Beggar
Acts 3:1-10
1Now Peter and John were going up
to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour [3pm].
2And 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.
3Seeing Peter and John about to go
into the temple, he asked to receive alms.
4And Peter directed his gaze at
him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.”
5And he fixed his attention on
them, expecting to receive something from them.
6But 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!”
7And he took him by the right
hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.
8And leaping up he stood and
began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and
praising God.
9And all the people saw him
walking and praising God,
10and 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.
Back in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, and perhaps even still today,
there were guys on TV who were “faith healers.” People who were sick, blind, or
lame would come to the revivals meetings and wait for a “healing” miracle. Ernest
Angley in particular usually caught my attention. He would walk back and forth
on the stage shouting and waving his hands. Then he would go up to the person
who was hoping for a miracle and bash them in the forehead with the palm of his
hand and shout “be healed” in their face. They would then fall down to the
stage floor and lay there. Pretty soon they would get up and declare that they
could walk, see, or no longer have any pain. It was all very dramatic. The one
thing I never saw was a shriveled leg spring back to health.
The scene we read about today is far different. Imagine if
you will, having Peter and John come
up to you on the street; Peter and John, walking around together doing the work
of the Lord. That alone would blow me away. But there they are in a very public
place, the temple at prayer time. This man who cannot walk is well known to the
crowd. He sits outside of the temple everyday begging for coins. He is denied
entrance into the temple because of his crippled legs. When Peter and John see
his plight they offer what they have. Not coins but what the man truly needs;
to know Jesus Christ. Peter very simply declares that in Jesus’ name the man is
healed. He reaches out and takes the man’s hand and raises him to his restored limbs. Now we all know what happens to limbs that are not used. They
shrivel up and lose their muscle mass. You have to imagine that his legs are
very small and would not possibly sustain his weight. The miraculous takes places
as the man’s muscles are restored and not only is he able to walk, he leaps into the air and follows Peter and
John into the temple. Every person who witnesses this miracle knows they are in
presence of something truly amazing.
This man, who gained what he needs to support his life
through begging, is not much different than we are. Daily he begs for money as
he sees that as his greatest need. He has lost hope that he will ever walk
again. It never even occurs to him to ask for that! But God knows exactly what
this man needs and gives it to him without even being asked. It is possible
that all of us daily ask God for things we think will solve our problems but
probably won’t help us out much at all. Instead we might consider relying on
God to give us what we actually need instead. My own prayer life changed in
that direction years ago when I tried to stop telling God what to do. Now I may
tell Him what I would like to see happen but that is only because I want to
talk to Him about everything. I am a beggar before the Lord, but I’m going to
wait and see what He wants to drop into my hand rather than telling Him what to
give me.
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