We’ve all got stories of sickness. What’s the most sick you have ever been? Did someone help you get better?
How did you feel about yourself when you were well again? Had your perspective on life changed? If so, how?
How did you feel toward the person who helped you get better?
After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. They brought the boat to shore and climbed out. The people recognized Jesus at once, and they ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard he was. Wherever he went—in villages, cities, or the countryside—they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.
Mark 6:53-56 NLT
The crowd of people definitely did not have the same understanding of Jesus that we do. (Jesus actually calls them out on it in John’s version of this story.) What did the people in these crowds believe to be true about Jesus? What type of power did they believe He had?
Is the result of their faith the same as the result of ours? What, if anything, is the difference?
Why do you think Jesus was concerned with both the physical and the spiritual?
Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money.
Acts 3:1-5 NLT
What was the lame man expecting from Peter and John?
Why do you think Peter commanded the man to look at them (v. 4)?
But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them. All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded!
Acts 3:6-10 NLT
How did Peter’s response to the man contradict the man’s expectations? Are there ways that we put limits on God’s working in our lives? To what does Peter’s phrase “I’ll give you what I have” refer?
On what authority did Peter heal the man? Why is this significant?
What might a modern-day example of this encounter look like?
What lessons can we learn from the actions and words of Peter and John?
Wonder and amazement were common responses among the early church and people who witnessed their work. Are these responses to God’s power common in our church? Why or why not?
What do you think keeps us from feeling the same sense of awe about what God is doing in our midst?
How can we follow Jesus’ example of associating with the “sick”? What might we have to sacrifice to do so?
What could our group do together to meet people’s healing needs and bring them to Jesus?