“And a man who had been lame from his mother’s womb… began asking to receive alms. But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, ‘Look at us!’”
Where did Peter place the emphasis in his charge to the crippled beggar? “Look at US” or “LOOK at us”? Which was it?
“Look at US” implies ‘Stop looking at your way of doing things and try ours.’ It’s the methodology of all effective salespeople... ‘You’ve tried everything else. Now try US.’ It has the ring of a late night infomercial... ‘We’re happy and successful. We can walk. So can you.’ It invites a response.
“LOOK at us” is different than that. It demands a response. It’s an order, not a suggestion; a direct command, not a presumptive close; an imperative, not an sales technique. “LOOK at us” halts time and creates space for a moment of truth. The “man crippled from birth” had a choice. He may obey or not. He could decide to walk if he no longer wished to be “carried to the temple.” Getting there on his own power became an attractive alternative.
“LOOK at us” sounds brash and appears condescending. But it cuts through senseless dependence upon others and leads to godly autonomy. The strength of these words rattled the paralytic out of his ‘alms-seeking’ mindset. It forced the question of faith in the One who alone would enable him to walk confidently into the temple of God and fulfill his personal destiny.
“In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene - walk!”
Acts 3.6b NASU
_________________
The amazing photo above is entitled "Autumn eyes" by :-)hristof whose photostream you can view at http://www.flickr.com/photos/34586698@N00/.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment