The Beautiful Gate, Part 2
Why does this surprise you?
Acts 3v9-12
6th November 2015
Last week we looked at the healing of the crippled man at the Beautiful Gate in the temple. This is what happened next:
Acts 3v9-11
When all the people saw him walking and praising God,
they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled
with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called
Solomon's Colonnade.
Seeing this man, who had been crippled from birth (verse 2) healed to the point where he was walking and jumping and praising God (verse 9) drew an astonished and excited crowd. For years he'd sat by the Beautiful Gate, praying for the day he could walk into the courts of Israel. This was the day he entered in. And when he came out again, the crowd gathered in Solomon's Colonnade, which formed part of the perimeter of the Court of Gentiles.
There were probably many Gentiles as well as Jews in that crowd, but Peter chose only to speak to the Jews. He wouldn't understand that God was calling Gentiles into the church until his visit to Cornelius's house, in Chapter 10.
Acts 3v12
When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by
our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?"
These two questions are as relevant now as they were then.
Firstly, Peter asked them, "Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you?" It was likely that people who had come to the Temple to worship God, believed in God. And it was reasonable for Peter to suppose that his Fellow Israelites knew the Old Testament. They would have been aware of the stories about crossing the Red Sea, the miracles in the desert, the healings and miracles performed by Elisha and others. They believed that God created the universe. They knew that God was powerful. So why would a miracle surprise them?
But, dear fellow Christian, we know those stories, too. And we know the stories about Jesus healing the sick, driving out demons, and raising the dead that are in the Gospels. So why do miracles surprise us?
There are some Christians who call themselves "cessationist". They believe that there have been no spiritual gifts, no miracles, no divine healing, since the end of the first century A.D. They wouldn't merely be surprised by a miracle, they'd deny that it happened. Now these people are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and I have no desire to disrespect them. But miracles happen every day. And the Lord Jesus Christ, who is "the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8) loves us just as much as those first-century Christians, and has just as much power to help us as He did then.
And I know many Christians who wouldn't call themelves cessationist, but who would never expect God to perform a miracle for them or anyone they know.
I pray for our cessationist brothers and sisters, and for all Christians who live their lives without expecting God to do very much. "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead" (Ephesians 1v18-20a). It's miracle power!
Secondly, Peter asked the crowd, "Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?". Why do we think some Christains are more special than others? Why do we run after men, rather than Christ? Why do we imagine that their prayers are more effective than ours? Why do we wait until a famous Christian is around before we pray for the sick? Peter says here that the idea that his or John's power healed the crippled man is ridiculous. And he says the idea that their godliness healed the man is ridiculous.
I honour and respect the great Christian leaders of the past, and of our own generation. But the power is Christ's alone, and Christ can use any one of us to heal the sick.
Including you.