Wednesday 27 April 2011

Background

Acts chapter 2 ends with a summary of the early days of theChurch (Acts 2:43-47): the events of Pentecost haveresulted in a Spirit-led movement of thousands of joyful believers,in and around Jerusalem. We are given the impression of a churchspreading and growing rapidly. Chapter 3 is to be seen within thecontext of those early days. Worshipping God at the temple inJerusalem was part of the practice of those who were part ofJesus-movement (see Acts2:46). Those who were to be known as Christians had not yetbroken away from Judaism. Their teaching up to this point had beenabout the resurrection of Jesus being a continuation and fulfilmentof what God had begun in his people Israel - it was not aboutstarting a new religion.

Today's passage focuses on one particular disabled man - "lame frombirth" (verse 2). In the absence of a welfare state, those whocould not look after themselves and had no family to do so, wouldoften have to beg to make a living. Almsgiving was an importantpart of Jewish religious duties, and so the man was helped to hisregular spot at the temple gate: not only a prime touristattraction, but the major place of worship. Notice the term used:he was not 'begging' as such, but 'asking for alms' (verse 2), andyet there was still a lack of dignity about it - highlighted in thelittle detail that the man apparently wouldn't look people in theeye, and that disabled people weren't allowed to play a full partin religious life.

Enter Peter and John. The first thing they do is seek to restorethe man's dignity. Peter didn't pretend he hadn't seen him, or turnaway in disgust. He stopped and gazed at him. And then said, "Lookat us" (verse 4) - don't hide your face away in shame. When theireyes met there was no convenient lie ("Sorry, I haven't got anychange"), but only the innocent words of one who, in faith,believes he has so much more to offer than money. Peter, who hadwitnessed his friend and master heal on numerous occasions, was nowthe instrument of God's grace. What Peter had to offer, he gave tothe lame man: dignity, a human touch, and an invitation to walk inthe name of Jesus the Messiah from Nazareth.

It's this name which will crop up again and again in the Acts ofthe Apostles (as when the new believers were told to be baptized inthe name of Jesus Christ). In the ancient world, a person's namewas generally understood to represent that person, and so it wouldbe understood by Peter and John that in fact it was Jesus whohealed the man. His work goes on! Just as before, Jesus reaches outto the excluded and marginalised. If people are to be kept fromentering God's house then God will come out on the streets to meetthem! The unbridled joy of the man now healed was reminiscent of somany previous miracles. And the man who sat in the same spotoutside the temple for years would, of course, be recognised byalmost every Jewish person in the city. What an advert!

To Ponder

Read Isaiah35:3-6. How does this relate to what God is beginning to dothrough Jesus and his movement of followers?

How important are names today? What lengths wouldyou go to 'clear your name' if someone threatened to slander it?How do you feel when you hear someone use the name of Jesus as aswear-word?

Our churches are now much more accessible topeople with physical disabilities (although there's always room forimprovement). But just how accessible is the church to those whocannot come to worship because they must work on Sundays? Or tothose whose appearance or lifestyle wouldn't fit? Or to those whoseown culture makes it very difficult to adapt to thewell-established culture of 'church'? What steps need to be takento restore their dignity and how can we show God's grace tothem?