Acts 3:11-26 An Answer For Us
The last time we met we were looking at the miracle of Peter and John with the man lame from birth. One of the things we pondered in that story is the fact that Jesus must have passed this man on many occasions but did not heal him. I think we see the answer today as we continue the story.
Peter, John and our no longer lame man enter the temple after the healing miracle. Luke tells us this man “clung to Peter and John” while they were there. He was walking and leaping and praising God for his healing.
This was an astonishing feat because everyone knew this man and his condition. Later on Luke tells us the man was 40 years old. PLENTY of time to become known by the whole town. He came to the temple daily to beg. So the people were in awe of what they were seeing, as anyone might expect.
Hold on now because here is where we bump into our answer! Peter and John now have a credibility they would not have otherwise gained. Jesus didn’t ignore this man’s plight when He passed him. He simply knew that his healing through the apostle’s ministry would bring unimaginable credibility to the emerging body of believers and their teachings.
Peter was able to address the crowd, who ALL gave him their attention, because of the miracle done for this man. The first thing Peter did was to set the record straight as to where this healing power flowed from. “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? …Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate…and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead…His name—by faith in His name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all” (verses 12-16).
This well-known man gave Peter and John a platform with which to reach the people. Luke tells us there were over 5,000 men present that day to see the miracle and hear the gospel. Which is where Peter took them next. After reminding them who Jesus was, he then tied Jesus’ works to all the prophecies in the bible. He also reminded them of their individual guilt in Jesus’ death. But more than that, he told them that God would forgive them of their sin. He shared the gospel with them.
They were not ready to believe when Jesus walked among them. If they were they would have been in conflict with God’s plan. Jesus wanted to be their Savior too but He had to wait until His work was done before offering this gift. They could understand and would believe now, but not before. He was waiting until the right time.
Lord Jesus, Your timing is AMAZING! You used this one man to reach thousands and You waited to use him until his healing would do the most good. Talk about timing! You are never late OR early. You are always right on time.
So many times in my life You showed up just in time. When you provided for our housing need that we were able to transport to our next area. When You intervened on my behalf with our warranty company. When you brought me funds on SO MANY occasions to meet our immediate needs. Thank You for always being on time. Forgive me for rushing You when I wanted answers earlier than You were ready to deliver them. How many people would have missed out on eternal life if You hadn’t waited? How many lessons on patience, and growth time, did I receive simply because You waited for Your timing instead of giving in to my whining? Thank You Lord for each of those lessons. Thank You too for each of those answers! I know I can trust You to ALWAYS be right on time.
