Getting a Second Chance

“Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.’ And he took him by the right hand, and lifted [him] up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.” - Acts 3:6-7 KJV

Have you ever wondered about this guy’s backstory?

I love to read about this miracle in Acts 3 for a couple of reasons. First, the healing of this lame man is the first miracle recorded after Jesus ascended into heaven. This event lets everyone know that the days of healing and miracles did not leave when Jesus ascended.

Second, it is the backstory on this guy that I really like. We can extrapolate a few things from the text about this lame man:

• He was lame from birth.
• He was at the gate every day to beg.
• He was vocal in his request.
• He had been around long enough that “all the people” recognized him. He was a fixture at the temple gate.

Now here is the part that I really, really like.

If we roll the clock back about two months we find ourselves in the middle of Matthew 21. In this passage (which occurs just a few days before the crucifixion) Jesus destroys the money-changers operation in the Temple and declares the money changers to be “thieves”. Then something really wonderful happens:

“And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.” - Matthew 21:14 KJV

This leaves me to wonder, why wasn’t the guy of Acts 3 healed in Matthew 21?

Well, there is no way to know all of the particulars really, but one thing is sure - he didn’t come to Jesus. I don’t know why, but here are some possibilities:

• Maybe he wasn’t there that day.
• Maybe he didn’t understand it was Jesus in the Temple.
• Maybe his beggar buddies all went in and left him alone at the best begging seat at the gate.
• Maybe those going into the Temple were particularly generous that day and he hated to lose revenue.
• Maybe he was crawling around for loose change after Jesus knocked over the tables.
• Maybe he thought he’d seek Jesus the next time he saw him.

One thing is sure, the next morning there were a lot fewer beggars at the gate. This guy may have even been sitting there alone. And then, Jesus was gone. The crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension soon followed. The opportunity was lost.

It seems to me that when we see him up close and personal in Acts 3, he is a bit forlorn. Maybe that is why the man seems to see Peter and John but doesn’t really “look” at them until Peter tells him to do so. Maybe he is still mourning a lost opportunity.

Ah, but a Spirit-filled believer with a mandate from Jesus approaches him! This time he paid attention, and this time he got to stand and walk and run and leap. He got a second chance, and he took it.

We live in a world filled with broken people, broken dreams and dashed hopes. Sometimes the broken will take the initiative and come to Jesus, but, really, our mandate is to take Jesus to the broken.

The truth is, most of us, like this fellow, have probably mourned a lost opportunity.Jesus was there to meet the need and, for whatever reason, we were too distracted to see it through. I have good news for you, Jesus gives second chances. So if you feel like you’ve blown it, don’t give up. Instead, fix your gaze on Jesus, repent of your distraction and wait for God’s timing. He will bring your answer around again.

Have a great week! 

-Tony

The Beauty of the Ugly Violent Stuff

Tonight, I watch flashes of pyrotechnic light playing on the wonder filled face of my youngest son. As I look around, I see a darkened landscape belching out fountains of fire as far as I can see. I hear reports from cannons and rockets (near and far) as they launch and then deliver their celebratory payload to dazzled onlookers.

I also know that for some (particularly soldiers who have PTSD), these sound and sights of celebration can far too closely resemble the sights and sounds of war. I'm quite certain that the defenders of Ft. McHenry over two centuries ago were not exclaiming "ohh's" and "ahh's" as British rockets and bombs rained down on them that night. As they witnessed "the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air" from the receiving end, their cry was far more likely to be a prayer of the "God save us!" variety. Yet the American lawyer, Francis Scott Key, standing on the deck of a British ship some four miles away saw hope rising for his fledgling country through the horrors of that bombardment. Curious isn't it, that something so horrible as weapons of warfare can be transformed into symbols of celebration and hope?

I see this same odd notion in the words of the Apostle Paul, "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ..."* The cross also was a horrible thing. It was the Roman executioners tool for the basest of criminals. It was not something one would naturally assume to be a source of "glory". Yet, there it is.

So if you wonder why the followers of Jesus talk so much about things like the "cross" and the "blood", here is your answer. We talk about those things because the most awful event of human history was also the event that made our salvation possible. Jesus, the sinless Son of God, died as a substitute to pay for the sins of anyone who will believe on him. If you are willing to turn from your sin and accept him as Savior, today can be your "independence day" on a whole new scale.

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” - 2 Peter 3:9 KJV

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*Galatians 6:14a