One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame 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. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. Acts 3: 1-10

The saddest person in this story is the lame beggar who needs the help of others to carry him to the temple gate, where he begs for money. He doesn’t look to God for a cure but relies on begging and preying on the sympathies of others. He avoids looking at the origin of his problems (his disability) and focuses on becoming a better beggar, putting on a better show of sympathy, and doing whatever he can to extract money from temple goers.
We’re all lame beggars. We’re born in sin, and as we grow up, even become Christians and go to church, we have a beggar mentality. We think we need something from others to succeed and be happy. We think we have to learn something or know somebody or have something to be happy. It’s an endless quest. In our context, we think, “Once I’m placed in front of this gate, what do I have to do to maximize profit? What skills do I need to learn?” In some way, shape, or form, we’re beggars doing our best to extract from the world the things we think we need to be happy and succeed.
The second saddest people in this parable are the ones who carried the lame beggar to his spot in front of the temple every day. Think about it. This is a gracious act, to carry him out and carry him home every day. But in the end, once Peter and John heal the beggar, he ditches these people without a second thought. We can do a lot for our loved ones. We send them to school. We support them financially. Like the people carrying the beggar to his place of work, we do the same things. But if that is all we’re doing without addressing the core issue, we will be left behind once the core problem is solved.
So who is the happiest person in the world? The happiest person in the world is the lame beggar who is cured. Yes, he spent his life relying on others to carry him and others to give him money, but when Peter and John heal him, he doesn’t need others. He can enter the temple on his own.
What does it mean in today’s terms to be cured of a disease? Like the lame beggar, we have afflictions, and we have afflictions of the heart and mind. One wrong desire can destroy our lives. One bad temperament can destroy our lives. One bad habit can destroy our lives. One bad thought can destroy our lives. One jealous rage can destroy our lives. We see it all the time. You just can’t get over a bad thought or habit that you know is destroying your life. You can’t overcome an addiction. Whatever the case, these are all afflictions. And like the lame beggar, we are burdened with these afflictions, and instead of looking to the world for cures, we must cure those afflictions through Jesus Christ. We must repent and make ourselves clean again.
Next to the lame beggar, Peter and John are the happiest people in this parable. “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” We think we are helping others by giving them money or sending them to school or giving them material things, but we do our best for them by assisting them in curing their mental and spiritual afflictions. We give them the name of Jesus Christ so they can liberate themselves from those bad thoughts, evil habits, and self-destructive tendencies.
Who are the happiest people? Those people who cure their afflictions and help others with their afflictions. That’s it. There is no better feeling in the world than finally repenting and putting to bed a bad habit that has terrorized you your entire life. There is no better feeling in the world than helping loved ones overcome their afflictions. So remember who we are. We’re all lame beggars riddled with afflictions. Where do we go from here? Do we try to become better, skilled beggars, or do we address the root cause? Repent and cure yourselves of all the afflictions in your life and see what happens. You’ll experience a kind of happiness never felt before!

Click for Korean sermon https://soundcloud.com/yhpaik/1985-5-5-full