Apr
24
Written by:
SNT
4/24/2009 9:07 AM
"One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon. And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, ‘Look at us.’ And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, ‘I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.’"
Acts 3:1-6
Did Peter and John really not have money to give? They were the leaders of a 3000+ member movement - a movement whose members had the regular habit of selling their possessions and giving the money to the community. I wonder if Peter and John actually had quite a bit of money. I wonder if their initial response was the same as mine when a beggar asks for spare change: "Sorry man, I don't have any."
Do I have money to give? Yes. Is there something more important than money? In the case of this lame man in Acts 3, Yes. Peter and John give something much more important. Whether or not they lied about having money doesn't seem to matter. They offer restoration into the community.
The easiest answer is "Sorry, I don't have any." The next easiest is to simply give a few dollars. The hardest would be to offer restoration. I don't even know how.