“But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”—He said to the paralytic—
“I say to you, get up, and, picking up your stretcher, go home.”
Good News of Luke 5:44
Of course, a paralyzed man obeying Jesus’ command to ‘get up and walk’ is a miracle to the man who can now stand up and walk AND a sign of God to those who witness it!
Who can say such a thing to one born handicapped?
And immediately he rose up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. And astonishment seized them all and they began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying,
And it happened that one day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing.
After having healed others as well Jesus answered the Prophet John who had been baptizing in the wilderness of Judea with Good News sent by his messengers:
“Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM.
Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.” - Gospel of Luke 7:22b-23, LSB
But of course, these signs from the LORD God to the Jews were done by JESUS the Messiah.
These signs for the Jews where witnessed in regions of Roman Syria AND that had been years ago.
It’s about two decades later that Paul and Barnabas will enter Lystra.
But when Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him, he said, “Look at us!” – Acts 3:4
And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. And leaping up, he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
And all the people saw him walking and praising God; and they were recognizing him, that he was the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. – Acts of the Apostles 3:
More recent signs from God
Keep in mind that Luke's two-part account of these events is recorded for a Roman-Hellenist world after A.D. 60,
+ some thirty years after Jesus' resurrection [~A.D. 30],
+ perhaps twenty-five years after Saul's encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus,
+ about seven years [~A.D. 40] after the Apostle Peter baptizes a Roman Centurion in Caesarea Syria.
It’s a command of some significance — a command by faith also used by Peter and the Lord Jesus. And it is part of what the Apostle Paul is about to say to the lame man in Lystra.
to rise, stand up
of persons lying down, of persons lying on the ground
of persons seated
of those who leave a place to go elsewhere [of those who prepare themselves for a journey]
of the dead
GOD’S signs have many witnesses among the gentiles by the time Barnabas and Saul enter Lystra.
And at Lystra a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mother’s womb, who had never walked.
This man listened to Paul as he spoke, who, when he fixed his gaze on him and saw that he had faith to be [made well] said with a loud voice,
“Stand upright on your feet.”
Acts 14:10 of Paul commanding a lame man in Lystra
And he leaped up and began to walk.
And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language,
“The gods have become like men and have come down to us.”
Acts of the Apostles 14:11b – LSB
In fact, these Lycaonian pagans were partially right.
For the Gospel of Paul and Barnabas would reveal that the One God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ sent his only Son down to us for redemption of sins for those who have faith to believe — even pagan gentiles.
“Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?
Luke 3:1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod [Antipas] was tetrarch of Galilee and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis ..
(No, not that Philip, whose wife Herodias his brother Herod Antipas took as his own wife.)
Jesus chose Twelve Apostles at the beginning His ministry in Galilee. The Apostle Philip was one of the Twelve.
Philip has been an Apostle for about five years now.
The year c. A.D. 32 or 33.
(But it’s not that Philip, either. Don’t get confused like I did.)
When Simon Peter healed a lame man and spoke at Solomon’s Portico just two years ago, Philip would have observed the entire miracle. (Actually, two men named Philip may have been present.)
As the church grew rapidly, the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples, asking them to choose seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom to lead in ministering to the Church: Steven, Philip and five others.
(Yes, this other brother Philip, a leading deacon of the Church, second in the list of seven, is known as Philip the Evangelist.)
So now after Stephen’s trial, the Church in Jerusalem faces imminent persecution.
Philip heads back north through the mountains of Judea, traveling one of their usual routes to Galilee through Samaria.
Samaria was destroyed by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE, and again by the Hasmonean king John Hyrcanus in 108 B.C. The city was rebuilt by Herod the Great between the years 30–27 B.C. According to Josephus, Herod expanded and renovated the city, bringing in 6,000 new inhabitants, and renamed it “Sebastia” in the emperor’s honor (translating the Latin epithet Augustus to Greek Sebastos, “venerable”). – Source: Wikipedia
We will return to Luke's chronology shortly, but lets begin with a parallel timeline from his account of events in *Sebastia from the perspective of its people.
The ‘not so good’ *Samaritan
..there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery [μαγεύω] in the city and astonished the people of *Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.”
the name given by the Babylonians (Chaldeans), Medes, Persians, and others, to the wise men, teachers, priests, physicians, astrologers, seers, interpreters of dreams, augers, soothsayers, sorcerers etc.
the oriental wise men (astrologers) who, having discovered by the rising of a remarkable star that the Messiah had just been born, came to Jerusalem to worship him
a false prophet and sorcerer
Luke had begun his account with Philip's departure from Jerusalem following the execution of Stephen.
Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming the [Messiah] Christ to them.
Philip leaves for *Samaria fully aware its reputation. He's been there before and passed through the town many times. And Jesus had illustrated general Jewish thought about this city and these northern tribes in the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
Miracles and Signs by Philip
6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed;
Philip, along with the Apostles and many other disciples following the Lord had witnessed Jesus’ power to command evil spirits. Peter healed a lame manin Jerusalem, just one of several Apostolic signs of power. Now we learn of Philip’s miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit.
and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.
ACTS (of the Apostle philip) 8:7b – NKJV
GOOD vs. EVIL!
Scripture records several contests similar to Philip’s opposition. Some of these contests between God (good) and evil have taken place on this very mountain where Philip encounters Simon Magus.
False prophets and idolaters deceive others by spirits (i.e. demons, devils, angels) from all that is evil.
Our 21st century Christian minds easily dismiss powers we cannot explain.
Do you really believe in such powers of the spiritual realms?
Acts reveals the Power of the HolySpirit [πνεῦμα].
“You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy SpiritG4151; you are doing just as your fathers did. – Acts 7:51
But he, being full of the Holy SpiritG4151, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God – Acts 7:55
They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit G4151!” – Acts 7:59
The HOLY SPIRIT of the ONE GOD, WHO IS One with God the Father and the One begotten Son Christ Jesus, works for good in the hearts and lives of sinful men and women like us once we turn to Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
Acts of the Apostles is a first century account of a continuing battle between Good and Evil.
The Good News (Gospel) of the Lord’s death and resurrection is that JESUS will win this war.
Simon Covets Philip’s Power
Of course this power is not from Philip, but from the Holy Spirit.
11 They [the Samaritans] were attentive to him {Simon] because he had amazed them with his sorceries for a long time. But when they believed Philip, as he proclaimed the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.
13 Even Simon himself believed. And after he was baptized, he followed Philip everywhere and was amazed as he observed the signs and great miracles that were being performed.
Philip’s signs are more powerful than the power of Simon Magus, who the Samaritans called, ‘the great power of God!’
Was Simon’s baptism a complete turning from evil and a permanent cleansing?
Did Simon receive the Holy Spirit
(even as Ananias and Saphira had claimed, yet sought to deceive the Holy Spirit and other believers)?
Luke tell us: 16 ‘They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Baptism alone does not make you any more faithful to Jesus than Ananias and Saphira OR Judas.
Philip continues teaching of new believers in Samaria with great success.
Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem..
14 When the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
Why Peter and John?
About eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter, John, and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.
Peter, James and John know the Person of Jesus more intimately than the other nine Apostles.
These three comprised an inner-circle of leadership for the Lord Jesus.
The Twelve in turn lead other disciples (hundreds of them at times), so that now these Apostles lead a growing Church.
The Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven! (At the conclusion of Luke’s Gospel and opening of ACTS of the Apostles, leadership passes to them.)
Simon Peter leads this inner circle of the Apostles, all of the Twelve (including Mathias), Jerusalem’s seven deacons (including Stephen and Philip); and NOW [c. A.D. 33] many disciples of Jesus beyond Jerusalem as they, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel.’
Peter and John join Philip in Samaria
ACTS 8:15 After they went down there, they prayed for them so that the Samaritans might receive the Holy Spirit because he had not yet come down on any of them..
Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Apparently Simon is not of one accord with these new believers in Samaria. So the magician has missed out on the blessings of the Holy Spirit;
But the powerful always covet more power.
18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying,
“Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
If Simon’s story had ended here
Would you recognize this false prophet, a teacher with power?
Do you realize that such a man must bow down to the LORD God or face judgment with eternal consequence?
Does Scripture not warn us how to handle such sheep in the designer clothing of wolves?
ACTS of the First Century Church
Stephen had just called out such false leaders in Jerusalem! For two years now the Apostles have demonstrated signs from God to Jerusalem’s leaders. Revenge and persecution fill its political streets.
These leaders of the Great City of religion misused Scripture. AND false accusation meant to silence opposition to the Truth of the Gospel, resulted in their false leadership condemning Stephen to death!
The Lord Jesus Christ had warned of others to come. Simon Magnus could have been one of the first.
“And many false prophets will rise up and mislead many people.
YOU want such power, right? To make a lame man stand? Heal someone’s cancer? Help someone paralyzed with pain to get up and walk once more? Even to save a young man or woman from death? (Stephen was just thirty years old)
So did Simon, who like so many just offered to pay Peter for such POWER.
“Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
ACTS 8:19 NIV – Simon’s request to Peter
PETER would have none of it.
20 But Peter replied,
“May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought! You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right with God.
23 for I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin.”
24 “Pray to the Lord for me,” Simon exclaimed, “that these terrible things you’ve said won’t happen to me!”
Returning to the scene of the crimes against Christ and His Church:
25 After testifying and preaching the word of the Lord in Samaria, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem. And they stopped in many Samaritan villages along the way to preach the Good News.
ACTS of Philip (the Deacon Evangelist): TO BE CONTINUED...
You may have had a beggar at your door recently. My new neighbor asked me if he should expect any ‘trick or treaters’ invading our neighborhood. Probably not, I responded. We generally have sweets here for ourselves that I could give away to a beggar, I assured. But he thought it might be best to go out and buy some treats just in case.
My neighbor then left to buy some sweets so as to not disappoint some little child at his door expecting a blessing.
Continuing in Jerusalem from where we last left Peter:
You may ask what my neighbor buying a treat to bless some little beggar at his door has to do with Peter and the Apostles as they enter into the gates and public courtyards of the Temple in Jerusalem.
I can think of more than one parallel to our 21st century walk as disciples of Jesus Christ.
So as we resume our journey with Simon Peter in Acts of the Apostles, don’t miss the Apostles’ hearts of graciousness accompanying the powerful signs of the Holy Spirit continuing to attract crowds to yet another sermon by Peter.
Luke’s account begins with a brief look back at his first account, the Gospel.
To these [the Apostles] He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days.. – Acts 1:3a
[The risen Christ Jesus had assured them] “..but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.” – Acts 1:8
The Apostle Simon Peter has already preached to the crowds:
Peter stood up among the brothers and sisters (a group of about 120 people was there together) [in an upper room in Jerusalem]. – Acts 1:15b
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. – Acts 2:2
.. they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with different [languages], as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out.. [Those in the crowds of Jerusalem were amazed and asked each other] And how is it that we each hear them in our own [dialectin] which we were born? – Acts 2:4,7,8 excerpt
But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, [preaching in the power of the Holy Spirit from Old Testament scripture]:
And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;
Acts 2:14a, 17a – Simon Peter preaching to the crowds of Pentecost in Jerusalem from the prophet Joel
[Simon tells the crowds: ] ..he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. It is this Jesus whom God raised up, a fact to which we are all witnesses. – Acts 2:32
.. the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He has poured out this which you both see and hear.
Into this context and setting in first century Jerusalem we continue with Simon Peter and the Eleven as they obediently have remained in Jerusalem and the church continues to grow.
Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.
44 And all the believers were together
and had all things in common;
45 and they would sell their property and possessions
and share them with all, to the extent that anyone had need.
46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple,
and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and
having favor with all the people.
HERE ARE SINNERS REPENTANT, BLESSING EACH OTHER AND OTHERS — DAILY — IN WORSHIP AND COMMUNITY.
THIS is the WITNESS OF THE CHURCH to ALL who encounter them, THAT, an evidence and sign in itself.
And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
The Day of Pentecost is past and three thousand souls have been worshiping day by day with the Apostles.
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
What will be the next ACT of the Apostles Peter and John?
Christian Witness with an Everyday Beggar
Imagine it — this is no child at your door, a costumed beggar charming you out of some candy.
NO, these desperate men of no means were as familiar at the entrances and exits of the public places as defeated men by the highway having no place to go with temporary signs – beggars asking alms of ANY who might help the invisible poor.
Yet Luke reveals that this beggar must had friends. They carried him to the place of worship daily. Or perhaps these men were part of his family who relied on his help by generated mercy of others.
The crowds who passed him by knew who he was; NOT a child, but a man handicapped from birth. No fault of his, but what could they do?
And mostly, their alms on occasion made them feel a little better about their own charity to him.
Note: Peter and John do not simply give the man something (or look away from him and move on, but the Apostles engage this beggar in conversation of lasting consequence.
Peter and John had witnessed the power of Jesus’ compassion
The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; but the one who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”
Now the seventy-two returned with joy, saying,
“Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name!”
Turning to the disciples, He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see the things you see..
Eternal Life
25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
26 He said unto him, What is written in the law?
Jesus engages the man in conversation, meaningful conversation which the Lord illustrates with the now familiar to us parable of the Good Samaritan. (Remember, Judeans did not particularly like the Jews from Samaria and those from other distant states or regions.)
“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers..
But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion.”
Gospel of Luke 10:30b,33 CSB + Jesus addressing the question: ‘Who is my neighbor?’
This man who was robbed on his journey to Jericho was no beggar. But Jesus points out that he certainly needs help.
Jesus asks, ‘Which of the the three helped the man;’ that is, ‘who was his neighbor’?
The Apostles knew both the parable and the accompanying miracles. Seventy-two disciples of Jesus had just worked many miracles when the lawyer had asked what to do to inherit eternal life.
Returning now to Peter and John headed to the temple for worship:
Peter’s ACT of compassion
Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms.
Do you suppose the two-way conversation between the eyes of the lame beggar and Peter continues in intense anticipation here?
You are the beggar at the door and the man says ‘I have no money.’
Peter is a neighbor who has gone out of his way to give a sweet blessing to this poor man…
So many do little or just pass by.. YOU lay there HELPLESS still.. you, a poor lame beggar.
Yet Peter and John continue with their own intense and compassionate stares…
They ACT personally, as if the two are alone in their transaction..
Then the man who has NOT passed by you, helpless at the gate of the place of worship continues:
In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!”
The command of Peter: Acts 3:6b
Peter had witnessed Jesus Christ the Nazarene make a man walk!
And Simon Peter had touched and seen the Lord’s hands and feet which had been nailed to a Cross!
Peter and John had a commission from Christ to build His church once receiving the Holy Spirit.
Yet another sign of the Holy Spirit
With John at his side, as they had both been observers of Jesus healing a man like this lowered by friends into a room full of Jews listening to Jesus preach, Peter now reaches down to the man near the crowds before him:
And grasping him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened.
Act of Peter reaching down to a man lame from birth + Acts 3:7
Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s…
But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying,
“Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” ..
And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear; from now on you will be catching people.”
When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.
This had been three years ago. Since then, Peter and John have seen MANY more miraculous things — unexplainable signs from God — ACTS of Jesus’ power and authority over men and creation.
While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” And He reached out with His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him.
One day He was teaching, and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the Law sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. And some men were carrying a man on a stretcher who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. But when they did not find any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus.
Simon Peter and John had witnessed the power of God through Jesus many times.
A Beggar Worshiping with the Apostles
And leaping up, he stood and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
And all the people saw him walking and praising God; and they recognized him as being the very one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg for charitable gifts, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
The very sight of this crippled man everyone knew LEAPING UP must have taken away the breath of those who witnessed this great sign!
REMEMBER the lame man lowered by his friends into a crowded room so that Jesus could heal him?
What was it the Lord had said?
And seeing their faith, He said,
“Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” .. “I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher, and go home.”
Gospel of Luke 5:20, 24b NASB + Jesus commanding a Lame man to walk
Peter and John saw a beggar’s faith
And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.
Acts of the Apostles 3:11 Authorized Version
Friend, your sins are forgiven you, or at least they could be — IF only you would come to the Lord Jesus Christ.
For by our admitted failings, like Peter, we are all sinful men and sinful women.
In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!”
The command of Peter: Acts 3:6b
Won’t you walk on in witness in the name of Jesus Christ beside John and Simon Peter and the Apostles? For they were, after all, just sinners like you and like me.
ALL are beggars before the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will greet us at the gate.
NEXT: Simon Peter walks to Solomon's Portico to preach to the crowds
