This week I will be looking at "What do I believe possesses true value in life?" I will be looking at a wonderful out of a book called Acts in the new Testament. Here is the beginning of the story:
Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour; the
hour of prayer. And a man who had been lame from his mother’s womb was being
carried along, whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple
which is called Beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the
temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking
to receive alms. But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said,
“Look at us!” And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive
something from them. But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but
what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene – walk!” Acts 3:1-6 NASB
Background – Afternoon Prayer
Peter & John indicate that they still held onto some of the Jewish
customs at this time in that they were keeping the hours of prayers. Jewish
custom was to pray at 9:00 in the morning, noon, and 3:00 in the afternoon. The
ninth hour refers to the 3:00 prayer
time, which is also time for the evening sacrifice, known as the Tamid. This means that there were sure
to be a lot of people at the temple at this time.
The Beautiful Gate
Peter & John walk up to the temple and they are approaching the gate
called the “Beautiful Gate” when they see a lame beggar asking for money. There
were 10 gates that led directly into the sanctuary from the outer court. Nine
of these were overlaid with gold and silver, but one was this amazing
decorative Corinthian Bronze gate. This one gate would have been far much more
expensive than the other nine and is undoubtedly the one that the two disciples
are approaching when they encounter the man asking for money.
Three Pillars of Judaism
Rabbis taught that the three pillars of Judaism were (1) the Torah, (2)
worship, and (3) kindness. Giving alms to the poor would clearly fall into this
latter category. For the people giving alms, though, it was more about the
action than about the person to whom the generosity was shown. The beggars would be there shouting out “alms,
alms for the poor” hoping that someone would take enough notice to drop a coin
in their direction. The passersby hardly noticed the beggars and if they did it
was a brief glance, perhaps full of pity, perhaps with a sense of
embarrassment.
Intently Fixed Gazes
When Peter and John hear the man calling out on this occasion, though,
they offer him more than a glance. The scripture says that they “fixed their
gazes on him.” Peter then went so far as to tell the man to look at them. They
would fully appreciate him as a fellow human being, a brother in difficult
circumstances. This was so much out of the ordinary that the man began to
expect something special as a result this encounter. Would he get a lot more money than usual? We
can only speculate what he may have thought at this moment, but I am certain
that he would not have imagined what was about to take place.
Ignoring Temporary Solutions
Peter quickly makes things very clear. He tells the man that he will not
be getting any money that day from them. I can imagine Peter motioning to the
door of the beautiful gate which contained no silver or gold insisting that
neither did he have silver or gold. But just as the magnificent door before
them was much more valuable than the silver and gold gates, what they have to
offer the man is also far more valuable. You see, money would help him
temporarily. It would take care of some of the symptoms of his problem, but it
would not take care of his problem, which is that he cannot walk.
Implementing Permanent Solutions
Jesus is so much more interested in healing our problem areas than he is
in just treating the symptoms. This man was about to encounter that care. Peter
simply tells the man to “walk!” I am
sure that anyone present, including the lame man were thinking, “what is Peter
thinking?” The scriptures say that this man was crippled from birth. He had
never walked before in his life. Surely he has been begging outside of the
temple for many years. People have passed him day after day, perhaps pitying him,
perhaps scorning him. Peter himself must have seen him out begging on other
trips to the temple. How could he expect that this known invalid could get up
at walk? He expected it because he knew of the power of the Holy Spirit that
filled him. He expected it because he had walked with Jesus for 3 years
watching him heal the sick. We will learn this week what happens to this man.
Today, let us contemplate what has transpired in the story so far.
1. Peter and John are remaining faithful in their walk with the
Lord.
2. During their response to the Lord, these two men have taken the time to
notice a fellow person’s very real needs. Part of this includes the recognition
of the person, not just his predicament.
3. These two men decided to focus on a permanent solution for the man, not
just addressing his temporary necessities.
4. Peter and John attach their actions of mercy with their faith and their
faith with actions of mercy. They get it that the two go together.
What do I believe possesses true value in life?
To answer that question consider the questions below.
Am I remaining
faithful in my walk with the Lord?
How am I permitting the Lord to work through me?
Am I looking for moments of intentional ministry?
How am I making an eternal significance?
How does
my faith match up with my actions?
How we answer these questions begins to demonstrate what we consider as truly valuable in our lives. We will see much more in the week ahead.
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