Peter and John have come to the temple as was their normal practice at the three o’clock hour of prayer. Also the normal daily practice for the lame man was to be placed at the gate to beg for what he could get to sustain himself. Peter being freshly filled with the Holy Spirit from Pentecost sees this opportunity to use the power of the Holy Spirit in a new and powerful way.
Peter unlike many that came and went from temple did not try to just slip by the cripple man but saw in him a person of purpose to God. Peter’s words have echoed in Churches, Pulpits and Bible Studies down through the ages.
Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”
Peter and John are NOT approaching the temple dressed in a priest robe and stole carrying their Seminary degrees – they are fisherman ( out of work fisherman ) with a new vocation and no clothing allowance – Peter says “ look at me”. do we look like we have any money to spare ….?” Peter tells the lame man, I have no money but I do have something for you ….
Restoration and healing – In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth – arise and walk and immediately ( no medicine, no surgery, no rehab ) the man’s ankles received strength and he “leaped up” – he didn’t stagger around and eventually gain his footing – He jumped up by the power of the Holy Spirit – He is healed and he goes with them into the temple – Everybody comes to see him –
The Holy Spirit draws people in when we allow Him to work. You see the cripple man was looking for what he wanted to be able to get what he needed, and Peter through the Holy Spirit gave him what he needed to be able to go out and get what he wanted. It’s not that he didn’t want to be healed but he could not comprehend that type of healing – he knew from his past that if he sat at the gate long enough someone would feel sorry for his physical state and have MERCY on him and give him what he wanted.
That had worked for him in the past and it was all he expected because it was all he was capable of – The Holy Spirit brought him GRACE – what he needed but he could never get or expect or even hope for that type of healing and in the GRACE of Healing came the mercy of being able to go earn his way. So it is for us in God’s grace that is extended to us through the Holy Spirit.
You see, we cannot be Peter and John in helping others until we come to God as the cripple man and realize that no matter what we think we are in life based on what we have we are nothing without getting what we need first from God through the Holy Spirit. Restoration and healing from our sins and transgressions.
We can think of the story of our lives as one we might read except our words and actions are the words of our story – the words of our story don’t just represent the image that is us but they reflect our soul – our character from what we know ( believe ( and what we don’t ) like the 11 – the good news is that Jesus continues to come to us on our journey where we are in our circumstances and He continues to.
8 ‘These people honor me with their lips,
Matthew 15:8 NLT
but their hearts are far from me.
It is often said that the heart of the problem is always the heart. Our heart – our character and attitude will drive our actions and those actions will tell the story of our lives. What we did yesterday will shape what we are doing today and what we are doing today forms what we will be tomorrow. It literally will form the story of who we are in the future. Just like the cripple man when we come to God He restores us and we then can go out for Him and tell His story through our lives so that others to may find Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
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