Reading scriptures –
Acts 3:1-10
He stood on his feet and started walking. Then he went with them into the temple courtyard, walking, jumping, and praising God.
— Acts 3:8
Have you ever been allowed to go somewhere that was forbidden? Think about a young sports player, the team he has loved since childhood, entering the team’s pregame meeting room for the first time. Or an employee on the floor who has been promoted to sit behind the manager’s desk. Or a group of music lovers who win backstage passes and meet their favorite band.
For the man in our lesson today, the temple courts were forbidden. They were not allowed to join with other people to worship there. Religious leaders barred her from going to the temple because they said her disability – not being able to walk – made her religiously impure. And this meant that he could not gather with God’s people in the temple.
But then came Peter and John. They didn’t have silver or gold, but they had something far more valuable: a living relationship with the risen Jesus. As soon as they healed the man in the name of Jesus, his legs started functioning. He was able to walk and jump. And at last he could praise God in a place that was forbidden to him: the temple courts.
This man’s recovery was a sign that the resurrection of Jesus, which we celebrated earlier this month, had actually occurred. It was also a sign of God’s continued re-creation work in the times to come.
Oh Lord, we seek healing and new life in the name of Jesus. We want Jesus! Thank you for all the ways his resurrection can bring renewal to our lives and your world. Amen.
Author: Dave Den Haan
