225 – A Crippled Man Healed
Acts 3:1-4:31
One afternoon, Peter and John went to the temple at the time of prayer. There they saw a man begging who had been crippled since he was born. Every day people carried him to a gate called Beautiful so he could beg money from those going into the temple.
Peter stopped in front of the man and said, “Look at me.”
The man looked at him, expecting to get some money. Peter said, “I don’t have money to give you, but I have something better. In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, get up and walk.”
As Peter and John helped the man up, his feet and legs became strong. He stood by himself and then he walked. He even jumped for joy while praising God!
People saw the man walking, and recognized him as the one who was crippled and sat begging at the gate. They gathered around the three men.
Peter said, “This man was healed by the name of Jesus, the one you told Pilate to crucify. You killed Jesus, but God raised him from the dead. We’ve seen him and can tell you—he’s alive.
“Look at this man. He’s standing by the power of Jesus. Turn from your sin and accept Jesus as your Messiah. God will forgive your sins.”
The Jewish rulers found out that Peter and John were preaching to the people, so they sent guards who put the two disciples in prison. Still, many people became followers of Christ. The number of believers increased to over 5,000.
The next morning, the high priest sent for the two men, so they could stand before the council.
The religious leaders asked, “Who gave you the authority to preach to the people?”
The Holy Spirit guided Peter as he answered. “This man was healed by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth—the one you killed on a cross. God raised him from the dead, and he’s the only way of salvation.”
The rulers were amazed at the confidence of Peter and John. Since the two men didn’t have a formal education, they knew their boldness came from being with Jesus.
The council couldn’t say anything about the miracle because the crippled man was standing in front of them. They could see he was healed.
They decided to threaten the disciples and demand that they stop teaching about Jesus. Peter and John didn’t hesitate to answer. “You’re asking us to disobey God so we can obey you. That’s impossible! We know what we’ve seen and heard.”
The leaders eventually released Peter and John. The two men went back to the fellowship of believers and told them what had happened. Everyone rejoiced together. Suddenly the building started to shake, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. With this, they had new boldness to tell others about God’s message.
