Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have, give I thee: in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. Acts 3:6
Most restaurants don’t charge for a glass of water, as long as you don’t ask for the bottled kind. Otherwise, you don’t get anything from anybody these days without paying for it. Even the old saying that the best things in life are free doesn’t apply to much more than the air we breathe and the space we occupy as we walk. Most of the affection, kindness, and generosity we encounter is based on an expectation of reciprocation. When a child gives you a wild flower, appreciate it because it will be the only free thing you receive from anybody all day. Under law in the Old Testament, people received from God in response to their obedience, although God was truly generous in His response. That is why the free gifts available through grace are so precious; they are not based on anything we could ever earn or deserve or pay for. Peter’s gift to the lame man at the temple gate is an example of such a free gift. But it was not necessarily free for Peter.
Peter and John were following up on what they had freely received from the Lord Jesus. He had given them eternal life, and they were willing to pass that message on to others. The healing of the lame man gave them a wonderful opportunity to do that. It also brought them into line for the first wave of persecution against the Christians. The healing of the lame man triggered a powerful backlash from the Jewish leaders. What followed were jailings, whippings, and warnings, and the testimony of the apostles came under heavy fire. As time went by, the persecution continued, driving many of the Christians – along with the Gospel – to the far reaches of the known world. Many lives were lost, many families broken up, many trials were heaped on those who were faithful. And the spread of the Gospel flourished, all a direct result of the blood and tears that the Christians were paying for their faith. The Gospel is always free to the hearers, but if it is to be effective, it is not free to those who are delivering it.
Peter told the lame man that he had no gold or silver, but he was going to give what he had. And what he had turned out to be worth far more than any amount of gold or silver to the lame man. To be able to stand and walk and leap had been beyond his ability to imagine until that moment. Peter’s ‘such as I have’ turned out to be a wonderful blessing for this man. For the rest of his life he would be thankful for Peter’s ‘such as I have’, as he would stand, walk, and leap every day. Sometimes we fail to grasp the greatness of the Gospel, the ‘such as I have’ that we are able to share with people. There is nothing more precious or valuable that we could possibly give to people, even though most of them will never understand or appreciate it. But those who do appreciate it will never cease to thank God – and us – for such a great gift.
Our sharing the Gospel might cost us some discomfort, but it also might be the means of some lost souls finding eternal joy. -Jim MacIntosh