The lame man in Acts 3 is hopeless without Jesus. He has friends who help him come to a gate of the Temple so he can beg. He has never walked and has no way to make a living in his culture. He must depend on the handouts of generous Jews. It would have been a shameful way to survive. When Peter and John came to the Temple, he asked them for some money.
Acts 3: 4 Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. 6 But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” [1]
Immediately, this man could walk and jump because Jesus had healed him. Peter and John had been given the authority to do so by Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit. The power of Jesus supernaturally changed a hopeless situation.
A Parallel to Salvation
We are in awe of what a believing disciple could do in the name of Jesus. But the healing of this beggar also gives us a picture of what happens when we come to salvation in Jesus. Without Jesus, we have hopeless lives that will end in eternal death. But Jesus’ work on the cross enables believers to have a restored life here on earth and for eternity.
Here is a table of the parallels between the healing of the beggar and our salvation:
Hopeless to Hopeful
Acts 3 does not give us details of how the healing changed the beggar’s life. But he would no longer need to beg. That was a hopeless, shameful way to live, but now he could lead a productive life. He had hope for the future, both here on this earth and for eternity.
We, too, have hope for our future as we believe in Jesus and allow Him to heal us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We have the promise of a Savior who never leaves us and walks through the suffering of life with us. It is hopeless without Jesus, but with Him we have the hope of eternal life. To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/the-healed-beggar
[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ac 3:4–8). Tyndale House Publishers.