Scripture:
Acts 3:24-26 “Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
Observation:
Peter’s brief speech to the witnesses of the healing of the cripple in Acts 3 began with self-deprecation – stating that he and John had NO power in themselves to do what was done. But it quickly turned into an historical account of the death of Christ with a powerful evangelistic invitation to saving faith. The greatly venerated pointers – the prophets – during the long history of the nation had given witness to the present events. The coming of Jesus was the culmination of all the promises given to the people of God. At once this connected with the people gathered in the holy place where the words of the prophets were recited and honored AND gave those words new life that applied directly to what had been just seen. Peter then cited the word of God to Abraham concerning the offspring the old man was to father. It could not have been said about Peter’s and John’s day that the descendents of Israel had been a particular blessing for all peoples of the earth. If anything, they had either been reclusive enemies or badly degraded sinners, worse than the nations they displaced, as announced by the prophets. But now it was to be so, that Israel would headquarter and spawn a movement that would reach around the world with blessing. Peter spoke this before the missionary journeys had begun, but he spoke it with authority. And the action they were to take? Repent, turn from sin. For without that turning they would never be able to even believe, let alone walk in the promised blessing. This part of the message aligned with the earlier one of John the Baptist, whose wilderness mikvahs (ceremonial Jewish cleansing of sin) were well-known as preparatory to coming of Messiah. THEN the blessing would come.
Application:
All miracles, starting with the miracle of my faith in Christ, are meant to point to Jesus. They are neither accomplished in a vacuum nor given to only make someone well or break the laws of nature. If I get that motivation wrong then I should expect no miracles and be satisfied with a theoretical faith. Also suspicion is due towards those who accomplish or claim to accomplish great miraculous works apart from Christ and disregarding His purposes. Peter was quick to point away from himself – so should any person used to perform God’s mighty works. And the message is not a namby pamby “God loves us all so He does nice things” presentation. No, the gospel was given for hard sinners. Healing is performed on those dirtied by their own malice and greed and pride and debauchery, like me. It is the utter unworthiness of the recipients of grace that makes it so radical. And it is a mockery to conclude that any person deserves the blessing of God. Any such statement fails – even obstinately – to understand holiness. But also miracles are given to include people – God did NOT stop performing miraculous signs though the nation of Israel had crucified Christ. The death of Christ was not an end, it was a beginning. It would turn the ingrown people of Israel into a force for worldwide blessing. It would, in essence, conquer Rome, but not politically and according to neither the schedule of humans nor parties nor armies. The “offspring of Abraham” would then apply to a very wide group of ethnicities as spiritual progeny where spawned everywhere. Do I have that same zeal? Has my faith become ingrown and stale? Do I shrink back in fear of being found out? I need to know the blessing I bear and give it copiously and commonly. For this I was born .. and born again.
Prayer:
Father, it is a great move You have instrumented and orchestrated. Let me find my place in it with ever more certainty. In Jesus’ name, amen.
