Lame Man Leaping

“A Refreshing Experience” – Part 1

(Acts 3:1-10, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, March 6, 2011)

3:1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And 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. 3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.

4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.

6 But 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!”

7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and 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.

Now Peter and John... (1-3)

The Christian church was born in Jerusalem. It was in that place that apostles such as Peter and John were preaching, and that people were responding by the power of the Holy Spirit. By every reasonable understanding of the evidence available to us, there was much more going on in the Jerusalem church than just good preaching. The Lord was building a new society of Jesus, a way of life that proceeds from worship. It was evident to many that God was present with His people.

Men like Peter and John had been chosen by Jesus of Nazareth at the inception of His earthly ministry. He had spent three years with them prior to His betrayal and death, and then an additional forty days with them after His resurrection. They had seen Him fulfill the signs of Messiah that prophetic passages like Isaiah 35 had foretold. Those passages spoke of a coming age of great heavenly refreshment when “the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.” They were witnesses to those great signs, and now they were looking for even greater future blessings in the Kingdom of God. They were looking for daily signs of the glory of God moving His church toward the great day of salvation. In the words of Isaiah 35, “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

But now there were well over three thousand people in the new world of church life together. They were dedicating themselves to the apostles' teaching in the temple, to worship gatherings meeting in many homes, to the care of the poor that required even the selling of property just to make sure that everyone had enough bread to eat, and to the spiritual oversight of a wildly growing multi-site congregation. The apostles had to be extremely busy.

On top of all their responsibilities for this vibrant community of faith we call the church, they were also observant Jews that were taking part in the public gatherings of prayer at the temple. But they had the eyes of Jesus and the heart of the One who died for the lost and the weak. They saw a man lame from birth, and they directed him and a larger crowd that would soon gather around them, toward the source of heavenly refreshment in the ascended King of the kingdom.

And Peter directed his gaze... (4-5)

This lame man was simply doing what He did every day. He was counting on the kindness of those who worship God, that they might give him a little something. That was what he was looking for, but Peter and John looked back. They directed their gaze at him, and they addressed him. They asked him to look at them. They established a visual connection in the midst of busy place. Two men were sent by their King to bring something much better than what was expected. This man who was lame from birth only expected some money. But Peter and John expected that the Lord of glory would work through them to extend His heavenly kingdom.

But Peter said... (6)

He expected a little money. That they did not have. Peter tells the man plainly, “I have no silver and gold.” We set our sights so low. Jesus and His church come bringing the kingdom of heaven, but how many people want money more than anything else that Jesus could give them?

Peter and John had no silver or gold because the church's funds are going to care for others. These men are not taking salaries. They have their needs taken care of so that they can do what they are called to do. That means that they have food and clothing, a place to stay, and whatever other basics that are being supplied by the church. The remaining silver and gold that comes to the church is used to care for all these people, some of whom are far from home, and have stayed in Jerusalem to experience Jesus Christ through the life of His church.

So Peter and John do not even have the silver and gold that this man is seeking. What they do have is the power of the ascended Christ from heaven working through His disciples. They use what they have for the good of this man who just wanted some money. They speak a Word of healing from heaven in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. They tell him to rise up and walk.

And he took him by the right hand... (7-8)

They do not stop with words. They get him up. How I wish that we could do this kind of sign from heaven. Don't you wish that that you could be an agent of the Lord's grand project that has come to us through Jesus. This Jesus, Paul writes to Timothy, “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light.” We want to be used by Him. Paul says that he did these great things through the gospel. That we do have. We can speak, and then we can take people by the hand and lift them up by the power of God. We can look at them, talk to them, and be with them.

This healing by Peter and John brought the refreshment of heaven and heaven's God to a man who could not walk. It was done in such a way that all the glory went to the Lord. They spoke to him and helped him get up, but the Lord healed him. He did not just struggle to his feet. He was walking and leaping and praising God. He praised the Lord, not Peter and John.

And all the people saw... (9-10)

Others who saw him walking and praising God came to the same conclusion. They recognized him as someone they had seen before at his familiar spot. He had come to expect the same old things every day. He was placed in a corner and received a little bit of money to get by. But this healing from God was different.

What can go forth from your hands this week that could only be explained by the love and power of Jesus Christ? Is there a way for you to serve the Lord that would bring others to sing His praise? Does Jesus want you to look someone in the eye, knowing the power of the gospel, and then to care for that person in such a way that he would have to say that God did it?

1. What was the expectation of all those involved in this miracle?

2. What did Peter not have and what did he have?

3. What did the man conclude concerning his healing?

4. How did the people react?

OT Passage: Isaiah 35