Contemplative Bible Reading

Acts 3: 1-5 (New International Version)

¹One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. ²Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. ³When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. ⁴Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” ⁵So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

Peter and John are walking through the temple. Beggars are sitting in the area as usual. The scene reminds me of the homeless sitting on the sidewalks of a city today.

Peter and John do something different; they looked straight at the crippled beggar. They acknowledged the crippled beggar. They proclaimed,

We see you. We know you are created by God. We acknowledge you as one of us.

The two apostles commence to heal the crippled beggar so that he stands and walks – a miracle through the power of God. First, however, they looked at the man.

We are busy today in the 21st century. There is not enough time to stop and chat with strangers, and many of the people we glance at are pretty strange. Most of the people are not crippled beggars. They are not looking for a miracle of “stand up and walk.” They are, however, longing for someone to look at them and say, “I see you. You are just like me – a creation of God.” And we could throw in, “Have you  been restored to a right relationship with God through His son Jesus?”