The Healing of the Lame

“God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will” (Heb. 2:4).

When we come to consider the Acts of the Apostles therefore, we can expect to see “divers miracles” used as witnesses to the Truth of what was being taught. In our present considerations, we intend to look at the healing of two lame men, as recounted in the book of Acts, significantly one a Jew, the other a Gentile.

Acts chapter 3 describes a lame man encountered by the Apostles at the gate of the Temple:

“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” (Acts 3:2).

This was a man who had never walked from the moment he was born. Being unable to walk, he was unable to work to obtain those things necessary to sustain a daily life, and instead had to assume the position of a beggar, being wholly dependant on people’s good will towards him. It is significant that he was outside of the Temple, as under the Mosaic Law, lameness disqualified a man from divine service:

“whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man or a lame … no man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come night to offer the offerings of Yahweh made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come night to offer the bread of his God” (Lev. 21:18,21).

Here therefore, was a man who could not appear acceptably before Yahweh, because of his lameness. In this, we suggest, he represents Israel after the flesh who could not appear acceptably before their God: i.e. because of their spiritual lameness: they were unable to walk acceptably before Him. Malachi castigated the Nation for offering the Lame as sacrifices before Yahweh:

“if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? Saith Yahweh of armies” (Mal. 1:8).

That offering of that which was lame therefore, was “evil”, and reflects the inability of the people to walk uprightly in the sight of their God. Interestingly, Israel themselves are likened to the lame, in the prophetic description of their healing:

“I will make her that halted (Heb. the lame) a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and Yahweh shall reign over them in Mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever” (Mic. 4:7).

As this indicates, the Scriptures reveal a time when the lame shall draw near to their God, for they shall be healed:

“Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child, and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither” (Jer. 31:8).

“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an heart, and the tongue of the dumb sing…” (Isa. 35:5-6).

In the coming Kingdom then, the healing of the Sun of Righteousness shall cure all of the ailments of Yahweh’s people, both natural and spiritual. The Lame shall leap up for joy at their healing, and the dumb shall sing for joy.

As we have shown, the miracles, or “signs” of healing performed by the Apostles were designed to be a powerful witness to the Truth of what was being preached. They are described as being “the powers of the world to come,” for as the above testimonies show, they are powers for healing that will be present in the earth in the world to come.

We can see this point exhibited in the healing of the lame Jew:

“he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking and leaping and praising God” (Acts 3:8).

Having been healed, he could now draw near to Yahweh, and entered into the Temple with joyfulness – and notice this description of the man “leaping” in comparison with the prophecy of Isaiah 35, cited above: truly the healing of this man was a foreshadowing of the powers of the age to come.

THE HEALING OF A GENTILE

Having seen the healing of a Jew, we now proceed to consider the impact of the healing of a Gentile upon those who witnessed the apostolic teaching. Acts chapter 14 recounts how:

“there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked: the same heard Paul speak: who steadfastly beholding him and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked” (Acts 14:7-8).

The effect of this miracle upon the people in the superstitious framework into which their beliefs fitted, was to cause them to worship the apostles as being deities in their own right, saying “the gods are come down to us in the likeness of men” (Acts 14:11). But the fickleness of human nature is seen in that being stirred up by “certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium”, the people were persuaded to stone Paul, and cast him out of the city so soon as they were convinced he was dead. But the Master’s work was not to be thwarted, and so: “as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derby” (v 20).

Whether or not Paul was raised from the dead is not altogether clear from the record, although it might be implied from the description that he “rose up”. But certainly there was a miracle seen, in that despite being stoned and thrown out of the city, Paul was restored to health.

Interestingly however, notwithstanding such a rejection, we read later on in Acts, Paul going back to Lystra:

“Then came he to Derby and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus” (Acts 16:1).

The record thus introduces us to Timothy, also known as Timotheus. At his return into Lystra, Paul learned of the good reputation that this disciple had developed:

“which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium” (Acts 16:2)

THE TESTIMONY CONCERNING TIMOTHY

When we piece the combined records of various parts of Scripture, we can draw certain conclusions about Timothy. For example, in Paul’s inspired letter to Timothy, it is clear that his family was well known to him:

“… when I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also” (2 Tim. 1:5)

Paul therefore knew intimate details regarding Timothy’s family, and the faith of him, his mother, and his grandmother. Not his father though, for Acts 16 tells us twice that “his father was a Greek,” and it would seem this was a reason why despite the faith of his matriarchs, Timothy had not been circumcised. Knowing Timothy’s family circumstances, Paul made reference to this later: “and that from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures ..” (2 Tim. 3:15).

Bearing these facts in mind as we approach the record in Acts, we can surmise a number of things. When Paul went to Lystra, he would clearly need somewhere to sleep, eat, and fulfil his daily needs. We suggest therefore, that it could we be that Paul lodged with Timothy and his family, using their house as his ‘base’ so to speak. Either way, it is almost certain that Timothy would have witnessed the healing of the Lame Gentile, and the subsequent stoning and rising again of Paul. It would seem that this instilled in him a deep conviction of the things Paul taught concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Certainly, in 2 Timothy chapter 3, Paul speaks as though Timothy had witnessed these things:

“thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all, the Lord delivered me” (2 Tim. 3:10-11)

So it was, that in the example of Paul’s circumstances, Timothy was taught that “all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution”

In the healing of these two lame men therefore, we have a powerful witness to both Jew and Gentile as to the Power of the Almighty, and His ability to save from the constraints of mortality. In these things, the Apostle was prepared to lay down his life if necessary—and provides an example to us, and the fervour of our preaching.

Before we close, there is an interesting feature in the healing of the first lame man that we ought to mention. He made request for some financial assistance, or as the AV puts it, he: “asked an alms”. Peter’s answer however is most instructive: “Silver and Gold have I none; but such as I have, I give thee: in the Name of Jesus of Nazareth rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6).

In these words, the lame man was taught that there are far greater things to be obtained than silver and gold. In healing his affliction, the power of Yahweh to save was manifest to him. By heeding the teaching of the apostles, there was instilled in this man a belief that they could provide far greater things than silver and gold. As we read in verse 16 of the same chapter concerning the Name of Jesus Christ:

“His name, through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all” (Acts 3:16).

A passage that comes to mind in connection with this is Proverbs 22:1:

“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold”

Rather than to seek to provide silver and gold, Peter taught the lame man to seek after the things pertaining to the good “name of Jesus Christ”, in whose name he could be made whole. And in this, we have a wonderful example set in Scripture for our learning: rather than to seek for silver and gold—the temporal things of this life—we ought rather seek the healing of our mortal frames in the Name of Jesus Christ, in the day when once again his Name shall be proclaimed before men, and at the mention of which men shall bow the knee in worship, and giving glory to the Father (Phil. 2:10).

Chris Maddocks