ACTS 3 (PART 1)
Read Acts 3:1-10
We have seen the birth of the Body of Christ and how the number of believers increased when Peter preached the gospel. One effect of the growing popularity of the followers of Jesus was the onset of persecution by the Jewish authorities. What triggered this persecution was the very public healing of a man with crippled legs and Peter’s sermon which followed it.
When Luke wrote the Book of Acts he started by saying that he was going to tell us what Jesus was going to do and teach after his ascension through the apostles by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:1-2). He also told us that “many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles” (Acts 2:43). Here Luke gives us a spectacular example. The man with the crippled leg was a beggar who plied his trade at a particular gate called “Beautiful”. He would have had no other way to make an income (he was so crippled that he had to be carried into position by friends and relatives) and those giving him alms would think that they could gain merit in God’s eyes by their charitable giving.
Peter caught the man’s attention and said that he would give him something much better than money, and then he said, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (v6) Then Peter took him by the hand and helped him up and the man instantly jumped to his feet and walked. It is noticeable that Peter did not claim to have healed the man – it was in the power of Jesus. Yes, he helped him up: the hand was Peter’s but the power was Christ’s. Just as Luke said earlier, Jesus continued to work powerfully after his ascension, and he did it through the apostles. The healed man understood too. He went into the public area of the Temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God, not Peter. He knew that this was a divine healing and, having been a very visible fixture at the gate begging for money, people knew the extent of his disability and they could see the extent of his healing. And this was a powerful witness to the people of Jerusalem, and that drew the attention of the authorities.
Do such healings happen today and are they a witness to the post-ascension power of Jesus? The Highland Fellowship of Healing was for many years led by the late Rev Jim Rettie. At a conference he was asked how many people he had healed. His answer was, “Me? None!” But Jesus has healed many through this fellowship.
To God be the glory, great things he has done.