One day, not long after the coming of the Holy Spirit, Peter and John went to the temple to pray. They saw a man there who could not walk. In fact, he had never been able to walk in his whole life. Every day this man was carried to the temple to sit in front of the Beautiful Gate. And every day he begged for money from those entering the temple.

(By the way, what a nice name for a gate! I hope it was as pretty as it sounds.)

As Peter and John walked up, the beggar asked for money. Peter looked him right in the eye and said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I do have to give you is even better. In the name of Jesus Christ, get up and walk.” Can you believe that, telling a man who can’t walk to jump to his feet? What a mean thing to say.

Unless, of course, Peter’s words not only told the man what to do but gave him the power to do it.

So Peter grabbed the man by his right hand and helped him up off the ground. And sure enough, God made his feet and ankles stronger than they’d ever been. The man leapt to his feet and took his first steps. Soon, he was hopping, and skipping, and jumping around, praising God in the temple. Everyone at the Beautiful Gate could see what a beautiful thing had been done, and they were amazed.

Then Peter said to the crowd, “Why are you staring at us? We didn’t heal this man. Our power and piety did not make him walk. This miracle is from God.” And from there, Peter preached another Spirit-filled sermon. Like every good sermon, he talked about Jesus’s death and resurrection. He made clear that God sent Jesus and raised him from the dead, and that Peter and John saw everything with their own eyes.

The point of the miracle was to point people to Jesus. Peter warned the crowd that they hadn’t always listened to God’s messengers in the past. Now they had a new chance to hear from God and repent. “You will know the blessing of Abraham,” he said, “if you turn from sins and turn to Jesus.”

In other words, walking on your own feet is good; walking with Jesus is better.