June 11thFinding Places Where God and the Power of the Resurrection Shine Through
- by Don Penner
Acts 3:1-10. (New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition)
One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon. 2 And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple.
3 When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. 4 Peter looked intently 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 Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand 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 Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 All the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and astonishment at what had happened to him.
In this Bible story, we see that the crippled man, and his community, seem to be resigned that for him, being a cripple is just the way it is, and will always be. They have a routine: Go to the temple, and hope to get enough alms to get by.
Had this routine been going on for years – decades even? We are told that from birth, life had dealt the man a crippling blow. How did it happen? Was it an accident? Was he dropped? I’m reminded of what happened to one of King Saul’s grandsons as told in 2 Samuel 4:4 (from The Message Translation).
4 It so happened that Saul’s son, Jonathan, had a son who was maimed in both feet. When he was five years old, the report on Saul and Jonathan’s death came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and ran, but in her hurry to get away she fell, and the boy was maimed. His name was Mephibosheth.
[If you’re interested to find out how he found a way to “stand tall and walk” with integrity in spite of his lame feet, read the following three passages: 2 Samuel 9; 2 Samuel 16:14; and 2 Samuel 19:24-30. Mephibosheth not only suffered a physical injury, he also is horribly betrayed, but in the end winds up being vindicated.]
Getting back to Acts 3 and the crippled man at the temple, we might ask if he was the victim of someone’s mental illness, or uncontrolled rage (this week our hearts go out to the Filipino community in east Vancouver).
Luke, the writer of Acts, doesn’t tell us what caused the man to be crippled. He leaves it unsaid – letting his listeners imagine it according to their own experience.
Next, we notice that shame appears to be a factor in this story.
We read that the crippled man avoids eye contact when asking for alms. Has he been cut down by glaring looks, judged as a free loader, lazy, a bum, or worse - a man who’s so flawed that God must be the one crippling him, punishing him for some deep sin?
I don’t blame him for looking away – it’s basic self-preservation.
Yet, Peter asks the man to look at them.
Does the man have the inner strength to do it?
Perhaps Peter is testing him, to see if there is any glow in the smoldering wick of his soul – any belief, however tiny, that he is a person of worth, and that a stranger might validate that truth to him.
It’s absolutely amazing that the crippled man looks at Peter! He takes the risk knowing how high the odds would be of another person sending a scowling look of condemnation.
Next, having established eye contact, Peter gives a command in Jesus’ name to: “Stand up and walk.”
Is the crippled man willing to leave behind the only life he has ever known?
Seems he only has a moment to decide – barely a second.
Does he want it, or doesn’t he?
One might expect the crippled man to respond, saying: “But, but, but,… you don’t understand how hard it is to do what you are asking!”
Truthfully, I think Peter does. In John 21:15-17, after the resurrection of Jesus, when some of the disciples are back in Galilee, the Lord shows up and asks Peter 3X “Do you love me?” Can you imagine how hard it would be for Peter to “stand up” and leave behind the guilt of betraying Jesus, having denied 3X he ever knew him? How does anyone come back from such infidelity? Yet Jesus holds out a hand of grace and bids Peter come back into fellowship. As hard as it was to do, Peter takes that hand, and stands up. Perhaps Jesus yanked him up and into a bear hug of forgiveness.
There is a story of another crippled man in John 5:1-15.
He’s been crippled for 38 years.
Jesus asks him: “Do you want to get well?”
Seems Jesus is looking for that same spark of life. Does the crippled man show any signs of longing for something better than what his life has been, better than his own response of self-reliance?
The man tells Jesus there have been a few problems that have held him back.
But Jesus cuts through those, and commands him to “Get up! Pick up you mat and walk.” (John 5:8).
The guy goes for it!!
I bet no one saw that coming. Would anyone believe change/healing was possible after 38 years??
Back to the story in Acts 3. To show he believes the cripple wants a new life, Peter holds out a hand, and takes him by that hand, pulling him to his feet!
How bold, right? No messing around!
Peter must have seen the spark, a tiny bit of faith that the guy wanted to ditch his present crippled life for the unknown of something better.
Matthew quotes Isaiah 42:3 in reference to what the servant of the Lord will do:
“He won’t break a bent stalk, and he won’t snuff out a smoldering wick,
until he makes justice win.”
Matthew 12:20, The Common English Bible
Many of us feel like the cold winds of these days are threatening to blow out our candle. Know that the Lord sees and will not be part of any such thing. Instead, the Lord will be our revival, fanning our hope into flame.
May we sense Jesus standing in our midst, holding out a hand, offering us a chance to walk in newness of life – free from the curse of every betrayal.
-Don Penner is a retired MCEC pastor.