The Lame to Walk - Acts 3:1-11

As the “Praising God” that the disciples and Apostles did after receiving the Holy Ghost, we learned that much time was spent in the temple both because it was a sacred place and because they knew there would be people there who were searching for God. On once such occasion, Peter and John “went together into the temple… and a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple.” This reminds me of what we just read about with the converts living together and having all things common among them. It occurs to me that if the Jewish leadership at the time were really living the Law of Moses, then this man shouldn’t have even been in the streets begging for money, he should have been cared for because of his need. Just like when the City of Enoch was translated, I remember it being described as having no poor, and I thought “wow, it must be easy to be righteous if nobody is poor.” But that’s not the point, the point wasn’t that they were righteous because no one was poor, no one was poor because they were righteous.

Alas, we already know that the true Law of Moses was not being taught in Jerusalem at that time and so there was a man who was disabled who was begging for money so that he wouldn’t starve to death. When Peter and John come close to him, he doesn’t call out to them to save him like others had done with Jesus, but instead he asks them for money, to which Peter answered, “Look on us.” The man can’t be faulted for not recognizing them as the Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ, but this simple invitation to “look on us” is kind of a throw back to when the Israelites were being bitten by venomous serpents so Moses was commanded to raise up a bronze serpent and all the people had to do was look and they would be healed. The people, of course, would know when they looked that they would be asking God for deliverance, but this man didn’t know that deliverance would come from the two men standing in front of him, the scriptures even say that he was expecting them to give him something.
Peter explains to the man that he doesn’t have any money, “but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” Peter gives the command for healing in the name of Christ, if he hadn’t he could have been implying that it was his own power that healed this man, and that might have been tempting for a lot of people. The IM quotes Elder Jeffrey R. Holland as teaching, “Peter had no money but he had riches: ‘such as he had’ included every key to the kingdom of God on earth, priesthood power to raise the dead, faith to strengthen bones and sinews, a strong right hand of Christian fellowship. He could not give silver or gold but he could give that which is always purchased ‘without money and without price’- and he gave it.’”
It almost seems like Peter is missing a step in this healing process because the Savior would usually ask “if you would be healed” or “do you want to be healed” and wait for the person to give their answer. This event didn’t have that exact conversation, so I have to ask myself, did this man really believe that he could be healed, or did Peter just do it? The answer seems clear, of course he had faith or else he couldn’t have been healed, but it’s difficult to accept that conclusion when it appears that this man had only heard about Jesus 2 seconds before being healed. Maybe this guy didn’t have all the information on Jesus but he did believe that he could be healed through the power of God; he believed in miracles, he wasn’t skeptical or bitter or resigned to his fate, he just might not have known where that power was going to come from. Peter couldn’t have known all that of course, but the Spirit did and through the whisperings of the Spirit, the message that this man was worthy was given to Peter.
Another part of the answer to that question comes from the next verse which says, “and he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up.” It doesn’t say that Peter picked this man up or carried him or threw him over his shoulder, it says he “took him by the right hand.” Imaging how this scene would have played out, this man if probably sitting on the ground and Peter is probably either leaning down to extend his hand or crouching so that they are more on the same level. If this man thought that Peter was crazy for even suggesting that he could be healed, then he probably would have recoiled and yelled at the two Apostles to get away from him. But instead of freaking out, he reached out and accepted. I guess that’s what made the biggest difference this man, he wanted to be healed and he fully believed that it was possible, maybe he just didn’t know where it would come from.
As the man took Peter’s hand and was lifted up, “immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.” Let’s take a minute to consider the physical condition of this man as he sat in front of the temple. Since he had never walked in his life, there must have been some sort of deformity that would have prevented the locomotion physically. Because he never walked, he would have had almost no muscle tone in his legs, surely not enough to support his body weight the first time. And while we take for granted the fact that we can walk without conscious effort, this man would have had to undergo probably years of physical therapy in order to “leap.” But just like we saw with the blind who were healed by Christ and immediately had context, the power of God healed this man fully with no trace of his injury behind.
The IM comments, “Considering that this man had been lame from birth, his healing was a remarkable miracle. For the man to leap and to walk would have required that his weak and probably disfigured legs suddenly be made of strong bones and muscles. Also, since he had been lame from birth, he had likely never walked in his life. To now suddenly be able to do so would required balance and physical skills he had never before learned… President Lee said: ‘Now in my mind’s eye I can picture this man, what was in his mind. ‘Doesn’t this man know that I have never walked? He commands me to walk.’ But the biblical record doesn’t end there. Peter just didn’t content himself by commanding the man to walk, but he ‘took him by the right hand, and lifted him up.’
“Will you see that picture now of that noble soul, that chiefest of the apostles, perhaps with his arms around the shoulders of his man, and saying, ‘Now, my good man, have courage, I will take a few steps with you. Let’s walk together, and I assure you that you can walk, because you have received a blessing by the power and authority that God has given us as men, his servants.’ Then the man leaped with joy. You cannot lift another soul until you are standing on higher ground than he is. You must be sure, if you would rescue the man, that you yourself are setting the example of what you would have him be. You cannot light a fire in another soul unless it is burning in your own soul.’”
Of course, everyone that was in the temple that day had walked by this guy and had already seen him. They might have even seen the deformities in his legs, they might have seen the complete lack of muscle, which is something that you can’t fake, you can’t fake having stick legs, and you can’t fake having legs twisted at unnatural angles. But now here he is, walking, with fully formed and developed legs and the mental connections to move them enough to jump, now that’s crazy. All these people who were now watching this man “were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him,” and all the people came running to Peter and John “in that porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.”
Peter’s response to all these people is one of cynicism. He basically tells them, “why are you so surprised to see this miracle? Our own personal power didn’t heal this man.” They had seen so many miracles like this happen before with Jesus, that maybe it hadn’t been special anymore because it was so common place. But then you have other people performing the same miracles and suddenly it hits a little closer to home. If the Son of God is performing those miracles, well, of course he is because he’s a God, but then a regular guy off the boat is doing the same thing, and suddenly this is a power for regular people such as you, and that’s a game changer.