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By: Mariah Westra
You may listen to this devotion in audio form via podcast here.
By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.
- Acts 3:16
A man who had been lame since birth was hoping for a few coins. What he received instead was the attention of two men of faith and the grace of a loving God.
In the moments after the lame man’s strength is restored, Peter and John look out into a sea of astonished faces and realize there are two things developing: a mistaken hero worship and an opportunity to share the Gospel.
Peter was quick to deny having anything to do with this miracle. He knew it was essential that the crowd understand whose power allowed this lame beggar to stand. Peter wanted there to be no mistake. Jesus healed this man and He deserved the glory. By plainly stating that the man’s healing was caused by the power of Jesus, Peter is obeying the command of Psalm 96:8, “Give God the glory He deserves.”
Following the clarification of whose power enabled them to heal, Peter proclaimed to the crowd the gospel of Jesus Christ. He presented who Jesus was, that the Jews had fatally rejected Him, killing the author of life, but that He had been raised from the dead. Peter points to the standing cripple before them as proof of God’s power to “raise up.”
Throughout the proclamation of the gospel and the encounter at the gate, we see God’s grace. Peter insisted that the cripple had been cured on the grounds of “faith in the name of Jesus.” But according to the account in Acts 3:1-10, the beggar did not show any particular “faith.” He simply asked Peter and John for money. Yet God bestowed a gracious gift on the man through the two apostles. Peter explained that this grace was available to all who were listening. Regardless of the fact that the Jews rejected Jesus and handed Him over to be killed, God still offers them the opportunity to receive Jesus as their Messiah and Lord.
We too are beggars, spending our time in prayer asking God for what we think we need. Yet by the grace of God, we have received so much more than we could ever ask for or imagine: salvation through Jesus Christ. We have nothing to give God for our salvation (2 Timothy 1:9). It is a totally unmerited gift – like the cripples healing – that brings glory to Jesus’ name. Once we understand this, we can rejoice like the beggar and sing praise to the source of our salvation.