A Beggar in Need of Grace
Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” (Acts 3:6 NKJV)
We have a little beggar in our home.
Our mini-schnauzer pup, Heidi, is spoiled rotten, to the very core of her 13-pound frame. I blame my husband for her persistent tableside behavior…they’re both foodies. But I’m just as indulgent in treating her as he is. It’s hard to resist giving her tiny morsels from my plate, especially when she’s boring holes in my head with those big brown eyes.
Beggars often have a routine, as Heidi does, to elicit as much sympathy as possible from potential contributors. Usually it involves a marker-scribbled piece of cardboard, maybe a backpack, some ragtag clothes, and a spot near busy traffic.
In the first century, beggars had routines on the streets of Jerusalem. In Acts 3, one such man was carried daily to a prime spot at the temple entrance. When he saw Peter and John approaching, he asked for alms, no doubt using a well-practiced monologue. Peter, instead of tossing coins into the lame man’s cup or basket, did something different—he fixed his eyes on the man and said, “Look at us.”
His comment piqued the lame fellow’s interest. He gave Peter and John his full attention with the expectation of getting something, until Peter revealed he had no money in hand. Peter then said something that would have shocked everyone within hearing distance: “But what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
With that, Peter reached out his calloused fisherman hand, grabbed the beggar, and lifted him up to stand. The poor man’s feet and ankle bones immediately received strength. This was no feeble, staggering stance. The lame man leapt up, stood, walked, and entered the temple with Peter and John. And he kept on leaping.
Can you see the scene? Everyone in the vicinity recognized him, stunned by this unbelievable miracle as the familiar beggar hung onto Peter and John, shouting praises to God. Peter seized the opportunity to speak the truth about Jesus Christ to the growing crowd.
“Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?” Peter explained that faith through Jesus and His name gave the lame man strength and perfect soundness. Yet his soliloquy landed him and John in custody when the temple’s religious elite laid hands on them.
How would you have responded at that point if you were the beggar? Would you have run away at the first sign of trouble from the temple police force?
To those who scoff at Scriptural miracles and say the beggar was faking his disability, there are two rebuttals. One is that the beggar was known by everyone to be lame from birth, and his legs may have had visible evidence. He’d been examined every day in a public place by distrustful eyes.
The second rebuttal is found in Acts 4:14—“And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they [the accusers] could say nothing against it.” The lame man hadn’t run. He had stood by Peter and John during the inquisition, visible proof of the miraculous healing…and evidence of a powerful new faith that obliterated his fears.
Luke, who wrote Acts, reported that about five thousand men came to a new belief in Jesus through this event. I imagine this unnamed beggar was one of them.
Friend, are you a beggar? I am. In this story, Peter reminds me about the power and grace in the name of Jesus Christ. I have absolutely nothing to bring Him. Absolutely nothing without Him. Absolutely helpless, dead in my sinful state, completely unable to revive my own spirit. No strength to stand, much less leap.
What do I have? Simply a plea every day for Jesus to hold my hand, as Peter held out his hand to the lame man…with a desperate prayer for the Holy Spirit to fill me with His grace, even as He filled Peter with Jesus’ ability to heal.
If you’re starved for joy, languishing in fear or despair, call on the name of Jesus Christ. Pray for His healing touch. Pray for His redemption and perfect will to be done. Trust in His power.
Then, like the beggar, accept His grace as the most expensive gift He offers. Run to worship Him. Leap with His joy!
Holy Savior, Son of God, I come to you today as the beggar I am. I cannot even lift up my hands to You…my iniquities have left me dead and helpless. But You, O Lord, are gracious and full of mercy. Reach out to me, grab my sin-soiled hand, and pull me up to stand for You. Revive my spirit. Give me courage to speak boldly about Your salvation, and fill me with Your power so that I, a poor beggar, may reach out to other beggars with the riches of Your abundant life. In Your miraculous name, Amen.
Nancy C. Williams is a Christian wife/mom with a writing career spanning more than 40 years in business and journalism. Williams is the author of the novel To Love a Falcon and the devotional book A Crocus in the Desert: Devotions, Stories, and Prayers for Women Experiencing Infertility. Her blogs are featured on Crossmap.com and AriseDaily. To follow Nancy’s posts and news, go to her home page at NancyCWilliams.com and subscribe at the bottom.
© Copyright 2025 Nancy C. Williams (text and photography). Unless otherwise noted, Scripture verses are taken from the New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. #apostles #apostlepeter #apostlejohn #jerusalemtemple #lameman #beggar #schnauzer
