3. Healing of the Paralytic

Acts of the Apostles

On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit breaks into the house where the apostles and the Christian community were, the doors open, and the Church goes out to begin the mission of proclamation. Peter gave the first solemn speech that Luke reworked and proposed in chapter 2 of the Acts of the Apostles. Those who listened to Peter’s speech felt their hearts pierced. Those words were like a sword, like a weapon that touched their hearts.

Peter began with the great apostolic kerygma; he announced that Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophetic word. He is the messenger of God, unjustly condemned to death, resurrected by God, and the giver of the Spirit. He gave the apostles the task of being his witnesses, and now those responsible for killing that righteous man must consider the judicial error. If God intervened by resurrecting that man, he proved that he was innocent. How can this be remedied? Now you can’t undo what you’ve done.

They ask, What should we do, brothers? How can this damage be repaired? And Peter’s proposal is simple: ‘repent’ = ‘Μετανοήσατε,’ – methanoese is the verb with which Jesus began to preach. In Greek, it means to change the mentality. Repentance is acknowledging a mistake made and, therefore, the change of perspective to believe differently from what one believed before when that sin was committed and because the person believed it was good. ‘Personally, I realize that I have made a mistake and change my mentality.’ And to mark this change of mentality concerning Jesus, Peter proposes that each of those present be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins; then, they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

What the apostles have received, they now communicate, they transmit that gift of grace to others, but the gift passes through the sacramental sign of baptism, which is an immersion. This episode is set within Jerusalem, a big city, in the area where the Cenacle was (and still is), that is, that room of the building that housed Jesus. The disciples were still invited into that house; now they go out, and in a nearby square, they deliver the speech. To baptize three thousand people, as the text says, water is needed. In that area, inhabited by Essene families, there were pools and sinks specifically designed to the typical ablutions of this group of Jews; probably in the Essene quarter takes place these first baptismal celebrations.

The apostles immersed three thousand people … is a remarkable figure … Luke probably also exaggerated it or made this initial moment symbolic; a large number of people on that occasion adhered to Jesus, and when one adheres to the announcement of the apostles to enter the community, that person passes through the rite, through the sacrament of immersion in the name of Jesus, that is, they are sacramentally united to the person of Jesus, Himself, and this rite obtain the remission of sin and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Two effects: On the one hand, the negative aspect of remission, sin is eliminated and, on the other hand, there is the positive aspect, they are granted the Spirit. The defeatist mentality is eliminated, and the love of God is poured into the hearts of people open for it. At the end of chapter 2, in verses 42 to 48, Luke inserts the first summary. There are some summaries in this first part of the Acts of the Apostles; they are ideal images with which the narrator describes what was typical, ordinary, customary in the life of the early Christian community.

“They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and the prayers.” Four constant elements. The first is the ‘didaké’ which is the teaching of the apostles; the community gathers around the group of apostles, the eyewitnesses, faithful guarantors of that foundational experience that was the work of Jesus. The second common concern is ‘koinonia,’ the fraternal union, the communion of goods—the fact of getting along and putting everything in common.

Then comes the ‘clasis tuartu,’ which is the oldest name we have of the Mass, of the Eucharist, the ‘fractio panis,’ the central rite, required that the unleavened bread be broken; it was a single large loaf of bread that was cut into pieces and distributed to those present. What Jesus had done at the Last Supper, like an extraordinary Paschal event, becomes habitual. Every Sunday, every day, breaking bread means celebrating Mass, living the experience of eating with the Risen Lord, listening to his word through the apostles’ teaching, to place goods in common, break bread and pray. It is a kind of Mass in a synthetic formulation of these four elements. It is a Eucharistic celebration that becomes the explanatory motif of the whole life of this Christian community.

“Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.” This group was looked upon with astonishment, with respect because the apostles performed extraordinary works. “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one’s need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and breaking bread in their homes. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying favor with all the people.”

After the concise proposal of the four initial elements, Luke expanded the design, describing a community life spanning decades; these are not the first days, but the first ten, twenty, thirty years of community experience in Jerusalem. Luke does not have detailed, precise information about many facts and, therefore, summarizes with these words the ideal picture of a Church that lives the practical consequences of that word heard.

“And every day, the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” It is a growing community; it is the Lord who works and adds new people.

In chapter 3, Luke relates an emblematic episode that catches his attention; Peter’s miracle that heals a cripple man is performed. Luke said in the summary that ‘miracles and signs occurred through the work of the apostles.’ Luke now places particular symbolic intentions in describing this miracle.

It is a gesture very similar to that made by Jesus; the Gospel tells of healings of people with paralysis, and Luke chooses to tell, as the first miraculous episode, precisely the healing of a person with paralysis, that is, a man who cannot walk on his legs and is enabled by the apostle to regain his humanity. “Now Peter and John were going up to the temple area for the three o’clock hour of prayer.” I had said before that they usually went to the temple; therefore, they have not broken with the Jewish tradition; the apostles of Christ continue to attend the temple, and they go for times of prayer, for example, the ‘novena’ hour, which for us is three o’clock in the afternoon, as the text says. It is a typical time of meeting for prayer. Peter and John go up to the temple because the temple is on the highest hill in Jerusalem, so you have to climb up to the temple from anywhere in the city.

“And a man crippled from birth was carried and placed at the gate of the temple called ‘the Beautiful Gate.'” It is the main door to the esplanade, giving access to the women’s atrium. “And a man crippled from birth,” therefore, it is not simply an accident that prevents him from walking, but a congenital disease, and consequently a significant detail, he is a man who has never walked, who has never been able to walk and is a man who was usually taken there, to one of the main doors of the temple to ask for alms. Therefore, it is not only the inhabitants of Jerusalem but also the pilgrims who were used to meeting this character.

“When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms.” That’s what he did with everyone; he also asked these two for a bit of alms. “But Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, ‘Look at us.'” He stops, draws attention to himself; their eyes meet, from man to man, they look into each other’s eyes. The disabled person simply waits to receive some alms, maybe a little more generous since someone got his attention. “Peter said, ‘I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.'” It is a symbolic phrase; Peter has no treasure, no money, gold or silver, and no contributions to make, but he has something else; he has the power of Christ. It is not he who performs the miracle, ‘in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.’ Jesus said: ‘I tell you, get up and walk’ – ‘Young man, get up – I tell you.’ Peter did not. Peter does not have the authority to command. Peter is a mediator; he represents Jesus; in the name of Jesus, he gives that man the possibility of walking.

It is a miraculous gesture; it is a therapeutic intervention; that man, born crippled, was incurable for the medicine of the time, and Peter, in an instant, heals the man to have normal human abilities. “What I do have I give you” – this is the synthetic image of apostolic preaching. Peter has Jesus Christ; he has the strength of the Spirit, and what he received he communicates. And what he does is through the sacraments of baptism, the Eucharist. It is a therapeutic power that heals, makes the man capable of walking on his legs. “Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up.”

It is a symbolic mediation: Peter shakes that man’s hand, takes him by the hand, and lifts him up. There is physical contact between Peter and the disabled person; there is a transmission of that divine power that works in the disciples of Jesus. “And immediately, his feet and ankles grew strong. He leaped up, stood, and walked around, and went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God.” imagine the joy of this man who has never walked in his life; the joy of being able to put his feet on the ground and feel his legs supporting him; not only does he walk, but he starts jumping like a fawn and with his mouth, he praises God, not Peter. He acknowledges that it is God who performed that wonder through Peter.

“When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the one who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with amazement and astonishment at what had happened to him.” With skill, Luke introduces a reason to present another speech. The miraculous gesture made by Peter causes stupor and amazement, and people wonder what happened. How is it possible if we have always seen him paralyzed? And it cannot be a trick because they had seen him for years. What happened to this man? People are amazed, allowing Peter to speak again; after the action, then comes the word.

Note that the narrator always places John next to Peter, although he is a silent presence. Peter does everything, but he is always remembered with John. ‘Peter and John went up to the temple’ – ‘Look at us.’ The disabled person who now walks normally is with Peter and John, and they deliver this speech which is a second kerygmatic speech; that is, Luke presents the content of the essential preaching of the apostles. Like the one made on the day of Pentecost, thus, in this case, the central message is synthesized: Presentation of Jesus, sent by God, Christ, and Lord, resurrected from the dead, capable of giving man the ability to walk on his legs. Adhering to Jesus provides this possibility with the capacity of man to walk well.

“While they were still speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees confronted them, disturbed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.” They are the Sadducees, the high priests who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, and therefore, they did not accept that it was true that Jesus had risen. Moreover, they were upset because they announced the resurrection of the dead by applying it to Jesus.

“They laid hands on them and put them in custody until the next day since it was already evening.” They went to pray at three o’clock in the afternoon; then, this vital action took place. They went to pray, healed the disabled person, and there was a commotion in the temple after which Peter began to speak, and at night, the heads of the temple arrived; they arrested the apostles and took them to prison. “On the next day, their leaders, elders, and scribes were assembled in Jerusalem,” they are the bigwigs of the Sanhedrin gathered in Jerusalem those who belonged to families of high priests … he mentions some of them: “with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly class.”

We know the first two from the Gospel. They are both responsible for Jesus’ death sentence, and the others are illustrious priestly families. “They brought them into their presence and questioned them, ‘By what power or by what name have you done this?'” The episode of the disabled person continues to produce effects, and Peter gives a third kerygmatic speech that Luke naturally reworks: Peter explains to the authorities of the Sanhedrin the meaning of what happened.

This time Peter has the unheard-of courage to tell Caiaphas, in person, that he is responsible. A few days earlier, he had been afraid of the high priest’s servant and had sworn and perjured himself not to know Jesus; he was afraid to commit himself. Now he has the courage of a lion: arrested, in front of all the highest authorities of the Sanhedrin, with a great ‘parrhesia which is frankness, freedom of expression, he says: ‘You are responsible; you acted out of ignorance, I know, but that is how it was; the one you killed, God raised him up, and there is no salvation through anyone else. Jesus healed that man you saw walking; it is his power that heals, and it is the only possible way to be saved.’

The leaders of the Sanhedrin do not know what to do and send the apostles back to prison. They try, at least, to appease them, to hide them, to shut them up. They have no arguments against them, but they want to stop this preaching that they consider damaging and dangerous.