A Healer

10/14/2015

Acts 3.16 And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all. – St. Peter

I’m not sure about the rest of the world, but I know here in the west, particularly in the US, we’ve built really complex lives based on lifestyles that aren’t all that sustainable. I see that many are goaded by advertising which drives them toward a façade of a perfect life. In the end what suffers is, we sacrifice life for what we want, not what we need.

In the land of plenty we have want. In the land of opportunity we have lack. Our problem is we believe that we can have it all. But we fall miserably short in our quest, and spend much of our effort trying to attain to something which isn’t real. Our lives are so full that we have no room for God.

A beggar, centuries ago, sat outside the Temple of God in Jerusalem because he was lame and could not walk. He probably dreamed of a better life and spent all of his time and energy trying to get there. Saints Peter and John walked past him one day and, apparently sought out the man’s attention – he begged but didn’t even really look at those from whom he wanted gifts; he banked on compassion.

The man had a system all worked out based on his understanding of human compassion: he knew people would feel sorry for him and give him money to help him meet his daily needs which he could not meet on his own. He never dreamed he’d encounter Peter and John. And they offered him something he never conceived of, and he accepted what they offered: perfect health.

I’m not sure what happened to him in the days following his healing. I’m not sure if he understood the impact of what he’d received. All I know is for a while in this cold, dark world, something changed in him and he only had God to thank for it all.

What would it take, in our lives today, to un-complicate them from the crippled-ness with which we live? We may actually be physically crippled. Or we may just be fooled into thinking all which is offered to us by our culture, is really true, and our lives can really be better if… Can we believe for a moment that the lame beggar in Acts 3 was healed of his condition both physically and spiritually? Advertising is not the problem, the human heart is; someone is banking on what our hearts are, and what we’ll give in return.

The lame beggar received perfect health, did his heart change as well? First century people were probably different than twenty-first century people in some ways, but the human heart is always just about the same…it needs a Healer. People are smart, clever, and resourceful; always banking on something. Begging at the Temple was a means to an end. The heart needs to be changed and regardless, of then or now, we have always need for a Healer.

Lord, like the saints of old, I pray to be sensitive to the hearts of people and their needs. May I always offer what I can, but may I also always offer what they need: a Healer. That Healer is You. Amen.