Who
healed the Crippled Beggar?
Here in the story, this
person is without hope. He is very desperate in his life. He is leading a
dejected and miserable life. The routine in his life has no charm and is very dull.
His future seems to be very dark. Every time he looks very sad, there is no
happiness in his life. There is no change in his daily life.
Today also he is in the
same condition. Mentally prepared, that today also he has to beg. Request
people to give him something with so many questions at the back of his mind, whether
he will get sufficient for his livelihood, by what time he will have to sit
here, who will take him back, home and so on.
Today, again he is
putting his best efforts to beg and earn more and more for his livelihood. He
is busy in his business. He is begging loudly to draw attention of the people
towards him, going into the temple. In the meantime he saw two people going into
the temple. He shouts loudly, so that these two men may hear his voice and give
him something before entering into the temple.
He is trying to draw
attention of these two men in order to get something from them. These two men hear
his voice and also see to him and quickly understand that what does this lame beggar
wants from them. Though these two men are going to the temple but still they
spare sometime for this lame beggar.
Understanding the
situation, one of the two men clarifies to him that they don’t have silver and
gold with them to give him. Hearing this beggar is again disappointed and
leaves all his hope of getting anything from these two men. But the first man
assures him that he will give him what he has.
The beggar is again
hopeful. He might be thinking that at least he may receive some coins from
these two men. No problem something is better than nothing. He is going to get
something but again there are so many questions arising in his mind. What will
they give? How much they will give? Will it be sufficient for him? Etc.
He is unaware of the
fact that what is going to happen with him after a few moments. He doesn’t know
about Gods planning. Today, God has a special plan for him. Today God wants to
use this lame beggar as an instrument for His Glory. God not only wants to use
the lame beggar but He wants to use these two men also for His glory by using
them for doing something for this lame beggar in His name.
All of a sudden one of
the two men with authority and in a loud voice says In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. He holds
the lame beggar by the right hand and lifted him up.
For some time the lame
beggar is confused. He is unable to understand what this man is doing with him.
Why he started shouting? Why this man is pulling my hand? What does he wants
from him?
But immediately the lame
beggar understands that what is happening, when he realizes that he is not
sitting but standing on his own feet. When he feels strength is his feet and
ankle bones. When leaping up he stood up. For a moment he must have thought
that he is dreaming.
Since his birth he must
have never thought that someday he will stand on his own feet and walk. O,
today he will go back to his home running. Ah! Tomorrow he doesn’t have to come
here. Now he doesn’t need any ones help? Now he can go anywhere, at any time.
He is thinking that these
men told him that they don’t have silver and gold. If they would have given me
silver and gold, that would have helped me for few days only. Now what he has
received from them is for the entire life.
Having all this in his
mind, Instead of going here and there, he preferred to follow these two men’s to
the temple walking, leaping and praising God. Because he knew that these two
men were not ordinary men. They had something very special, which others going
to the temple, do not have.
Today he is very happy.
All his hopelessness, desperateness, sadness and darkness in life have gone
away. Today his lameness and poverty have ended. He is experiencing so many new
and good things all together.
Please read the complete
incidence from the Bible in Acts 3:1-10 which says “Now Peter and John went up together into the
temple at the hour of prayer, being 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 of them that entered into the temple; Who
seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter,
fastening his eyes on him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed to
them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold
have I none; but such as I have give I 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. And he leaping
up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and
leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the
temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had
happened to him.”
Today the life of this
lame beggar was changed just because of these two men, because they spare few
moments with the lame beggar. Today all of us want things to be changed. Many
people in this world are having worse condition than this lame beggar (not in
terms of physical disability, but mental thinking).
Do
we spare our time for them?
I think 70% - 80% of us
will say NO. There are so many people in our surroundings that need little bit
of our time and attention. If we guide them, show them the right path, I don’t say
that all of them will change but few of them will definitely change. And any
change in this world is possible in the name of Jesus Christ. All of us have to
think over it.
This is very true that
silver and gold can change things for some time, but the name of Jesus Christ
change life forever. If we consider the life of a lame beggar, before he was
healed was lame and very weak, he was dependent on others, he was desperate because
he was physically challenged as well as financially weak and a requester
because every time he required help from others whether physically or
financially.
The same situation is
among so many people around us. They are weak, dependent, desperate and
requester. We can change their lives as Peter and John changed the life of a
lame beggar. Though they were going to the temple to worship but still they
spared some of their time with the lame beggar and healed them in the name of
Jesus.
They felt that healing
that lame beggar was more important as compared to praise and worship because Mathew 25:34-46
says “Then shall
the King say to them on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an
hungered, and you gave me meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a
stranger, and you took me in: Naked, and you clothed me: I was sick, and you
visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me. Then shall the righteous
answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we you an hungered, and fed you? or thirsty,
and gave you drink? When saw we you a stranger, and took you in? or naked, and
clothed you? Or when saw we you sick, or in prison, and came to you? And the
King shall answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, In as much as you have
done it to one of the least of these my brothers, you have done it to me. Then
shall he say also to them on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungered,
and you gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink: I was a
stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you clothed me not: sick, and in
prison, and you visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord,
when saw we you an hungered, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or
in prison, and did not minister to you? Then shall he answer them, saying,
Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these,
you did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but
the righteous into life eternal.”