THE GREATER NEED!

Tuesday 10 December

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. Acts 3: 4-8 (NKJV)

This is the story about the lame man that was healed at the gate called Beautiful. Jesus no doubt had passed by that gate when He went to the temple in Jerusalem. The man was begging for money. Maybe he was too distracted to notice Jesus walking by or maybe he didn’t believe that Jesus was the Christ. The Bible doesn’t say.

On this occasion however it was after Jesus resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father. Peter and John were passing by the same gate. I like to think that Jesus purposely left this lame beggar especially for this miraculous moment. Anyway, this brings us to verse 4.

Peter didn’t have anything to give this man in the way of money that day. This doesn’t mean Peter was broke. He may have just not had money with him at that particular moment. Again, the Bible doesn’t say. John was with him and may have had money but it is unlikely as he was the disciple who understood love the most and it is probable that he would have generously given what he had to the man. The Bible is silent however on these incidentals.

It is interesting to note that the man thought Peter was going to give him something for his need which was the only reason he gave Peter and John his undivided attention. As courageous as Peter was, he must have been a little nervous because he used Jesus’ former titles in the gospels which were Jesus the Christ and Jesus of Nazareth to command the man to rise up and walk. God still honoured Peter’s step of faith. Don’t think that everything that was said and done in the gospels was right. It’s called the early church for a reason. They were still learning. It’s called grace.

It seems like John let the elder Peter take the lead. Out of Peter and the lame man, Peter was the only one who saw the the greater need. The man could only see the urgency for his immediate needs to be met. He lost sight of what was his greater need; to walk. This lame man is not unlike many people today. They are so distracted by the the urgent matters of life that they are in denial or blinded to the reality of what is important.

Without Peter having the understanding by the Spirit of what that man truly needed, the miracle would not have happened. We need more ‘Peters’ in the Body of Christ today. People that will be bold to declare the healing power of Jesus over those who may not otherwise experience the raw power and love of God. We need to be filled constantly with the Spirit so we are ready to be a conduit for Jesus to flow through.

What about you? Are you only giving to meet the immediate needs of others and forgetting their greater need, i.e. salvation in Christ? Remember Without Him there is no hope or meaning to life. Let’s all ‘encourage one another to love and good works’ so we can make a lasting impact on our world for the Lord Jesus Christ the ultimate example of one who always saw and ministered to the greater need.

APPLICATION

Pray in tongues regularly so you will ‘always be ready to have an answer for the hope that lies within you’ and recognise opportunities to minister to those who are ready to receive salvation, which is the greatest need.