Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 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 from those who entered the temple; who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God. (Acts 3:1-9)

When Jesus Changes Your Life

It was common for the lame and blind to be found begging for alms of those who passed by. There were no programs to care for the unfortunate, and families would often have to take their loved ones crushed by physical maladies to places to beg for food. Peter and John found a man who had been crippled since birth begging at one of the gates of the temple. It was a sparse life filled with indignities, shame, and deep sadness. Every day, the lame man was carried by a family member and placed at the temple gate to beg alms. In the evening, the family would retrieve their son or brother until the next day, when the process would be repeated again. The life of the lame man was a pitiful object of compassion, unable to care for himself as a stricken, helpless man suffering from a deformity not of his making.

As Peter and John walked by, the lame man did what he had done for many years. He asked for alms. What moved Peter to decide to heal the man is unknown, but Peter stood fast, looked intently into the expecting eyes of the lame man, and uttered words that would change many lives. The lame man expected some type of alms, but Peter and John had no alms to give. What Peter gave the lame man was eternal hope. He told the man to rise up and walk. How could a man lame from birth suddenly stand up and walk? It was impossible! Taking the man by the right hand and lifting him up, Peter brought the power of the Holy Spirit as testimony of the gospel of Christ. To the man’s astonishment, his feet and ankle bones received strength, and he stood for the first time in his life. The man was so excited that he began to leap about, walking with Peter and John, praising God. Jesus had changed his life.

There were many people who knew the man leaping, and walking was the man born lame from his birth who sat at the gate of the temple. He had been there so long he was easily identifiable. The lame man was not an obscure person but a well-known man in a crowd of beggars sitting at the gate. They were filled with wonder and amazement at the healing of the lame man. There were no doctors who could have healed him. Everyone knew the man was lame from birth, and it was impossible for him to be leaping about and walking; and yet there he was doing the impossible. Peter used the occasion to teach the name of Jesus Christ to an accepting crowd. The core message of the healing of the lame man was the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

When the priests, temple officials, and Sadducees heard what had happened, they arrested Peter and John and placed them in custody. The Jewish leaders did not know how to answer the questions about the lame man now walking and leaping about the temple. In the meantime, many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of men came to be about five thousand souls. Peter healing the lame man changed more than the lame man. There were thousands of people whose lives were changed because of Jesus Christ. They realized the infirmity in their life was sin, and nothing could wash that away but the blood of Jesus Christ. Their healing was the spiritual need of sin, and they obeyed the gospel of Christ.

The same message of the risen Christ is how men can be healed from the crippling disease of sin. Before a person comes to Christ, they are left as beggars in a cruel world that cares nothing for them. There is no hope, no joy, and life’s only promise is a meager promise that will never come true. Life is filled with misery and despair. Sin has dominion, crushing the soul completely. In Peter’s words, nothing will heal the broken heart but Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The lame man knew a life of hardship, but when he was healed, he rejoiced and praised God. When sin is conquered, and the joy of eternal life is found, the heart should rejoice and praise God for the message of redemption in Christ Jesus. The lame man had never walked before. He began his new life by leaping. When the soul has been burdened with sin, salvation must come with rejoicing.

The lame man grew old and died. His healing was lost in death. In Jesus Christ, healing begins an eternal journey. Jesus healed thousands of people, but they all died. Those who came to Jesus for salvation died in faith and found eternal life. When a man comes to Jesus Christ for the cleansing blood of grace, they find an eternal reward that can never be taken away. In the spirit of those who find Jesus Christ, a man walks in Christ, leaping in his spirit for the praise of a wonderful, benevolent God of grace and mercy. Let Jesus heal you of sin. Come to the fountain. Let the blood of Christ cleanse you of sin. Then you will have rejoicing. You might even leap about.