember when Jesus calls them they were both disciples of John the Baptist. They have been friends for a long time so it is no surprise to see them here. It’s 3 o clock in the afternoon when Peter and John head to the temple to pray. Now the temple is a big place. Do you know that you could fit 40 football fields in the temple? It’s huge. On their way they pass through a gate called Beautiful. Seems a bit weird to name a gate but due to the fact that the gate was inlayed with Corinthian gold and precious stones it fits. This gate was 45 feet high and probably about as wide as our sanctuary. It was enormous.
Being carried at the gate was a man who had been crippled from birth. The man was not even able to travel wit the aid of a crutch he had to be carried. He was placed at the entrance to the temple every day so that he could beg. This would not have been uncommon. The temple gates might have been similar to the corner of the 15th street Wal-Mart where beggars stand with signs “can’t work for food”. It is a great place to go and to be for money. He couldn’t earn disability. He couldn’t work a job. So his only source of income would be to beg. Outside the temple courts is a great place because all these pious people passing through might be convicted seeing his condition and toss a few coins at him. He wouldn’t be allowed to enter into the Temple because he was a cripple. The Jews would not allow people with blemish or disability to enter the temple of God because they believed such people were not fit for God’s house. So this man sat at the gate and begged. So what do you think will happen when the Spirit of God gets a hold of him?
As Peter and John pass by this man asks them for money just like he did with everyone else. Peter and John don’t just walk by as everyone else does. They stop and looked at him. Now if you are like me and I am sure some of you are, when you see someone begging and you don’t really want to give them anything or don’t have anything to give you don’t look at them in the eye. As you pass by you pretend there is something interesting on the other side. It is just really awkward to look someone in the face when they are asking you for something and have to tell them no. I perfected this technique with the girl scout cookies. They go and camp out at the grocery stores and I walk by not wanting to buy any cookies amazingly interested in the carts on the other side of them. Peter and John look at him. In fact the word means more than just look it means more to stare. This man would probably not have been used to making eye contact with people. He is just doing his thing begging for money he sees Peter and John. He asks them for money and they stare at him. -Just Stare- that’s pretty awkward isn’t it? Then they say to him: look at us. I can just imagine him trying not to look at them when they say this. He just looks up at them like a puppy might when hoping to get a treat. He is holding his little beggars cup out expecting them to give him some money. He had no idea what was in store. “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you. Get up!” This was probably the most bizarre thing he had heard in a while. This man had never walked. He had never taken a step. How was he supposed to get up? Peter reached down and took him by the right hand. Now I don’t want you to miss this. Peter touched him. This isn’t an impersonal passing by. Peter reached down and made physical contact with the man. That is huge. What is bigger is what happens with the Spirit of God gets a hold of him.
This man had been born cripple. Peter lifts the man up and the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He had never used his legs before. His muscles would have been atrophied and useless and all of a sudden he can walk. So he goes into the temple running, and jumping, and dancing. The amazing thing about this is that he does this in the temple! No body told him not to run in church. He is just running around like a little rabbit cheering and praising God at the top of his voice. This has to be an amazing experience. Can you imagine being in the temple for this? You are trying to worship in your solemn very serious prayer when this crazy man comes running though jumping up and down going: WOOOOHHHOOOO! LOOK AT ME! I CAN RUN! I CAN JUMP! THIS IS AWESOME! I just see someone leaning over going: who is that? Oh that’s the lame guy. So a lame guy goes leaping like a gazelle through the temple of God.
When the people saw this and recognized this man they were amazed. What is interesting is why this miracle? There were so many healings and miracles going on at this time, so why does Luke tell us this story? The healing of a crippled man is of particular significance in Luke’s mind. Jesus first miracle was the healing of a crippled man, Paul’s first miracle was the healing of a crippled man, here we see Peter’s first miracle was the healing of a crippled man.
Just as in Acts 2 we see in Acts 3 a miracle followed by preaching. In Acts 2 its tongues in Acts 3 it is a healing of a crippled man.
Ac 3:11 While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. Ac 3:12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? Ac 3:13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. Ac 3:14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. Ac 3:15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. Ac 3:16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.
It must have been an amazing thing to see this man running around. Yet Peter asks: why are you surprised? It was not by their power that they healed this man. It was through the power of God that this man now was running and jumping around. You see throughout the book of Acts we see that miracles are often used to get people’s attention so that the word of God can be preached with authority. It seems that while God has no problem performing miracles His ultimate desire is not to wow people into faith but for them to come to Him without having to see natural laws defied all around them. Yet God will perform great miracles through His Spirit in the world so that we all may see and believe.
The greatest miracle in the eyes of God is the transformation of man. You see what happens when the Spirit gets a hold of us is that He transforms our lives. For some of us this means He heals our bodies, our relationships, or our hearts. Sometimes it is not a healing at all. The reason a physical healings are so important to Luke is that they symbolize something more. A physical healing is a visible display of God’s power to fix the broke, make light in the darkness, and give hope to the hopeless. A healing is a visible restoration. For many of us that is exactly what we need. When we look at our lives some things have fallen apart. Some things need tuning up. But we all have things in our lives that need fixed. What we see about the Holy Spirit is that He knows just how to fix them. We all have things we need. When we encounter the Spirit of God our needs get met. If we can just come to God as we are if we will just let Him fix us. He has the power to drastically change our lives. We gave give us the strength to run and jump with joy in a way we never thought possible.
