Sunday, February 19, 2023

The Man Who Used to Sit

Acts 3:1-11
 
Welcome! Today we continue our series in the book of Acts, focusing on the first part of Chapter 3. Before we get into that passage, however, I want to back up a few verses and set the stage for what is going to happen. As you know, Acts is all about the birth and growth of the church, the ekklesia, the “called out ones,” people who are what Jesus once described as “born again”, people who have acknowledged their rejection of God in their lives and have put their faith in Jesus Christ, understanding that His substitutionary death has paid for their sins. These people also understand that God’s resurrection of Jesus three days after His death means that Jesus was truly without sin, and so His sacrifice was accepted by God, meaning that we, through faith in Him, are reconciled to God.

We saw the apostles and their families and those with them experience the miracles of the rushing wind, the tongues of something like fire settling on them, and the miraculous situation in which they were able to praise God in languages that the people around them knew but which they themselves did not previously know.

After these events, Peter gave a speech to the crowds culminating in the message to repent and be baptized, and 3000 people did that very thing on that day. What was it like to be one of those 3000 new believers? What was this new, developing community of believers, this fellowship of believers, becoming? We read about this in the end of Acts chapter 2:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. – Acts 2:42-47

This is beautiful. This is beyond beautiful. Can you imagine being one of those who had just been saved, one of the 3000 or one of the later ones being added “daily”? I still remember vividly those first days when I became a believer in Christ at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign 32 years ago. It was impossible to sing some of the worship songs we sang without the tears flowing. I remember wondering why everyone wasn’t responding to the songs the same way I was.

Everything was new to me – I really did feel like a newborn baby in many ways. I would explore parts of my mind, things I used to believe, and now suddenly realize that I believed the opposite of what I had once held so firmly to. The year that I became a believer, there were multiple people in our home fellowship group who came to Christ. It was wonderful to see the same newness, the same joy, the same awe and wonder in them that I felt in myself.

Does that feeling go on forever? It doesn’t, at least not in this world, on this side of heaven. And I think the reason for that is precisely because we are on this side of heaven. We still live in a broken, cursed, sinful world, and we too are still subject to sin, to give in to temptation – because, although, if we are truly regenerate believers, we are not yet fully regenerated, and the transformation that has begun in us will not be completed until we are on the other side.

To quote from I Corinthians 15:          

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man. – I Corinthians 15:44-49

I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. – I Corinthians 15:50-53

I fully believe that once we are changed, once we bear the image of the heavenly man, once we are clothed with the imperishable, the overwhelming joy that we only experience for short periods of time – with the newness of believing in Christ, but also when falling in love, when experiencing an overwhelming sunset, and at other moments – that experience will become never ending, and even ever-increasing, in heaven. When we are changed, our capacity to love, to love one another and, especially, to love God, to love Christ, will become uncorked, unplugged, unlimited. And those feelings of awe, as it says the new believers had in Acts 2:42-47, will grow throughout eternity. In this present life, our ability to grasp the love of God, the goodness of God, the majesty of God, the holiness of God – is so limited. These things are infinite – and we will always be growing in heaven in our understanding of God, and so our love and amazement will continually increase. That is my opinion.

Now, that is not to say that the life the new believers experienced in Acts 2 is not something we should strive to emulate; indeed, we should absolutely strive to live, as much as we can, like they did. Let’s look at that passage again:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. – Acts 2:42-47

Now, there are some things going on there that are out of our control. It says that the apostles were performing many wonders and signs. Now the term “apostles” refers to that original group – so none of us are apostles. Note also that it wasn’t everyone there was performing these wonders and signs – it was just the apostles. Now, I am by no means a cessationist – I absolutely believe that miracles still happen today. But I do not believe it is common. I also believe it tends to happen most often in circumstances and situations where the gospel is only just beginning to break into a people group. In strongly Muslim areas, for example, it is not uncommon today to hear of reports of unsaved Muslims having visions of Jesus in their dreams, and this vision eventually leads to them learning the gospel and becoming believers in Christ. Miraculous events are also reported by missionaries who go to some of the most unreached people groups. Beyond this, I believe that God often answers our prayers in ways that require at least some bending of the rules of reality, of how things normally happen.

It is ironic that in many of the courses I teach, the core of the subject depends on randomness, on probability. But I don’t actually believe that probability exists. I believe probability is just a model that we humans use that models certain things reasonably well most of the time. What are miracles, then? They are events that seemingly break these rules of probability, in that, the odds of these things happening are extremely small “on their own”.

But this is actually a logical fallacy, as nothing happens “on its own.” With God, there is no probability. All things are certain to the One who is omniscient. And so, in a sense, with God, there are no miracles, either. Because God is also omnipotent, it is no harder for God to heal someone than it is to not heal him – nor is it any harder for Him to turn the entire universe into a pizza.

And so what is the purpose of the signs and wonders that God enabled the apostles to perform? It is to reveal to the people that God really is with them. It is to authenticate the gospel message that they are proclaiming.

This is the very same primary purpose that Jesus’ own miracles were for. Remember, for example, the man who was let down in the rooftop. Do you remember what Jesus said to him? He said, “Your sins are forgiven,” which shocked everyone – and they were ready to accuse Jesus of blasphemy. But then, in Matthew 9, Jesus also said and did the following:

Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So He said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” Then the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man. – Matthew 9:4-8

Notice the response of the crowd – it is exactly like that in Acts 2. There is awe, and there is worship.  Now keep this healing of Jesus in mind as we continue on into Acts 3.

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame 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. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 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, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. – Acts 3:1-11

How I love this account! This is so beautifully written, as well, with such masterful detail. Note how there is constant movement in this account. Peter and John are walking up to the temple. At nearly the same time, the lame man is being carried to the gate called Beautiful. It is the time of prayer, 3pm, in the Greek the ninth hour, and this is the time of prayer. So all around them are lots of other people coming to the same place. The beggar was being placed at a location where crowds would pass through – and he was being brought there at this exact time because this was when the crowds would be there. I am reminded of campus outreaches – we set up where the people are, when they are.

Note that the beggar had friends, or more likely, family bring him to this spot each day, at this time. He had likely been doing this for many years. He was a familiar face, and his call for money was a familiar call. Probably the locals in Jerusalem were so used to him that most of them hardly noticed him, and certainly didn’t give to him.

But Jerusalem was the governmental and, more importantly, religious center of the Jewish people. People were always coming from outside Jerusalem for many reasons. And when they were there, if they were reasonably practicing, reasonably observant, they would go to ninth hour prayer themselves. Many of them would intend to sacrifice something for their sin. Some would bring animals; others would purchase animals nearby for this purpose. When you are going to the holy Temple to bring payment for your sin, and you see a beggar who cannot support himself because he is lame, you are probably more likely to give something to him than you would at any other time. And so the beggar probably made a reasonable amount of money by going to this place at this time.

Begging can actually be fairly lucrative. There are horrific stories of people purposely crippling their family members so that the family could make money from the crippled person’s begging. People can also be frauds as they beg. These kinds of issues are common in many parts of the world where begging continues in a widespread way to this day. Of course, begging also occurs in some parts of the US.

But back to our scene. Now their paths cross, Peter and John with the beggar. This meeting was ordained by God before the creation of the Universe. To look more needy, and also for reasons having to do with honor and shame and social standing, the beggar did not look at Peter and John directly while asking them for money. And under normal rules of honor and shame, it was not appropriate for Peter and John to look at the beggar either. Most people when they gave money would toss it at the beggar without looking at him. Some would purposely toss it some distance away, so that the beggar would be forced to scoot to the money, possibly having to avoid being stepped on by the crowd. There were sick people who give money to beggars like this because they thought it entertaining. There were many more people who believed that either this man or his family must have sinned a great sin, and who believed that the man’s physical condition was a result of God cursing them for what they had done.

Jesus repudiated this kind of teaching. We see this in another of Jesus’ miraculous healings:

As He went along, He saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” After saying this, He spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” He told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. – John 9:1-7

And in the same way, we can assume that the lame beggar is this so that, here too, the works of God might be displayed in him. The accounts are similar in other ways. Although Jesus sometimes responded to people after they expressed a desire to be healed, that was not the case here. Jesus simply healed him. And returning to our Acts passage,

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame 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. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 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, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. – Acts 3:1-11

We see something similar here. The first thing that happens is that Peter and John looked straight at him, ignoring the societal rules of honor and shame, and treating the beggar with respect, with honor, as an equal. And Peter expects the man to do the same – to know that one is not above the other, so he tells the man to likewise look at them.

The man was probably pretty excited at this point, because if people who don’t respect him give a medium amount, he could only imagine how much money he might get from people who treated him in this amazing away.

But the man’s expectations were deflated, even if only for the tiniest moment, when he heard Peter say, “Silver and gold I do not have.” And by the way, this is a great half verse to show people who preach the false prosperity gospel. If God never gave Peter and John a Mercedes, why do you think He will give one to you?

Note that Peter and John, like in the passage with Jesus, do not ask the man if he wants to be healed. They do not ask him anything. What was it like to be Peter and John in this situation? We do not know, but I imagine that they had an impression from the Holy Spirit, a certainty that God wanted to use them as conduits to heal this man at this moment. And so Peter finishes his sentence: “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

And Peter grabbed him by the right hand – Greek word here is to seize – it is used when describing an arrest, apprehending someone. Peter pulled him up. And the man experienced instant healing.

Let’s talk more about this healing. This man had been lame from birth. So his muscles were extremely atrophied. His bones were extremely weak – so weak likely that he could not support his standing weight. His brain had never made the neural connections so that he could properly control his legs. He had certainly never learned how to walk, a process that takes little children months to learn. All these things happened instantaneously.

Peter and John barely stopped for this man – they may not have stopped at all. They grabbed him up and went in together into the Temple courts. The man is walking, and jumping, and praising God. He was still a beggar, still in beggar’s clothes. He was recognized – people couldn’t understand what they were seeing. When you see something seemingly impossible, your brain at first refuses to even process the image. This was happening to many on the way into the Temple courts, coming for what they thought was a routine 3 pm Temple event.

The man was holding on to Peter and John. In the great crowd, he didn’t want to lose them. They had utterly changed his life – there was no way he was going to let go of them. This is also a Greek word used to describe an arrest – indeed, it is used in Matthew 26 to describe Jesus’ arrest. And the people began to process what they were seeing, they came toward the three of them – indeed, they ran toward them. This Greek word specifically refers to a group of people running together. This word is used in Mark 6, when the crowds so pressed on Jesus, wanting healings and prayer, that He and the disciples escaped by boat. But despite this, a crowd saw them in the lake and ran together toward them, arriving where they arrived. It was shortly after this that Jesus fed the 5000. What will happen next in our passage? You will have to wait until next week.

I do have a few more things to talk about. First, ever so briefly, let’s talk archaeology. You knew it was coming. As you know, everything was wiped off the Temple Mount at the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. But we have the accounts of Josephus and others to understand many aspects of what it was like after Herod had built up the foundations as he had.

Josephus does not call any of the gates specifically the “Beautiful” gate, but he does write “nine were completely overlaid with gold and silver, and were also their doorposts, but one, that outside the sanctuary, was of Corinthian bronze, and far exceeded in value those plated with silver and set in gold” (War 5.201). The bronze was said elsewhere to have shone like gold. This gate is elsewhere called the Nicanor gate, named after an Alexandrian Jew who either constructed the gate or paid for it to be built. An ossuary, a room where bones were kept, was found on the Mount of Olives bearing a Greek inscription that says “The bones of Nicanor the Alexandrian, who made the doors.” Josephus also tells us that this gate was taller than the other gates and that its weight was so great that it took 20 men to move it.

As for where everyone came running, Solomon’s Colonnade, a covered walkway structure on the east side of the Temple Mount. This is the same location that Jesus spoke to the Jews on the Festival of Dedication, which is actually Hannukah.

Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” – John 10:22-24

Jesus explained that He had told them, but they did not believe. He said much more, and the Jews picked up stones to stone Him, because they understood Him to be saying that He, “a mere man, claim to be God.” After hearing His response, they then tried to seize Him, but He escaped from them. And so, at this same location, people are now running toward Peter, John, and the healed man. The account of Jesus at the same location reminds us that the situation at hand is very volatile. Again, you will need to wait until next week to find out how it turns out.

As for archaeology, the Temple Mount Sifting Project is an archaeological undertaking in which areas on the hillsides of the Temple Mount that were destroyed by the Palestinians are being sifted for items of archaeological value. In 2017, a capital, the stone on the top of a vertical column on which horizontal structures were laid, was found. It is clearly pre-Herodian, likely dating to the time of the Hasmonean dynasty. Based on its structure and the location it was found, the capital almost certainly came from the eastern colonnade, the portion that both Josephus and the New Testament call “Solomon’s Porch” or colonnade. As to the time of its origin, it is believed that the original colonnade, at least the outer wall for it, was indeed made at the time of Solomon, and that Herod, knowing this, did not tear it down and replace it. However, partly due to wear, and also due to how everything was constantly being updated, it appears that at least parts of the colonnade were rebuilt or modified at the time of the Hasmoneans, which was prior to Herod. There were colonnades going around most of the Temple Mount, much of which was made by Herod as he expanded the Temple Mount area westward, northward, and southward. But the eastern side was older, and Josephus says that he did not touch it. He also says that the colonnade on this side was shorter in height than the other sides. It is no surprise that what Herod made, he made bigger than what was already there.

I want to finish today by coming back to what it was like to be a new believer at this time. The miraculous acts of the apostles were certainly drawing crowds to the new believers, and these events gave the apostles opportunities to preach the gospel. But it was the Holy Spirit that made people respond to the message that was preached. It was the Holy Spirit that converted 3000 people on that first day. And it was the Holy Spirit that was adding, day by day, people who were being saved.

Even if miracles are less rare today than they were at the birth of the church, the work of the Holy Spirit in drawing people to repent and put their faith and trust in God continues strongly to this day.

In the past week, the Holy Spirit did something special at Asbury College, a Christian school in Kentucky. This school has a mandatory chapel class, like many Christian schools. And the speaker about a week ago gave a message on Romans 12:9-21, a passage with 30 commands in 13 verses. These are difficult commands, including “Honor one another above yourselves.” “Never be lacking in zeal but keep your spiritual fervor.” “Be patient in affliction.” “Bless those who persecute you.” The message he gave was not especially well orated – he even said that he ran out of time and greatly rushed the main point he wanted to give. What he did say was that you cannot do these things in your own strength – that we must personally experience the love of God before we can love others in the way Romans 12 describes. After the message there were a few worship songs, and then it was over. Some of the students stuck around including some of the musicians, and then one confessed something deeply personal and repented. And then others did the same. And then they started worshipping again.

They never stopped. This has been going for a week straight. Different people take turns leading worship, playing instruments, sharing Scripture, and encouraging others to repent. Some news media picked up on this, and now people are streaming in from all over to experience what is going on.

It is easy to be cynical of things like this, but I have watched some online recordings of what is happening, and it seems legitimately like the work of God. I have seen elements of what is happening in our Faithwalkers conferences – people confessing their sin, coming to faith in Christ, rededicating their lives to God. But there have been times when the Holy Spirit seems to expand the kingdom of God rapidly as many people repent and put their faith in Christ in a short period of time. This is exactly what happened in Acts, and it has happened many other times throughout history. You can read up on the first and second Great Awakenings to learn more. Interestingly, this has happened multiple times at Asbury College, oddly always in February or March. In 1905, a prayer meeting in the men’s dormitory spread out to the rest of campus and on into the nearby town. Revivals, as these things tend to be called, occurred again in Asbury in 1908, 1921, 1950, 1958, 1970, 1992, 2006, and now 2023. The 1950 event received significant news reporting, and it is estimated that 50,000 people either dedicated or rededicated their lives to Christ as a result. The 1970 event led to 2,000 evangelistic teams going out from the school and town to other churches and over 130 college campuses. Many of the people who were impacted by these revivals went on to a life of service dedicated to the Lord. This includes a good number of missionaries. The 1970 event was interconnected with a much larger movement called the Jesus People movement. Fruit of this time included the Calvary Chapel denomination and, arguably, the church movement that led to the establishment of this church as well.

Only God knows what will come of this 2023 event, but I hope and pray that it would lead to a great awakening like those of the past. We live in dark times, and people are wandering farther and farther away from God. May God’s Holy Spirit ignite those in Asbury into a lifetime of service, and may the Holy Spirit likewise guide us and empower us here in Clemson. And may the Lord add to their number, and to our number, those who are being saved.

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