READ | ACTS CHAPTER 3
Peter Heals a Lame Beggar
1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame 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. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 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. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 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 Speaks to the Onlookers
11 While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, 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? 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. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 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 completely healed him, as you can all see.
17 “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. 21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’[a]
24 “Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. 25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’[b] 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame 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. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 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. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 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 Speaks to the Onlookers
11 While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, 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? 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. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 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 completely healed him, as you can all see.
17 “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. 21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’[a]
24 “Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. 25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’[b] 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
DEVOTIONAL
Have you ever expected one thing, but ended up getting something far better? Maybe you ordered a meal your first time at a new restaurant and were pleasantly surprised when a far larger portion than expected was set down on the table in front of you. Maybe you opened an envelope and saw a much more generous check than you were expecting or opened a Christmas gift that far exceeded your expectations. God is the giver of gifts that far exceed our expectations and if you trace the source, you will find that every good gift comes from above. Giving generously is a part of God’s nature. The only thing standing in the way of receiving these gifts is often our ability to recognize and accept them for what they truly are without our own pride getting in the way.
In Acts chapter 3 we read the story of a man crippled from birth. He begged for money outside of the temple gates in Jerusalem, hoping for and relying on the generosity of worshippers as they came and went from the temple. Peter and John went to the temple during the hour of prayer, which immediately followed the hour of sacrifice. Peter and John would never need to go to the temple again for sacrifice since Jesus fulfilled the sacrificial system. However, the need for prayer continues, so Peter and John went. It’s interesting to note that when the beggar asked Peter and John for money, they looked straight at the crippled man and told him to look up at them. We get the impression that this man kept his eyes low as he begged for money and reflected his inward posture through his outward posture. He didn’t view himself as having enough worth or value to meet the eyes of those passing him by. When Peter told the man to look up, he was not only instructing the man to elevate his eyes but to elevate his own worth and value. Peter wanted the man to know that he was seen, cared about, and what was about to happen was not some casual afterthought.
How often does this describe us? We walk through life with our eyes low, not looking forward to anything or living with any purpose. A sense of hopelessness and anxiousness pulsing continually through our minds. But God invites us to lift our eyes. While we are seeking something in the physical realm to change our circumstances, God always prioritizes and works in the spiritual to change our world from the inside out, with eternal things in mind first. Peter wouldn’t give the man what he wanted or asked for. The lame man simply wanted to be supported in the condition he was currently in. God had something far better in mind; Jesus wanted to completely change his condition. Through the power of Jesus, Peter gave the man what he truly needed but could not articulate or even imagine at that time. He needed to have a changed perspective, not only of himself, but of the great physician who is the source of all healing and restoration. The text, written by Luke the doctor, tells us in precise medical terminology that when Peter helped the man to his feet, his feet and ankles became strong. Strong enough not only to walk, but to jump. God doesn’t just heal people so that they can do the minimum, he heals them so they can jump! What a strange feeling that must have been, to walk and jump for the first time in his entire life. To see people’s eyes at the same level as your own for the first time in your life.
As soon as he was healed, the formerly lame man did three good and wise things. First, he attached himself to the apostles and entered the temple with them. He knew where his healing had come from and gratitude overflowed from his heart. He could have run anywhere, but he chose to go into a place of worship. Secondly, he immediately started to use what God had given him in his ability to walk and leap. He didn’t return to where he had been and he would never go back. He would never beg again or see himself as less-than or a victim. And finally, he began to praise and worship God. You could only imagine how the man worshipped harder and longer that day than he ever had before. He had asked for one thing, but God had given him something far better, a gift of healing that led the man right back into the presence of God with a joy-filled heart of gratitude. The people who saw him recognized him as the crippled man who sat and begged for money, but something was very different now. He was changed more than just physically. There was joy where there had previously been none. There was hope, worth and purpose where they had previously been none. From that point on, every time he or anyone else saw that empty spot on the ground outside of the gate, they would be reminded of the goodness of God, who gives gifts far better than we could ask or imagine.
In Acts chapter 3 we read the story of a man crippled from birth. He begged for money outside of the temple gates in Jerusalem, hoping for and relying on the generosity of worshippers as they came and went from the temple. Peter and John went to the temple during the hour of prayer, which immediately followed the hour of sacrifice. Peter and John would never need to go to the temple again for sacrifice since Jesus fulfilled the sacrificial system. However, the need for prayer continues, so Peter and John went. It’s interesting to note that when the beggar asked Peter and John for money, they looked straight at the crippled man and told him to look up at them. We get the impression that this man kept his eyes low as he begged for money and reflected his inward posture through his outward posture. He didn’t view himself as having enough worth or value to meet the eyes of those passing him by. When Peter told the man to look up, he was not only instructing the man to elevate his eyes but to elevate his own worth and value. Peter wanted the man to know that he was seen, cared about, and what was about to happen was not some casual afterthought.
How often does this describe us? We walk through life with our eyes low, not looking forward to anything or living with any purpose. A sense of hopelessness and anxiousness pulsing continually through our minds. But God invites us to lift our eyes. While we are seeking something in the physical realm to change our circumstances, God always prioritizes and works in the spiritual to change our world from the inside out, with eternal things in mind first. Peter wouldn’t give the man what he wanted or asked for. The lame man simply wanted to be supported in the condition he was currently in. God had something far better in mind; Jesus wanted to completely change his condition. Through the power of Jesus, Peter gave the man what he truly needed but could not articulate or even imagine at that time. He needed to have a changed perspective, not only of himself, but of the great physician who is the source of all healing and restoration. The text, written by Luke the doctor, tells us in precise medical terminology that when Peter helped the man to his feet, his feet and ankles became strong. Strong enough not only to walk, but to jump. God doesn’t just heal people so that they can do the minimum, he heals them so they can jump! What a strange feeling that must have been, to walk and jump for the first time in his entire life. To see people’s eyes at the same level as your own for the first time in your life.
As soon as he was healed, the formerly lame man did three good and wise things. First, he attached himself to the apostles and entered the temple with them. He knew where his healing had come from and gratitude overflowed from his heart. He could have run anywhere, but he chose to go into a place of worship. Secondly, he immediately started to use what God had given him in his ability to walk and leap. He didn’t return to where he had been and he would never go back. He would never beg again or see himself as less-than or a victim. And finally, he began to praise and worship God. You could only imagine how the man worshipped harder and longer that day than he ever had before. He had asked for one thing, but God had given him something far better, a gift of healing that led the man right back into the presence of God with a joy-filled heart of gratitude. The people who saw him recognized him as the crippled man who sat and begged for money, but something was very different now. He was changed more than just physically. There was joy where there had previously been none. There was hope, worth and purpose where they had previously been none. From that point on, every time he or anyone else saw that empty spot on the ground outside of the gate, they would be reminded of the goodness of God, who gives gifts far better than we could ask or imagine.
