Articles
Healing of The Lame Man - Acts 3
Healing of The Lame Man - Acts 3
Coming upon a man lame from birth, the apostles gave him the measure of health to walk (and leap and run). They did this in the ‘name of Jesus’ - by the power that Jesus worked through them.
God had healed people, i.e., Naaman (Luke 4:27), and even raised the dead, i.e. the Widow of Zarephath’s son (Luke 4:26), but not like what takes place with the coming of Jesus.
You can check many different sources that will give you a list of the specific healing that Jesus and his disciples did. We can then add some of the general statements showing that often many people were healed at the same time.
What are we to do with this information? What can I expect in my own life from these narratives? There have been endless debates on this. There have been countless false hopes pinned upon these. Did Jesus promise that all who are disciples would be completely healthy? Did He remove sickness and infirmity from the lives of believers? The simple answer is no.
First, we have mention of disciples that were sick and infirm. Trophimus I have left sick … (2Tim. 4:20). Whatever Paul’s thorn in the flesh was, God provided NOT the removal of it but the strength to deal with it (2Cor. 12:7). There were disciples like Dorcas who got sick and died but THEN was raised in connection with Peter (Acts 9:36-41). Then there is the great problem of death - the ultimate degree of ill-health. It is appointed unto man once to die (Heb. 9:27). That was not removed by the sacrifice of Jesus, although it WILL be done away with in the resurrection. For NOW, we live with the prospect of death.
There is much we don’t know about God’s individual purposes for us. God let Paul be stoned to death and then raised him up and restored his health yet God also allowed Stephen to die from stoning and remain dead. God healed the lame man in Acts 3 and left Trophimus sick.
There is another distinction that I feel should be understood. These healings such as the lame man, were ‘miracles, signs, and wonders’. They happened immediately and completely. There were no medicines, no surgeries, no rehab. They seemed to be more prolific in direct connection with Jesus than with His disciples. These hearings were done in connection with those who were teaching by inspiration (cp. Mark 16:20; Acts 2:43; 5:12, 15-16; 14:3; 19:11-12; Rom. 15:18-19; etc.). There is no record of these things ‘just happening’, they were done through these inspired men or at least in connection with them.
This leads to the general statements about their purpose.
· "20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs." (Mark 16:20).
· "3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will." (Hebrews 2:3–4).
· "12The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works" (2Cor. 12:12).
· "30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:30–31).
I believe that God can and does provide for us to heal. He provides us with the ability to STAY healthy (although many of us avoid such healthy life matters). He provides for knowledge of healing, both through medicines and through physicians. He can work through such means and methods to help us overcome physical ailments. Such provisions however are NOT the same thing as the miracles, signs, and wonders recorded in the New Testament. The healing of the lame man is simply not the same type of thing as the surgical repair of a broken hip or the changing of one's diet resulting in better health.
Cast your cares upon Him - He cares. Learn to be content to serve Him to the best of your ability even in ill-health. Recognize that we will die but that is not the end of our life with God.
Hugh DeLong
