40 Days of Miraclesنموونە

Peter Heals a Cripple

Luke injects a remarkable degree of content into this short account. He offers a precise account of the problem by diagnosing a lack of strength in the man's feet. He then implies a significant theological position by recording Paul's discernment of the man's faith and its impact on his potential healing. What are we to make of that? Is our faith the determining factor in our healing?

What's clear from Scripture is that sometimes faith plays a role, and sometimes it doesn't. It seems better to say that God's mission to renew all things, and the role these particular signs play in the unfolding of that plan, is more in view at any one time. Even better is God's loving compassion for those who suffer. The word "faith" here can mean the man's trust in God's determination to make all things right again, as Paul preached about the Resurrection — quite apart from any specific expectation that he would be healed at that moment.

Should we trust that God can and will heal? Of course. Is our trust in Him then the final lynchpin in any healing miracle? Answering yes to that question is reading too much into a story like this.

Questions for Reflection

• How do you see the interplay between faith and God's miraculous signs?
• How do we explain those miracles where the person who receives the miracle seems entirely passive?
• What's the best way to exercise a balanced, trusting sense of expectancy?