Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends… hey, it’s the weekend, aren’t you glad?
Two weeks ago was Easter weekend 2021 all around the world. Does it feel to you that Easter was a month or two ago? What do you think it felt like for the friends of Jesus in the weeks following that Passover/Easter? So much was changing for them so very fast!
In your Bible, there is likely some ‘white space’ between the end of Acts 2 and the beginning of chapter 3. That space is placed there by the printers to assist readers to quickly identify the beginning of a new chapter of the story. But I suggest that ‘white space’ means more. It actually represents TIME. We don’t know exactly how much time. Maybe a week or two or a month or possibly longer since the ascension of Jesus back to heaven and the powerful coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, which launched a spiritual movement which was changing Jerusalem by the day! Notice please how Dr. Luke, the author of Acts, begins chapter 3: “One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer – at three in the afternoon. Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put everyday to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John, he asked them for money.” (Acts 3:1-3)
I assume no matter where you live in the world, you’ve experienced this. As you walk along you see poor folks sitting on the ground begging for a handout from those passing by. Probably you don’t know these beggars or their story, and they don’t know you or your story. But their painful situation and your path that day bring you into contact with each other. As you’ve had that experience, what has been your emotional response? What do you feel in your heart? And, what has been your practical response… what have you done as you pass by them?
Likely you may feel you know Peter and John fairly well by now. They are fishermen by trade, usually fishing Lake Galilee. They, their friends and families, live in the shoreline towns around the Sea of Galilee about 70 miles north of Jerusalem. Of course they have met beggars on the side of the road many times, so this is not a new experience for them. Peter and John had come to Jerusalem for the Pentecost festival, but also because the resurrected Jesus, in one of their final times with Him before He ascended back to heaven, had told them and the other disciples, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift My Father has promised which you have heard Me speak about…in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:4-8)
And so Peter and John and others of Jesus’ closest friends, had stayed in Jerusalem, and sure enough the Holy Spirit had come on them in almost indescribable power on Pentecost day. They and others had proclaimed the story of Jesus, as He had told them to do, and they had even done some miracles in the power of Jesus.
A spiritual movement, of more than 3000 people who believed in Jesus, and had been baptized in water, and then baptized by the Holy Spirit, was now impacting Jerusalem in remarkable ways. It was the talk of the city. I doubt we can fully imagine the city wide ‘buzz’ as a result of the combination of the news of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, and His ascension, and now the Holy Spirit coming in power upon His followers!
Even though Pentecost was long since complete and most of the Jerusalem visitors had returned to their homelands, evidently Peter, John and others of the disciples, and close friends of Jesus, had remained in Jerusalem as part of this exciting spiritual movement which was growing by the day!
We saw in Acts 2:42-47 that these thousands of people had an insatiable appetite to learn as much as they could about Jesus and His truths, and of course the disciples were the ones to teach them all that they had learned and experienced with Jesus. Peter and John were two of Jesus’ closest friends and thus I imagine day and night people were crowded around these two men, asking never ending questions. Sleep was likely rare. I also imagine the disciples, Mary, Jesus’ mother, and others of the very closest friends of Jesus were meeting late into every night, praying together and discussing what Jesus wanted them to do with this almost out of control, rapidly growing, spiritual movement!
Isn’t it interesting Peter and John were going to the temple for afternoon prayers? This was not something new Jesus had instructed them to do. This was what all good Jewish men did, especially if they were in Jerusalem where the great Temple was. You’ll see a good glimpse of this if you live anywhere in the world where there is a sizeable Muslim population in your city. Afternoon prayers, facing toward Jerusalem, are very important to devout Muslim men. In the first century, afternoon prayers were very important for Jewish men. especially in Jerusalem at the Temple.
I know what you are thinking… Peter and John were no longer ‘good Jewish men’, they were followers of Jesus! Ah, but do you see their reverence for their Jewish heritage and the importance of prayer? Their followership of Jesus did NOT sever them from their Jewish heritage nor the Word of God, the Old Testament which they knew so well, nor the God given guiding life principles nor even their Jewish traditions which defined them as a people of God! Now as Peter and John went to the Temple for prayer, they did so in a profound new relationship with God through Jesus, God the Son, empowered and guided and taught by God the Holy Spirit living within them! Did you get that?
I assume Peter and John were busy talking as they approached the Temple. Likely they didn’t even notice the cripple on the ground, until he reached out his hand and asked them for help. Let’s stop right there with them. Let’s stand beside them. Look at this poor man crippled since birth. Look at Peter and John, likely feeling the heavy weight of leading a huge spiritual movement of more than 3000 people, who are looking to Peter and John to teach them, guide them, help them figure out how to live as follows of Jesus, without Jesus being present! How easily it would be for Peter or John to quickly hand the beggar a coin and then resume their conversation as they continued walking, hardly missing a step. Have you and I done that?
But God would not let that happen here. This was a God prepared rendezvous! Think about that a moment! How many times have you and I walked into “God prepared rendezvous’ situations… and we didn’t recognize what God was doing? The Holy Spirit prompted Peter and John to stop, dig into their pockets and then look at each other wondering what they should do. Then, realizing their pockets were empty, before they could make an excuse to the crippled beggar, the Holy Spirit moved powerfully in Peter and he opened his mouth: “Look at us’, Peter said, ‘silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” (Acts 3:4-6) Freeze this moment.
Look at the beggar, what look do you see on his face? Look at John, and the people standing around, what do you see? When is the last time you’ve been in a situation like this? Can you see Peter extending his hand to the beggar, and the beggar not moving for a few seconds. Then the beggar looks around at the people, and at John, then finally back to Peter, and slowly the beggar begins to extend his hand to Peter’s hand!
I wonder if in that moment Peter had a ‘flashback’? Did Peter suddenly remember when he had stepped out of the boat in the middle of a terrible storm, and actually stood on the waves of Lake Galilee, and took a few steps toward Jesus? Then overwhelmed by the shock of the moment, Peter looked at the waves, the rain, felt the wind, and took his eyes off Jesus, and started to sink. Do you remember what happened? As he began to sink into the waves Peter cried out ‘Lord, save me’! Remember what Jesus did?
Still standing on the waves, in the middle of a ferocious storm, Jesus reached out His hand, grabbed Peter’s hand and lifted him to safety and the boat! Do you suppose Peter was remembering that as the cripple slowly moved his hand into Peters’? Did Peter grasp the beggars hand with the same confident strength that Jesus had grasped Peter’s? How long did that moment last for Peter and the beggar, before the beggar began, with all his strength, to pull himself up! As far as we know, he had never stood on his feet in all of his lifetime!
Dr. Luke writes: “…instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with Peter and John into the Temple courts, walking and jumping and praising God.” (Acts 3:7,8) Dr. Luke was not there to see this in person. He received this information through interviews of Peter, John and others who were there that day, and as led by the Holy Spirit in his writing of the book of Acts. Can you imagine Dr. Luke asking… ” now tell me again Peter and John, how exactly did this happen, step by step, don’t leave out anything. This is preposterous!”
Look around my friends… what do you see in the face of the cripple man jumping and dancing? What do you see in the shocked looks on the people’s faces all around? What do you see in Peter and John’s faces? What’s happening here?
I think we’ll pause right here and simply soak in the moment…all day! A God designed rendezvous between busy Peter and John on their way to afternoon prayers in the temple, and a crippled beggar who has sat every day, all his life, on this same spot outside the temple gate, begging for a handout from the passers by. And what do you suppose was happening in heaven as Jesus celebrated that Peter and John were learning how to join with Jesus and the Holy Spirit in maximizing the potential of God arranged rendezvous’? Have you and I experienced this? Have we learned to be on the lookout for God prepared defining moments? Have we learned to listen and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in these moments?
I urge you to spend some time talking to Jesus as you slowly immerse yourself in Acts 3:1-10. Listen… what is Jesus saying to you?
Today’s Scripture is Acts 3:1-10.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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