Acts 3:1-10

The narrative is showing Rome that they have nothing to fear from the peace loving Christians and also showing the Christians the hardship they will be facing. 

Setting: vs 1-3 

The ninth hour is about 3pm. The Christians are still aiming to be a part of the Jewish faith and Jerusalem even though the Jews in Jerusalem had crucified their Lord. They didn’t see themselves as other than Jewish. The man was sitting at the Gate Beautiful that leads from the court of women into the Holy place. Judaism provided more for the poor and those in need than any other religion of the time. What was stated in theology, however, didn’t not often line up with practice. The disabled were often gathered into one spot and left to fend for themselves out of the way. The disciples saw Jesus act in settings like this in his ministry so the disciples follow His example. We are the body of Christ-the means by which Jesus works in the world today. 

The act: vs 4-7

These few simple statements tell us the character of Peter and John. 

It didn’t even dawn of them that this could be an opportunity for pride or name building. They didn’t consider the ROI of helping him. Modern ministry today often ends up mimicking modern corporate models and that is gross. The moment strategy causes us to step over the hurting in front of us we have lost the plot. What if no one was concerned about who gets the credit and we were more concerned about serving the hurting? Human value is not tied to what you can accomplish or contribute to society. We ignore and avoid eye contact with the broken. They acknowledged and affirmed his image bearing humanity. Not only are we seen by God, but we are called by God to see others. God cares about human bodies. Healing makes no sense in an escapist theology. 

The response: vs 8-10

The man had never learned to walk since he had been disabled from birth. He was not only healed physically, but he was miraculously given the knowledge to know how to walk and leap and jump. Part of your healing can be God giving you the ability to do things you never knew how to do. Therapy and counseling are wise and helpful, but they should never take the place of our hope of healing from God. The man was never allowed into the place where worshipped happened because of his disability. The healing wasn’t just about his physical need. It also healed his social, relational, and spiritual needs. The moment he is healed he doesn’t run out into the world he runs into God’s presence thanking and worshipping.