“25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.” – Acts 3:25-26
The crippled beggar who had been a permanent fixture outside the Temple, the Jewish centre of religion, was now standing and clinging on to the arms of Peter and John. The “men of Israel” were astounded. So Peter preached to them, not about the healing of this crippled beggar, but the healing of the people of Israel.
Peter says there’s nothing astounding about raising a man with physical disability to stand and walk in the name of Jesus, when Jesus was raised by God from death to life. This name of Jesus is powerful! Those who call on the name of Jesus shall be saved! Salvation in Jesus is not just from sin and death to forgiveness and life, but from the corruption of the world to the perfection of God’s Kingdom. Who then is this Jesus?
Jesus is the glorified servant of the God who covenanted with their forefathers; the Holy and Righteous One, that is the Messiah/Christ prophesied by ancient Jewish prophets; the Author of life, that is the one who created life and who writes the days of our lives.
This Jesus was denied by these Jews; now they have a chance to embrace Him. This Jesus was delivered by them over to the Roman authorities (whom they supposedly hated) for unjust execution by death; now they have a chance to submit to Him as their authority. This Jesus whom they refused to ask pardon for; now they have a chance to receive pardon from Him.
These Jews have been part of God’s deliberate plan to have Jesus, the Christ, suffer. Jesus, the Author of life, authored the story of humanity such that He would give His life to rescue their lives.
This was so that they would repent, turn back from their evil, have their sins blotted out from the book of life, and have times of refreshing for their soul. It was their evil which nailed Jesus to the Cross. It was their evil for which Jesus had to satisfy the judgment of death. God purposed this. God permitted humanity to commit evil so that they may choose to turn away from it. God allowed humanity to taste death so that they may choose life. God Himself, in Jesus, experienced death so that there may be abundant life for us.
Abundant life is now and eternity. Before eternity, abundant life is a time of refreshing. Like a cold drink after being lost in a dry desert. Like cool shade from a scorching sun. This abundant life and time of refreshing, this divine blessing which flows from God’s covenant with the ancient forefathers, comes when people turn away from wickedness and turn to Jesus. Wickedness brings scorching heat to our souls. Wickedness brings despair to our wandering hearts. Jesus brings life.
And in time, Jesus would return to restore all things to peace and goodness, to permanent refreshing, as God has promised through His covenants and through His prophets.
These Jews were the children of Israel, the children of the covenant, children of the prophets. These Jews were supposed to be the first recipients of the blessings of the covenant, the watchmen waiting for the arrival of the long prophesied Christ, the firstborn of the family of God. And yet, they missed all of it. They missed it when they denied Jesus. They missed it when they had Jesus killed. They missed it when they refused to pardon Jesus. Yet, mercy tempers justice. They have a second chance. Would they miss it again?
What about us? Do we truly believe the power of the name of Jesus? Do we believe that by this name, the people in our lives may be healed and saved? How are we sharing the gift of faith in this powerful name? How are we receiving and sharing the blessings of the covenant to others?