Acts 3:1-10
Acts 3:1-10
March 8, 2020
Acts 3
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. 1
Part of our human nature is to categorize people. It’s not necessarily sinful, so don’t hear that, especially when the categorizations are simply things like male or female, adult or child, married or single, wheat or tare, sheep or goat, church member or non-church member, etc.
Yet, when categorization leads to one feeling superior to others, sin is at the core. Christ spoke of this when he shared stories of the religiously pious ones who felt they were better than others.
1 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ac 3:1–10). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
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The Pharisees who prayed “Thank you God that I am not like them” is one such example.
When the John the Baptist instructed his followers in Luke 3 to share with others in need, “If you have two tunics, give one to another” it was shocking to those who felt that if they had two tunics, they earned them, they owned them, and therefore had no responsibility to others whom for whatever reason, did not make or buy a tunic.
This is just another way that those in need are often invisible.
In this account, a beggar is sitting at the Beautiful Gate that is in the wall surrounding the city of Jerusalem. Just as today, there are numerous entry points to the city and in these entry points, there are beggars. There are those in need. There are those who may appear to be in need, but may not truly be. We have all heard these stories of those who fake the need to get a handout. Though that number may be few, the one who does that often raises the level of cynicism in our minds so that we have trained ourselves to walk on by. I have done so. You likely have too.
But what about this guy in the story. He’s a real person. He has real needs. He’s a beggar and has a hand-out. He is sitting in the Beautiful Gate entrance and he’s there because people come through there all the time. It’s a crowded, busy area and even though most will walk on by, every now and then a person will hand him a coin. Maybe to help. Perhaps to make himself/herself feel better. Motivations are hard to determine. Yet, the coin is needed. It is valuable. It is worth begging. Why? Because this is all the man can do in a culture that casts aside those with disabilities and declares them less valuable than others.
This beggar will never be a leader in society.
This man will never be known for much more than begging.
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He’s a continual presence for a crowd that passes by regularly.
“Oh, here we are at the Beautiful Gate. What’s that? Yeah, he’s always here. Always begging. Just ignore him and come on in.”
Day in. Day out.
He’s been here for years. He’s forty years old now and never has moved out the category others have placed him due to his circumstance.
Anyone here ever feel that the world just passes on by, paying no attention?
This man understands.
• Heisnotjustlamebutconsideredaloser. • Heisnotjusthandicapped,buthopeless. • Heisnotjustdisadvantaged,butdestitute. • Heisnotjustbrokebutbroken.
There is much in this passage about seeing needs and meeting needs. There is a message here about not passing by those who are less fortunate, those who are struggling, those who find themselves in need of a hand up, but think they only need a handout.
Yet, even with all that, which is clear and hopefully, we understand this, there is a point I believe clearly for the church today.
Yes, meet needs. Donate food, money, clothing, time, etc. to those in need. Yes. Yes. Yes.
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But in your efforts to serve, elevate awareness, raise funds, and do good for those in need, there is a deeper need that must not be ignored.
The church for decades has struggled with focus. When theological drift occurs, as it has in numerous mainline Protestant denominations, not to mention other forms and designations of church, the temporal alone will be addressed with the eternal ignored.
Of course, there are those on the other end who claim to only care for the eternal while avoiding temporal help. They are just a wrong.
One group devolves into liberalism while the other into legalism. All the while the gospel is ignored, the message is muted, and the great commission is believed to be fulfilled yet no disciples are made.
And the church fails.
It may seem obvious, but the question of need us before the apostles in this chapter as well as us today.
WHAT IS THE MAN’S NEED?
There are volumes of research and psychological studies that have been done over the years to help people understand ... well, people.
The concept of need is one that has garnered much focus. In 1972, Jonathan Bradshaw produced his understanding of categorizing needs (remember – we all like to put things in categories) now known as Bradshaw’s Taxonomy of Needs. Much like Maslow’s and others you may have studied or heard of, Bradshaw’s has been utilized for decades by those seeking to respond or react well to other’s needs.
Bradshaw provides four categories:
1. Normative Needs – based on a standard set by society or those in
charge of a group
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Comparative Needs – based on what others have available and how healthy they are comparatively
Expressed Needs – that which is demanded and used by people
Felt Needs – that which people want
We could buy into these categories and spend hours trying to dissect what type of need this beggar has, and churches have done this as have individuals in the current era, while ignoring the real need.
1. WHAT IS REALLY NEEDED IS NOT ALWAYS KNOWN – In this case, the need was thought to be more money. A coin. A drachma. Something that could be spent or given to the family by this lame man so that he felt productive. He could not get a job. He could not make furniture, carve stone, plow a field, cook a meal, or anything else that was considered worthwhile, so he begged. He needed to beg. He needed the money. He needed a purpose. Whether he came up with the begging idea is not known, but likely, it was just expected. He wasn’t the only lame beggar in the city. This was his lot in life.
He thought he needed money.
He didn’t.
Maybe the person you have met has a list of things they need as well. Maybe they need a boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, new car, better job, another degree, a new home, etc.
Maybe actually gaining these things would be beneficial. Nothing I listed is sinful. They’re good.
Maybe you’re thinking like this for yourself. You’re not begging at the gate, but you think if you could just get that one thing that is so elevated in culture as important (for this beggar it was money at
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this point for many reasons – same for many today) you’d be alright.
We used to have a lady in our church family who was notorious for saying “When my ship comes in, then I’ll...” and she would finish that sentence with give more to the church, go on a mission trip, support a missionary, or other good thing.
Yet, that ship apparently never arrived.
Sometimes we think we know what we need, but we miss what we really need.
2. WHAT IS REALLY NEEDED IS SOMETHING NEVER CONSIDERED
In this account, the man needed money. He is begging for it. He has his hands out and on this day, just as many others, people pass by. Some give him a coin. Yet, this day a couple of guys slow down and make eye contact with him.
Peter and John look to him. He is begging for alms. A good Jew would give something to him for Torah, worship, and showing kindness is expected.
But Peter says, “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!”
When do you think this man gave up thinking he’d ever walk? Likely about forty years prior. It was so out of the question that this possibility never even crossed his mind.
“I need some silver and gold.” “I have no silver and gold.”
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“Great.”
“But I have something better...”
There are things here that should speak to us today and challenge us as well. First, the “beggar” is talking with the apostles. The apostles stopped. They looked at him. They are talking with (not at) him. This is a man, a broken, destitute, hopeless, lost man. An image-bearer of God who has value simply because he is.
For the pro-life Christian we must not only value the life in the womb, but the lives of those outside the womb, even decades later.
This lame man is not sinless. He is not perfect spiritually. Everyone knows he’s not perfect physically.
But he matters. He matters to loved ones I’m sure (at least the ones carrying him there and collecting his funds) but even to these who have never met him, named Peter and John.
3. WHAT IS NEEDED IS PROVIDED BY ANOTHER
Peter says “Rise up and walk.”
This guy cannot walk. He’s been told by these strangers that they don’t have what he thinks he needs. They apparently have something he really needs, but the instructions ARE IMPOSSIBLE.
So, what does Peter do?
7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.
The proud can do it on their own. “I don’t need any help,” is often said. Yet pride in self (in one’s own hopeless, broken, destitute
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self) leaves one sitting in the gate doing the same thing, wondering why nothing ever gets better.
God sent these men to this man and told him to do the impossible.
Then they helped him up and the impossible was done, not by Peter, not by John, not even by the man born lame, but by the one whose name was invoked, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
I noticed something here that I have read many times, but never thought of as I did this week.
Look at this verse...
8 And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
His need was met, but not just the need for working legs. The name of Jesus was clearly declared. The gospel was being lived out through Peter and John and when the man began to walk, they walked with him as he walked with them. They were together. They worshipped together. They walked and he leaped and danced and celebrated God. Together.
Sometimes our evangelism seems like we’re hunting for trophies rather than on a rescue mission for new family members.
CLOSING
If we’re not careful and clear about the commission and commandment of Christ, we as a church may find ourselves doing as others have done, only to eventually face rebuke from God for doing good things while avoiding God things.
Something to consider here is the amount of time, effort, and focus placed by the apostles on this ONE guy. Why?
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In the previous passage three-thousand were saved and baptized. Now there’s this one guy who gets center stage.
Why?
Because those whom God uses to reach the many must be those who care first about reaching the one.
Who is your one?
Who is the one you cry about because you know that unless something changes, the greatest need in their life will never be met?
Who is this one?
Can we pray together right now for that one?
What if you are the one? Broken, hopeless, in need of more than a purpose, but a life – eternal, secure, vital.
Here we are saying “Get up and walk” and we have our hand out to help you on the journey. Together.
Footnotes
