What's Going On Here?

In the third chapter of Acts, there is the story of Peter and John, at the city gate, being approached by a cripple, who asked for money. Peter’s response was “silver and gold have I none, but what I have, I give…In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” (3:6) And lo, he did!

The follow-up of the story is that some of the priests and Sadducees were disturbed by what Peter had done, and began the inquisition: “What’s going on here?” they demanded.

Of course, it was obvious what had been going on here. A cripple was now walking and in good health. Shortly before this, Peter had preached a great sermon, and 5,000 people believed. And of course, it was only a few weeks before that Jesus had been crucified and sealed away in a tomb. That tomb had turned out to be an “open door”. Death had no power over this amazing Jesus. And now, some of it seemed to have rubbed off on his disciples.

Peter and John, therefore, were quite obviously continuing something that people thought had been sealed away in a tomb. And as Christian history was being formed, a Saul became a Paul, and Christians sang as they were burned at the stake, and an Emperor named Constantine decided that the entire Empire ought to become Christian, and a Francis of Assissi gave up everything he owned, to live as a simple man of love, and a Luther and a Wesley were born, and so it continued down to our day.

There’s something that goes on here, whenever Jesus Christ is proclaimed. Lives are being changed, and miracles take place. People even learn to forgive one another, and some people in their church memberships actually begin to act like Christians.

At times, it seems like a very small dent upon the armory of evil, but yes, some of Christ’s people actually live like soldiers of the cross. Some of them do “stand firm, with the belt of truth buckled around their waists, and with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with their feet fitted with the gospel of peace as a firm footing.” (Eph. 6:14,15 N.I.V.)

What’s going on here? There are people who have learned to “walk in the footsteps of Jesus”, that is all. And if there is any difference in the way they talk to each other; in the way they understand and forgive each other; and in the way they live seven days of the week, with a kind of new power…the power of love in their lives…it is, as I understand it, because they have been with Jesus.