Acts 3:1-10

Acts 3:1-10 taking into account the gospel Mark 7:31-36

Two Stories of Healing

The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen 

Acts 3:1-10

1 Peter and John went up to the temple at the ninth hour, at the time of prayer.

2 And a man was brought in who was paralyzed from his mother's womb; he was placed daily before the gate of the temple, which is called the beautiful thing, that he might beg for alms from those who went into the temple.

3 When he saw Peter and John going into the temple, he asked for alms, and 4Peter looked at him with John, saying, " Look at us."

5 And he looked at them and waited for him to receive something from them.

6 But Peter said, "I have no silver or gold, but what I have, I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk."

7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up. Immediately his feet and ankles became firm, and

8 sprang up, and was able to stand and walk, and went with them to the temple, running and leaping about, praising God.

9 And all the people saw him go about praising God.

10 They also recognized him, that it was he who had sat before the beautiful gate of the temple and begged for alms; and amazement and horror filled them at what had happened to him.

Dear congregation,

we have heard two stories of healing today. One tells of Jesus opening the ears and mouth of a deaf-mute man. The other tells of Peter and John meeting a paralytic and lifting him up—literally and figuratively.

When we hear such stories, a wish immediately grows in many people: May it be the same with me!
Or the question: Why am I still sick?
Sometimes this wish is also expressed as a complaint. And it is easy to understand. Because those who are in pain or feel that they can no longer do what they want to do know the deep longing: "If only it were different. If only I could get well again."

That is why the healing stories of the Bible are still touching today. We identify with the healed, feel their joy – and at the same time the pain that it may be different for ourselves.

Markus tells the story of a man who can neither hear nor speak. This means much more than just physical suffering. Those who cannot hear and cannot speak remain excluded from conversations, from encounters, from Gemeinschaft.Er live isolated, separated from what connects others. Many such people withdraw. "I can't hear anything," some say. And then all that remains is loneliness.

"Hearing" always has a spiritual meaning in the Bible. To hear means to listen to God. Perceiving his words that give peace. If you can't hear, this access remains difficult.

This man stands in the crowd and yet drowns. Many are there, and he is only one of many. But Jesus sees him. Jesus takes him out of the crowd. And this is a very important observation for me: Jesus does not simply heal the masses. He doesn't stand in front of a large crowd, says a prayer – and suddenly everyone is healthy. No, the Bible tells of individual people. There are many who come to Jesus, but never all. Jesus did not eliminate illness itself.

That's hard to understand. Why this one man in particular – and not all of them? Isn't that unfair? But this is precisely where a message lies: Jesus sees the individual. He sees the one need, the one pain, the one isolation – and he speaks into it: "Open up!"

Healing here does not begin with physical recovery, but with relationship. With being taken out of the crowd, with attention.

And now the second story: Acts 3. We are after Jesus' ascension. The disciples have stayed behind, and yet Jesus continues to work through them.

A paralytic sits at the door of the temple, the "beautiful door". But the sight of it is anything but beautiful. Where people hurry to the temple to meet God, he sits – away, pleading, disturbing. For many, it is invisible, perhaps even annoying.

But Peter and John see him. They stop. They give him their Aufmerksamkeit.Er expect money, but Peter says the famous words: "Silver and gold I have not. What I have, I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ, get up and walk." And the man jumps up. He walks, he praises God, he is part of the community again.

Again, healing is more than physical recovery. The paralytic is taken out of the role of beggar and into a new life.

And what does this mean for us – for Christians, for the church, for our congregation?

We do not have the authority to perform miracles at will. We are not magicians, and that's a good thing. But we have a mission. Jesus has called us to  be witnesses of His healing love. This means keeping hope alive and reawakening it. To give hope. It means creating places where people learn: "Here I am seen, not overlooked. What counts here is not only what I lack, but also what God wants to give me."

Healing in the comprehensive sense means: not being torn apart in fear, not dissolved in pain, but carried by the love of God.

But we must remain cautious. Peter also disappoints the paralytic at first: "What you want, I don't have." We must not give the impression that everything will be fine with us. We cannot create illusions. Not everyone gets well. Not all suffering ends as we long for.

But: We can accompany. We can perceive the need, listen, comfort, be there. We can speak to people of God's encouragement: You are bound by His covenant. God knows your worries. He sees your tears. And he won't let you go.

A story from a hospice moved me very much. A seriously ill woman said there: "I won't get well anymore. But I have become healed. Because I have made peace with my life. I have reconciled with my family. And I feel: God won't let me go."

This woman has not experienced recovery – but healing in a deeper sense. Healing in their relationships. Healing within. Healing in trust in God.

Thus, the church is called to open spaces in which people can experience salvation. Sometimes this happens through a conversation, sometimes through a hand that holds. Sometimes through a prayer that is carried. And sometimes by simply being there in silence.

We can't do everything. But we can do something. And this "something" is crucial: We can bring people into contact with the healing power of Jesus Christ.

"Silver and gold I have not," says Peter, "what I have, I will give to you."

Perhaps this is exactly what the church is all about: we cannot give everything that people want. We cannot simply take away illnesses, not always relieve pain, not save life from all fractures.

But we can pass on what sustains us: Christ, His closeness. His devotion. His healing love. That is not a small amount. It's more than we often think. Because where people experience: I am seen. I'm not alone. I am held in God – healing happens in the middle of life.

And we can trust that God himself will one day complete what can only be experienced here in fragments. Then no one will be overlooked. Then no tear will remain uncomforted. Then the longing for salvation will no longer remain open, but will be satisfied – in God's new world, in which life will be whole and whole.

Until then, we live on this hope.We share it, we carry it, we keep it alive for each other. And in all of this, Christ is in our midst. He lifts up, he opens, he heals – sometimes visible, often hidden, but always real.

Amen.