Introduction
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God, born of the Virgin through the Holy Spirit. He was crucified and died on the cross to pay the ransom for all our sins. He was buried in the tomb, and rose in the body from the dead on the third day, and ascended into heaven to the Father in His bodily form, and now is seated at the right hand of God the Father. In His Word, our Lord Jesus Christ, the beloved Son of God, tells us a wonderful parable about the kingdom of the heavens: “Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a man, a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, and having found one very costly pearl, having gone, he sold all things as many as he had, and bought it.” Matthew 13:45-46.
As Christians, we hold in our hearts this very costly pearl, which is the most valuable gift a person could have: the Lord Jesus Christ. This gift is something we can offer to everyone on earth. Anyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God and follows His teachings will receive the promise of eternal life with Him in the kingdom of heaven.
Comments on Acts 3:1-10
The Lord Jesus is now seated at the right hand of the Father, and He bestows the gift of the Holy Spirit baptism upon all true believers who seek and believe in this precious gift. In the Book of Acts, we see how the Lord God Almighty performed numerous miraculous works by the hands of the apostles and the disciples of the Lord Jesus after they were baptized in the Holy Spirit. In this article, we will explore a remarkable miracle described in Acts 3:1-10. This passage teaches us the important lesson of sharing the precious gift we have in our hearts—the Lord Jesus—with those whom the Lord brings into our lives.
Acts 3:1 Now Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
It was a custom of people to go at specific hours to glorify the Lord and ask questions from the Lord, but most of the time, the priest would answer.
2 And a certain man, being lame from his mother's womb, was being carried, whom they laid every day at the door of the temple called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered into the temple;
It was common for those who were sick to be placed in front of the gate of the temple, so when people came in to worship the Lord, they would have pity and give money to them.
3 who seeing Peter and John about to enter into the temple, asked to receive almsgiving.
4 Now Peter, looking intently upon him, with John, said, Look to us.
When someone is looking at a person who is entering to worship God in a temple, that person expects the Lord to work in their heart to have mercy, and here in this place, this person expects the same thing, but he also expects mercy from the Lord Himself to give him.
5 And he paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.
6 However, Peter said, Silver and gold I have none; however, what I have, this I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!
As the verse says, the treasure of this world the disciples did not carry with them, but what they have in their hearts is the beloved Son of God; you all come and receive Him. The most valuable and powerful gift the apostle can offer to all is the beloved Son of God for your souls.
7 And having taken him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and the ankles were strengthened.
“And having taken him by the right hand.” Here, the Lord uses humans to do His work. When the disciple gives the hand to lift the person up, the Lord also gives the hand to lift him up.
“He raised him up.” Imagine the picture when someone is lifted up without expecting it; here, the Lord has given confidence to the person to follow and stand up, but the person is also thinking, what for?
“And immediately his feet and the ankles were strengthened.” The verse tells all humans that the miracle work of God has been performed in this place; for a person who has never felt some parts of the body, suddenly the body has responded to the word of God, energy has come, the Lord has given strength and energy for the muscles and bones themselves to be whole and awake.
8 And leaping up, he stood and began walking; and he entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
“And leaping up, he stood and began walking.” Give attention to what the verse says: the person who was lame from birth was walking and leaping suddenly; this verse tells all humans that miracles happen with God, and whoever has questions about miracles, here is the proof where it has been written that God performs miracles.
“And he entered with them into the temple.” The first place this person goes is to the temple. The mind of the lame man, when being healed, has walked to the temple, and here is the proof of what the man's heart had in it.
“Walking, and leaping, and praising God.” Let those who are healthy give attention. This person is healthy and praising God after being ill for a long time, but you who have been healthy always do you give glory to God?
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God;
10 and they recognized him, that he was the one sitting for the alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that having happened to him.
“And they recognized him ...” The eyes of people saw a miracle, and amazement came upon their hearts; God Almighty performed a magnificent miracle for the eyes of people to see it; they are not told only about miracles from their forefathers anymore; they see it now with their own eyes.
“And they were filled with wonder ...” The miracle made people wonder as well because they all knew what condition this person was in; people saw the lame leaping and praising God, so his actions touched the hearts of people; human eyes witnessed the miracle of God by themselves.
The message in this passage of the Bible is that when we share the Lord Jesus and act in the name of the Lord, He is present to heal and assist through our efforts to help others. The Lord Jesus desires to work through us, extending His hand to those in need and guiding them toward His kingdom. Sharing our faith is our true duty on earth: to allow our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to use us in His service.
Conclusion
As followers of the Lord Jesus, we may not possess much in terms of earthly treasures, like money or valuable possessions, but we hold in our hearts the most precious treasure of all—our Savior and Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the giver of eternal life, and we should share this invaluable gift with all those whom the Lord opens a door for us to witness to. The treasure we carry within us is powerful enough to save every soul from the torment of hell and lead them into the kingdom of light. We should all pray for ourselves to be available for the kingdom of the beloved Son of God and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in our daily lives, so that we can become His true light in this world.
Meditation Tasks
- Our hope is in the soon return of our Lord Jesus, who will establish His kingdom, allowing us all to join Him. Keep this hope alive by praying every day for His kingdom to come. For more insights, please read our article, “The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
- We encourage all readers to explore our article titled, “Teachings about the Kingdom of Heaven, Spiritual Reward, Persecutions, and Woes.”