Acts 3:3-10 – 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.
The disabled beggar saw Peter and John and asked them for money, no different than he had asked countless people. Likely we have all been guilty of seeing someone who is begging for help. If we don’t have the time, the inclination or the money they seek, we often look away. People who are begging are looking for eye contact. If their eyes catch our eyes looking at them, they will straight away ask us for help. They are familiar with rejection and when they ask for help they know they may not get it. Their eyes are always scanning, looking for the next person who may help. This beggar was no different. His eyes were looking about to catch the look of another person. Peter was having none of that and told him to look at them and the man did.
Let’s consider something. This man was daily carried to the same spot to beg (V2). Every day the man was placed there to beg. This had been happening for over forty years (V22). When first brought to beg had he been embarrassed? Did he feel hopeless about his situation and resigned himself to the thought that this would be his lot for his whole life, fully dependent on people to carry him to the spot and for people to be kind enough to give him some money? Had he received the relief of acceptance about his situation? In our day and age, we know that many people just refuse to work and choose to beg. It can draw our ire or disgust and it is easy to become distant to their needs. What was this man thinking about his life after ten years of begging? How about after twenty or thirty years. To add to his situation, he had likely seen Jesus come by him to the temple. He would have, if he was able to past the crowds surrounding Jesus, called out to him for help. But it seemed to him that the one that he had heard many calling the Messiah was not stopping to help him. The beggar heard of Jesus healing countless people but Jesus did not heal him. The fact the Jesus did not heal him, that the Messiah did not heal him, did that make him feel all the more hopeless? It would’ve been hard for those who daily walked by this man to know that this man was strong, that he didn’t give up. He was born into a situation that he did nothing to bring about. He likely wondered if God had abandoned him, or perhaps never loved him. Or perhaps he had great faith in God and was grateful for the blessings that people gave to him so that he could eat and have a roof to sleep under. Perhaps he did not count his hardships but rather thanked God for his blessings. If so, wow!
Jesus had not healed the man. Jesus could have. We know that Jesus, being the Son of God was aware of him, so why not heal this man? The world, and even those who love the Lord sometimes question the actions of God. As if we have a thimble full of the knowledge and wisdom of God. Family, who are we, as God made plain to Job, to question God. We think too much of ourselves and too little of God. We have no reason in any occasion to question the goodness and love of God. Jesus had a reason for not healing this man. This man was going to be used to further jumpstart the mission of Jesus through His Apostles. If Jesus had healed this many, the man would probably have been one of the anonymous thousands that Jesus had healed. But this man was appointed to be used to make people realize that the power of God working through the Apostles was not a one-and-done occasion. God used this man to heal a congenital defect, thereby showing that these Apostles were of God. Jesus knew how exuberantly joyful this man would be that he was healed. That he would jump and dance and shout that he was healed. That he would be a very excited and boisterous witness. Jesus had a personal plan for this man (Jeremiah 29:11).
What a perfect opportunity to point people to Jesus! Peter could have prayed quietly for the man and then just told him to walk. However, what Peter said was “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Peter and John, led by the Holy Spirit of God, had an appointment with this man. An appointment to let this man know that God has not forgotten him, that God did love and care about him, and to prove it to him and to all others, God would heal him. All the doubts and hurts of that man faded away at the touch of God’s hand upon Him. The man proudly and boldly began praising God! He did it among the temple crowds. He wanted everyone to know what God had done for him!
Family, this is a very encouraging event. Not just a story in the Bible, but an actual event. When we are experiencing hard times that seem to be driving us into a very hard ground, we must never doubt God. He knows the future and we do not. We never want to do as God inquired of Job “Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?” (Job 40:8). Family being human is not a reason to doubt. Being human is the best reason to not doubt God but to, in our weakness, depend on Him because of our weakness. It makes no sense to distance ourselves from our sole hope. Does a man dying of thirst run from cool water that would save him? Who are we to question God? To question God is to impugn the essence of who He is. It is a devastating thing to lose faith in God just before the arrival of the victory that He has planned for us. It leaves us to mourn the fact that our faith and knowledge of God fell short. Our humanity is no excuse. Being human, let’s trust in God. The deeper the water and the hotter the flames means all the more that we need to trust God. Anything else is, well, foolishness. Let’s not have regrets but have complete faith in God because we know that He is the only God and that He is good all the time and that He loves us. Family, never give up on God! He has a plan and His plan for us comes from depths of wisdom and breadth of knowledge that we cannot begin to fathom. Trust God! The healed man would tell us not to look at his hardship, but at his healing. Job would tell us to not look at his troubles but at God’s faithfulness. That is the point of the story. God is faithful. God is good and He loves us. Praise our good and loving God! Praise Him at all times and forever!
Peter and John had a divine appointment with the man and when they saw what God had brought them to they did not shrink back, but obeyed the leading of the Lord. So the man received his healing from God, God was glorified, and witness of God using this miracle to show that that the Apostles were His was openly displayed We all have God ordained appointments to be used as the hand of God that lives would be save and God would be glorified (Ephesians 2:10). As God used Peter and John, He has plans to us. How wonderful is that! Praise God! Praise God! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.