Hello, my “Walking with Jesus” friends on this Tuesday,
We’ve all experienced breathtaking
Are you ready? Let’s step back into the scene: we’re in Jerusalem, about 2000 year ago. It’s about two months or so after that remarkable Passover/Easter weekend, when Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead. We’re about 10 days or a few weeks after the remarkable Shavuot/Pentecost festival, when the Holy Spirit came in great power upon many people in Jerusalem.
Acts 3 describes a remarkable moment in history. As the apostles Peter and John are approaching the gate Beautiful of the Temple, they see a crippled man being carried to his normal begging place near the gate. The beggar extends his hand asking for compassion as Peter and John walk by.
Peter stopped, turned back to the beggar and said something preposterous: ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” (Acts 3:6)
Had Peter ever said anything like this to anyone before? Not that I know of! But Peter had seen Jesus do it, and now empowered and led by the Holy Spirit, Peter was simply being obedient to what the Holy Spirit instructed Peter to do! Suddenly this unnamed beggar had a decision to make. 
Very likely he had seen Jesus walk by him, through this gate, maybe many times in the past two or three years. What he knew of Jesus we have no idea. I also don’t know how long he paused, looking at Peter and John, considering what Peter had said. Others going by may have stopped to watch.
Finally, the beggar, perhaps feeling some hope for the first time in a long time, grasped Peter’s outstretched arm and did something he’d never done before… he stood up, on his own two feet! (Acts 3:7,8) And then he started jumping and dancing, something he’d always hoped he might someday do!
Immediately a crowd gathered, awestruck by what they saw. (Acts 3:9,10) Peter and John continued through the gate and into the Temple courts area, but not alone, for the joy of this jumping, celebrating cripple, could not be contained! Years of bottled-up desire to dance had been unleashed and this cripple knew of no better way to thank God for his miracle than dance and shout! Pause.
How do you praise God my friends? When you find yourself overwhelmed by God’s majesty, His goodness to you, His mighty power, His compassion and love, His tenderness and His activity in your life… what is your favorite pattern of praise to Jesus? Is it sometimes outrageous, unfettered praise?
Have you noticed praise to God is contagious? Luke tells us: “When the people saw him praising God 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...and they came running…” (Acts 3:9-11) For much of his life this cripple man sat on the ground unnoticed by thousands of people who walked by him every day, but now he was the center of attention!
Now people were running TO him, anxious to understand what was happening to him! Pause, can you put yourself in this scene my friends? Do you hear the haunting questions? Are you and I the kind of people who draw others TO Jesus, or do people walk right by us not noticing us or worse, do people pull away from Jesus because of us? Don’t rush past that question, my friends, it’s worthy of our serious consideration!
For a second time in only a few days it appears opportunistic Peter saw another chance to tell an enthusiastic crowd about his friend Jesus! So, Peter evidently found something to stand on and shouted to the excited crowd: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we made this man walk?” (Acts 3:12) Ok, Peter had their attention, and what he would say next would be critical. What would you have said in that moment, my friends?
Bold, courageous Peter was no longer the shy Peter who denied Jesus, as he sat around a fire that Thursday night two months before. This bold Peter challenged the crowd. First, to remember who they were with this statement: “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus.” (Acts 3:13)
For every Jew in Jerusalem that rich heritage was something they cherished and Peter did too! But do you see how Peter elevated Jesus, glorified by God the Father, to a place even higher than Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? That was outrageous!
Next Peter went right at the crowd: “You handed Jesus over to be killed, and you disowned Him before Pilate, though Pilate had decided to let Jesus go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer [Barabbas] be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised Him from the dead. We are witnesses of this…” (Acts 3:13-15) Pause. Which of those several accusations by Peter do you think was most impactful that day to the Jewish crowd?
Of course, being accused of being part of a mob lynching is strong language…but it was true of them and they knew it! And which statement is most impactful to you today? For me it’s “You killed the author of life, but God raised Him from the dead.” Yes, God the Son, Jesus Christ, is the author and giver of LIFE, according to John 1:4; 14:6; Colossians 1:15-17. So how does your life and mine honor or defame the One who created us, sustains our lives every day, and gave His life so we could have a new, sin forgiven life?
Then Peter said this: “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 completely healed this man, as you can all see…” (Acts 3:16) What does it mean, my friends? I have two questions for us: What power is in the name Jesus Christ? What faith power does the Holy Spirit give to us and how does that faith affect the unleashing of God’s miraculous power into us?
We’re going to pause right here and let those questions soak deeply into our hearts. Why? Because they stand on the other questions we wrestled with today as we watched this healed cripple jump and dance and we considered how the people responded to him, and how they respond to us?
The ‘lessons learned’ notes will help you dig more deeply today, and the worship song will draw your heart to Jesus. Then meet me here tomorrow and we’ll deal with those two questions and others as this remarkable event unfolds.
Today’s Scripture: Acts 3:1-16.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“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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