Redemption Required
- Tim Ayers
- Mar 14, 2010
- Series: Dick & Jane: A Story Redeemed
This is the second week in our five week Easter series we’ve titled ‘Dick and Jane: a story redeemed.’ And just as a reminder, last week we said that when we use the phrase ‘Dick and Jane’ we’re talking about the people in your life, your family members, your friends, your co-workers, your neighbors, anyone in your life that you are close to, that you care about and yet are confident doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus. Last week we also identified four reasons why we believe the Dick and Janes in your life need to have a relationship Jesus. We said that your friends and family 1) need their relationship with God restored; (2) need healing for their broken hearts, spirits and minds; (3) need the relationships and community with others who are followers of Jesus; and (4) need a reason to live that is larger than themselves; they need a mission and a purpose. Last week we talked through the first of these reasons. We talked about our friend’s need to have their relationship with God restored and how Jesus’ death and resurrection, his Atonement for our sins, makes that possible.
And today we’ll be looking at the 2nd reason your friends need a relationship with Jesus… that being, they need healing for their broken hearts, minds and souls and how Jesus’ death and resurrection makes that possible.
And to see this we want to look at a passage in the third chapter of Acts. Page *** Today’s passage immediately follows the account of the Day of Pentecost, the amazing day the disciples first received the power of the Holy Spirit. And today’s passage takes place during these exciting early days of the church… the church was growing rapidly and it was held in high esteem by almost everyone… and as we’ll see, the excitement wasn’t over. Chapter 3 begins, “One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer--at three in the afternoon. Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.” Acts 3:1-5
Peter and John going to the temple to pray at 3:00 in the afternoon was a normal Jewish thing to do. There was nothing unusual in this; people gathering for prayer at 3:00 every day. But what was about to happen was anything but usual! Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. This first statement, “A man crippled from birth.” is important. He hadn’t been hurt in an accident; he hadn’t been ill. He was born crippled and 1st Century Jews believed that when a child was born with a deformity it was a punishment from God for someone’s sin. Usually, it was assumed it was the sin of one of the parents, but the Jews also believed that a baby could sin in its mother’s womb. So, of course, everyone wondered and whispered, “Who did what, when?” “What brought this on?” Needless to say, a crippled family member brought a family great shame. The verse goes on to say that “he was being carried to the temple gate.” The Greek translated “being carried” tells us two other things: first, this crippled man had no mobility of his own; he had to be carried. Secondly, this ‘carrying’ was an everyday, ongoing, occurrence. His family members, most likely, those that would have been the most ashamed of him, mind you, carried him one place every day: the one place he cold be useful to them: at the temple, begging. By the way, it was considered virtuous to give alms to the needy in 1st Century Judaism, but people also wanted to be sure that those getting alms were actually in need. So, begging in Jerusalem was highly regulated; only people who were fully incapable of doing anything else could beg. And this man must have been so unable to do anything else that he’d been given permission to beg at one of the best begging spot in all of Jerusalem: a temple gate. Something you should know though is that even though he could beg at a temple gate, he couldn’t enter the temple. You had to be physically perfect to enter the temple, ever! Even a missing finger could keep you out. He would have most likely been able to see into the temple, but he’d never entered the temple and he never would. And since he was there every day I’m sure people recognized him but I’m also sure many tried to not make eye contact with him. It was probably a lot like what I do when I see the same person on certain exit ramps with a, “Will work for food” sign. I do everything I can not to make eye contact. So, let me add up his misery: first he was so crippled that he to rely on others for almost everything… so crippled that he could add nothing to his community… so crippled that people would carry him to the temple everyday and leave him there to beg.
And not only was he tragically crippled but everyone assumed that his condition was a punishment for sin. His entire life was overshadowed by guilt and suspicion. Plus, he wasn’t allowed to enter the temple or be a part of the worshiping community… in fact, his crippled body was a picture of what it was to be unclean and so most people wouldn’t have wanted to have anything to do with him… including his own family. Can you imagine the condition of this man’s heart or his mind or his soul? I’m sure his heart was terribly broken by the rejection, the loneliness, the sadness and the helplessness he experienced every day. I’m sure his mind was a mess from the constant accusations of guilt and the burden he was to his family and the improbability that he would ever, in anyway, be any value to his community. Plus, his soul must have been torn in two: no entrance to the temple, no opportunity to worship, to be thankful, to feel forgiven. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to be this man… broken in every imaginable way: body, heart, mind and soul.
His asking Peter and John for money was normal. He was simply trying to catch their eyes in hopes of getting money. But Peter somehow had other plans. How he knew what to do I don’t know, but he did. He said, “Look at us!” which was something that probably hadn’t been said to this man very often, if ever. And once Peter had his attention he said, Vs. 16 “Silver and gold I do not have.” Now that probably didn’t sound too good to the crippled man, but Peter went on. “But what I have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!” What Peter had to give him was great faith that the power of the Spirit of God could change this man’s life. And we know he believed this because the next verse which reads, “Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up.” In the NIV literally says, “Grabbing him by the arm he jerked him up” Peter was confident! And “instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong.” And I think this next verse is really cool. “He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts walking and jumping and praising God.” This is essentially a list of verbs, things that most people do all of the time without thinking about it, but all things this man had never done: he jumped up; he walked around; he went into the temple with Peter walking and jumping no less and praising God. Can you imagine? And look at verse 9. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, I bet they did! and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.” What happens next is that Peter steps forward to explain things. But, before we look at Peter’s explanation I want to recap what had just happened to this man. Yes, he was healed physically and this would have been a great thing in and of itself… to suddenly be able walk and jump and run. No doubt, this was wonderful. But beyond this there were other things happening. His healing would have said to everyone that if sin had caused this situation… that sin had been forgiven. The punishment had been removed and the continual assumption that his life was overshadowed by sin was gone! Plus, now that his feet and ankles were strong and he could walk, he could work; he could finally be a contributing part of the community. He was no longer an embarrassment or a burden to his family; he could now do something valuable and in his world, much like ours, work gave a person dignity. This miracle also meant he could enter the temple alongside the rest of the Jewish people and join the worshipping community. This miracle brought not only an end to his physical suffering but it also ended his loneliness, his marginalization, his uselessness, and his helplessness. He was given, as Peter later said in verse 16, a ‘complete healing, ’or as the Greek tells us that Peter literally said he was given a ‘soundness.’ I’m sure Peter chose this word carefully because it isn’t necessarily a word for something physical; it is a holistic word. I believe that Peter knew in the moment that this man’s entire being, yes, his body, but also his mind, soul and heart had been made sound. This was a miracle, yes, but a miracle far beyond the strengthening of a man’s crippled legs. And Peter says it is all because of Jesus.
Look at what Peter says in verses 16 as he explains this miracle to the crowd. “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 given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.” It doesn’t appear at all that it was the crippled man’s faith that made this miracle possible but Peter’s faith: His faith in the name of Jesus. In other words, Peter’s faith in all that Jesus is and his faith in Jesus’ lordship over all things and his faith in all that Jesus has already done for us; it was this faith that brought about this man wholeness. So often, we talk about the wholeness of things in light of heaven: someday, when we get to heaven, everything will be made whole. I understand this and it is true in many cases that full healing, particularly physical healing won’t come until Jesus comes. But, this passage shows us that Jesus’ purposes were broader than changing things in the next world; they were for this world as well. What it says to me is that Jesus died and rose again to heal our broken hearts, settle our confused and anxious minds and quiet our restless and uncertain souls… in this life; it was a part of God’s purpose in sending Jesus. Here at Grace we believe with all of our being that faith in the Atonement, faith in Jesus giving his life as a sacrifice for our sins makes ‘soundness’ possible. We believe Jesus came to redeem us for the next world, yes, but we also believe he came to redeem our lives in this life: body, heart, mind and soul.
Now, I know that the primary emphasis of this series is to better prepare you to talk to the Dick and Janes about why the true meaning of Easter is important to their lives now and to their eternity. This series is an “R” value series, a “reaching out to others” series. And as such, our emphasis is primarily the need to share the message of Jesus with others. And we’ll talk about that in a moment. But, I need to stop for just a minute and recognize that some of you here today might relate to the condition of crippled man’s heart and mind and soul before he was healed. Some of you may be burdened by guilt… you need forgiveness. Some of you may be suffering under an unfair accusation of sin… you need justice. Some of you may feel like or have even been told that you are nothing but a burden to the people in your life… you desperately need a sense of dignity and calling. And some of you may feel lonely or useless or helpless or harassed; you need to know you are loved and valued. Let me say without reservation, there is hope for this kind of healing through faith in Jesus. I know that this isn’t an easy thing to believe. You may have suffered in these ways for a long, long time. But we believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection were as much meant to bring you this kind of soundness as anything else. And I want to stop and take a moment to give you an opportunity to look into your own heart and soul and mind and ask God to move in your life in a way that leads to wholeness. I want to pray for you in the name of Jesus… pray that you will place your faith in Jesus because we are certain that he offers those who place their faith in him hope… hope for soundness. Pray.
I’m certain that everyone can think of someone who needs Jesus. And now we turn to our responsibility to share the message of hope that Jesus brings with those in our lives… people, who like this crippled man may also be broken in heart, mind and soul.
I want to share 3 simple, practical things that come out of this passage; things to keep in mind as we consider sharing our faith with those we love. And the first is this: did you notice that Peter engaged this man up close, eye to eye… not from a distance but close enough to speak directly to him and see exactly what was going on in his life? This would have been very unusual. This crippled man would have been considered unclean by many Jews… someone to be pitied possibly, but never someone worth knowing or caring about. And while our friends and family are most likely not being treated like the crippled man was treated, we still need to be prepared to engage them in up close, honest ways that may come as a surprise to them… truth is honesty, concern, and trustworthiness are in short supply these days. When we are willing to engage authentically, believe me, it will make an impression. What I need to be willing to do is the hard work of getting close enough to others to know what is breaking their hearts; what is plaguing their minds; what is darkening their souls… because only then can I lead them to Jesus in ways that speak to the deep needs of their life.
Secondly, this passage tells me that we need to be prepared to give our friends what we have that they need… and what we have that they need is Jesus. Peter could most likely have found some money for this man; he was the leader of an exceedingly generous church; he could have found money. But, he knew that he had something this man needed far more than money. He had Jesus and the power of his resurrection. He had the Holy Spirit. And so do you and I if we are followers of Jesus. And we can bring them right to Jesus. Even if you only have a relatively new relationship with Jesus you have someone to share with others that they need. Peter spoke the name of Jesus into this man’s life and it changed him forever. And we, too, can speak the name of Jesus into people’s lives, as well: we can tell them all that Jesus has done for us and all that Jesus is to us and all that Jesus promises to do for anyone that follows him. What this calls for is being prepared to be bold… in the right moment, at the right time, when it is clear that it is time to explain things… we give them Jesus. And I believe with all my heart that when our friends finally turn and listen, just like the crippled man, their lives will change forever. God only asks us to give out of what we have and what we, as followers of Jesus have, is Jesus himself!
And finally this passage shows me that I must pray for others with a bold faith. Here’s the bottom line: I’m convinced that God can bring healing to my friends and family’s broken hearts… primarily because he has done this for me. And I need to pray in complete confidence that God can work in whatever ways he needs to bring my friends and family to faith… I need to pray confidently that someday they will hear the call of Jesus and stand up and walk on their own. Admittedly, I am not fully certain how this works but one thing is certain: I want to be a man that believes on other’s behalf; I want my faith to be a catalyst for them coming to faith. I need to stand in the truth that faith in Jesus can unleash healing power in my friends and family lives. Our Dick and Janes need to know that they are not destined to sit alone wondering and waiting for something to make sense of life. They need to know that they are not fated to carry their guilt or shame or sadness or helplessness forever. They need to know that through faith in the name of Jesus, they can find hope and be made strong. I need to pray boldly and with great confidence that the Holy Spirit will open their hearts to this message.
Last week I talked about my friends Bill and Tom. Well, out of nowhere one of these friends sent me an email this past week that said, “Tim and Jennifer, thinking of you. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Would love to see you.” And I thought, “Where did that come from?” I immediately called him and we talked a while and I’m not going to divulge what he said but what is clear is that I need to pray with a faith like Peter’s right now… one that believes that God can and will reveal himself to my friend in a way that begins his complete healing. I feel like I’ve entered unknown territory in the last week, but I want to continue to engage him eye to eye and to pray with a strong faith in the power or the Holy Spirit because I feel the day is nearer than ever that he will listen to me when I say, “It is by faith in the name of Jesus, that you can be made whole.” And I know that many of you are also praying this way for the people in your life. So, together let’s keep praying, praying that when the time is right and we’ve earned the right to speak that we will be bold and say to those we love, “Silver and gold I do not have but what I have I give to you… I give you Jesus.”
