What I Have I Give to You

 

Acts Chapter 3 

We left the believers in chapter 2 in an idyllic scene that seems almost too good to be true. Gathered together, devoted to teaching and fellowship, prayer and sacrament, they were filled with awe and wonder. They shared all things in common and each day the Lord added to their numbers. It’s enough to make a 21^st century Christian jealous (although the part about selling all their possessions might challenge our American sensibilities.)

But as we begin chapter 3, we find that the church was not free to quarantine itself from the pain and suffering of the world. Peter and John encounter a beggar at the temple, asking them for alms. The man has been lame from birth; he has no prospects for bettering himself and he has no other way to survive than to ask for handouts.

When the lame man called to them, Peter and John “looked intently at him.” They insist that he also look at them. It would be easy to drop some coins in front of him as they pass by – undoubtedly, this is what others would do. But Peter and John are interested in having an authentic encounter with this man. The man looks up at them “expecting to receive something from them,” but surely not as much as they gave him.

The healing is typical of healings in the gospels. The name of Jesus is invoked, a simple command is given, and they help him to his feet. The results are impressive. The man doesn’t just walk. He jumps and leaps before many witnesses, and there is more wonder and awe. Peter turns to the crowd and rises to the moment again with proclamation.

The episode at the temple gate, and the sermon that follows, together illuminate three points:

Healing is a fundamental aspect of the good news. We have seen it repeatedly in all the gospels, and here it is reaffirmed that the power of healing is embodied not just in Jesus but in his church. Here, the name of Jesus is instrumental in the work of healing and it is the faith of the believers that makes it so.

Whenever we see healings take place in the scriptures, we may understand this broadly, understanding that healing comes in many forms. This man has been “made strong” by faith in Christ’s name (v.16), and it seems to be the faith of the apostles. That is to say, one might find healing in the arms of a loving, faithful community. And, perhaps you know from experience, it may involve healing of body and soul, mind and heart.

Repentance is a response to witnessing God’s healing power. In our Reformed tradition, we understand repentance as being an ongoing discipline of faith. Some of us can point to a particular moment in our lives when we had a dramatic experience of repentance, but even so, that does not eliminate the need for ongoing repentance. Repentance happens frequently in the life of faith because sin happens frequently.

There is an old Reformed doctrine called “Total Depravity.” It has fallen out of favor in modern times, for understandable reasons (who among us wants to think of ourselves as totally depraved?). But it simply means that human beings are sinful by nature. We cannot save ourselves. It is only by God’s grace we may do good and bring healing to the world.

The scene at the temple gate shows us that a person may receive God’s healing blessings first, and then respond with repentance that leads to faith. Furthermore, one may repent because of witnessing the healing power of God at work. The healing, the witnessing, and faith all work together – and are vital to the community of the believers. This community, as we saw in chapter 2, enjoys the blessings of communion, but also goes outside the community and shares the blessings with others.

Salvation is for God’s people. Peter hearkens back to the words of Moses (vv. 22-23) to connect God’s work through the name of Jesus Christ with the whole line of prophets. Saying that all the prophets point to Jesus, he reminds them that Moses warned them what would happen if they do not listen to the prophet’s words. They will be rooted out.

This is a stern warning, a tough message. Peter addresses the question that is often on the minds and hearts of people of faith – for whom are God’s promises? Who will be saved? Here in chapter 3, Peter clearly states his belief that even the people of Israel will be cut off if they do not believe in Jesus. Could this really be true?

In the pages of these texts, we are witnessing an argument among the first century followers of Christ. This is round 1 of that argument. As we continue reading the book of Acts, we will see this argument reappear in different ways. There will be questions about who is worthy to receive the good news and who may receive baptism. There will be discussions about whom one may share table fellowship with and to whom they will travel with the gospel. As we read through this book, we are witnessing the process by which they worked out their own beliefs.

We see it also in Paul’s epistles, particularly in his letter to the Romans where Paul struggles to articulate his belief that salvation is given through Christ to the gentiles, but that God’s promises to the Jews remain. God is steadfast in God’s promises.

Yet, we don’t ignore the words Peter cites from Moses, urging that they heed his words, lest they be “utterly rooted out.” We might understand these words to say, as John the Baptist said to the Pharisees, that your family tree will not save you. Merely being a descendant of Abraham will not provide cover. Hence, we return to the matter of repentance, which we make a part of our daily discipline.

May you receive more than what you expect or ask for.

May you give more than what is required.

May you be a part of God’s great healing power in the world.

Questions for Reflection:

·        Do you believe that there is a spiritual dimension to healing? How? Do you recall an experience of healing that was effected, in some way, by faith?

·        In the confession of sin we make together each Sunday, you might have had the feeling sometimes that you were confessing to a wrong you did not commit. This is because we are confessing to the sins of the church in the world. Is it possible for you to disentangle your personal life from systems of injustice? Do we all bear some responsibility for societal sins?

·        In the study, we occasionally refer to the Reformed tradition. If you are unsure what that means, here is some light reading on the subject.