“A Hole-Hearted Commitment”
Text: Acts 3:11-21
4-14-2024
In the name of our crucified and risen Lord, dear friends in Christ. The 17th century philosopher, Pascal, once said, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made know through Jesus Christ.” The basic idea here, is that it’s impossible to be truly complete, content, and in proper harmony with our world and with God if we don’t have a relationship with the God of the universe through His Son, Jesus. Which makes perfect sense because that’s precisely what the Lord created us for. So, to live apart from a healthy relationship with God in Christ and therefore outside of his holy design pretty much means that there’s going to be something major missing from our lives. It leaves a God-shaped hole in our hearts and only God is big enough to fill it. Unfortunately, that doesn’t stop people from trying to fill that void with other things.
And boy, don’t we try to fill it with all kinds of stuff! Be it the pursuit of pleasure, or of knowledge, or to attain a certain skill, or to win an award, or to gain power, fame, and wealth, or whatever great goal you might dream up. We imagine that if we could just achieve that thing, then we’d be content. Then we will have arrived. At what? I don’t know! But we’ll be able to call ourselves a “success.” Unfortunately, not many people end up reaching their lofty goal. Occasionally, though, we see someone who manages to climb to the top of their field, and become rich and famous. They acquire all the things they thought would make them happy; only to find out they’re still miserable. They discover there’s nothing at the top. Finally, they say to themselves, “There’s got to be something else. There’s got to be something that gives my life meaning and purpose!” And sometimes they turn to the last place they would ever look: to the Church. Through faith in Jesus Christ, they find more than enough to satisfy their deepest longings. Like I said, it happens once in a while. But for every one who does, there are millions more who never get there. They go on searching for that next dollar, or award, or that next level of accomplishment that they’re convinced will finally do it for them. But it’s like trying to fill the Grand Canyon, one grain of sand at a time. The goal will never be achieved in their lifetime or a billion lifetimes.
Now, up until this point we’ve been talking about the God-shaped hole in every person’s heart. What I really want to talk about today is the hole that exists in God’s heart. This Sunday is traditionally called in Latin: “Misericordias Domini.” Sometimes that’s translated as the “compassion or mercy of God.” But literally, “corde” means “heart,” and “miseri” means “anguish.” And Domini is the word for “Lord.” So Misericordias Domini might be better translated as “the painful longing in the heart of God.” You see, it’s not that God in His mercy simply decides to treat us nice or just feels sorry for us. No, the idea is that there’s a throbbing ache in His heart. There’s a hole in His heart that longs to be filled. I’m not suggesting that God is at all incomplete. But rather, He’s like the father of the prodigal son anxiously looking out at the horizon and searching for any sign of his wayward boy. Only when his child is safely welcomed home and reincorporated into the family will his longing be filled.
We see this in today’s first reading. Peter and John go to the Temple in Jerusalem. Their goal is to take the good news of the resurrected Jesus Christ right into the headquarters of those who were most immediately responsible for Jesus’ arrest, conviction, and death. Obviously, they’re not going to receive a very warm reception here. If they go in and start talking about Christ, at the very least they’ll get roughed up; and if they persist, things will get ugly real fast. Nevertheless, they’re determined to take the Gospel even to those who are least likely to receive it. Because God longs to have all people—even His worst enemies—come to Him through Jesus.
I imagine it was with a good deal of fear that Peter and John approached the task. They have no idea what awaits them. Will they be ignored? Will they be laughed at? Will they be shouted down? Will they be arrested – or something worse? They don’t know. All they know is that they’re going to be dealing with some potentially hostile people.
But the Lord has other plans. Just as they are about to pass through the gate into the Temple, they come across a beggar. He’s a man who was born lame and has never walked in his life. He’s sitting where he always does, chanting his mantra of “Alms, give alms for a poor lame man. God will surely bless you for your generosity. Alms, please give alms.” Most people who pass by just ignore him. Once in a while a coin clinks in his empty cup; but no one actually looks at him. They look away.
Suddenly, he’s surprised when Peter and John stop right in front of him and look him straight in the eye. He holds out his cup expecting to receive something special. He has no idea what’s coming. Peter says to him, “I don’t have any money; but I have something else to give to you.” He then takes the man by the hand and pulling him to his feet says, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
Immediately the man’s legs and ankles are given strength and coordination. Though he’s never walked before, he’s now running, leaping, and dancing around like Fred Astaire. He’s shouting and praising God for the miracle he’s received. But when Peter and John start to leave and go into the Temple court, he clings to them. He’s so grateful, that he’s not about to let his healers out of his sight or his reach. So, Peter and John continue on their way with this guy half hanging onto them, half dancing around them, and shouting about what these two guys have done for him.
Naturally this attracts a lot of attention. Just about everyone in the Temple recognizes the man. All the regulars have walked past him hundreds of times. They’ve seen this guy’s useless and shriveled limbs folded up in impossible angles beneath him. They can’t deny that a powerful miracle has taken place. And the formerly lame man is excitedly giving all the credit to Peter and John. The crowd stands there gawking at them with their mouths hanging open. The question on everyone’s mind is, “How’d you do that?”
You see, the Lord gave Peter and John the very last thing they ever expected to have in the Temple: a large audience that’s attentive and receptive to whatever they have to say. Peter wastes no time. Though he has center stage, he immediately gives all the credit to the resurrected Jesus for this man’s healing.
It’s the third surprise of the day. These folks never thought they’d hear the name of Jesus mentioned again in any positive way. To them He was a foolish heretic who had to be destroyed. Now they hear that He was the long-expected Savior. And Peter tells them the ugly truth that they are guilty of rejecting and murdering him. They see indisputable proof of Peter’s words in the miraculous healing that literally stands and dances around them. Now they are the ones who are afraid. “What have we done?” And more to the point, “How is God going to punish us as a result?”
That’s when Peter delivers surprise #4. He shares the incredibly good news that even though they rejected and killed the Lord Jesus, God has not given up on them. He’s still reaching out and calling them to receive His gift of salvation. That’s because the longing in God’s heart for each and every person is filled only after He’s able to fill the hole in their hearts with His love and forgiveness in the Savior Jesus Christ.
All this is incredibly good news for us as well because we too are often guilty of rejecting Christ and his Word. The difference is that we know better. Many of the people Peter was addressing acted in ignorance when they condemned Jesus because they didn’t know Him. However, we do know Him, and yet we often turn from Christ and try to fill our hearts with things we know are off limits and will not bring us lasting satisfaction. But we still try. When we’re left with that feeling of emptiness that inevitably follows, it’s easy to think, “I’ve really blown it this time. I’ve gone too far. There’s no way the Lord will take me back.”
That’s the lie Satan would have you believe; but it’s not true. As long as you have breath in your body, there’s still time to repent and be forgiven. God’s heart longs for you to turn to Him so that He can fill that void in you. He’s holding out His hand to lift you up and give you strength just like He did through Peter for the lame beggar. Your guarantee of that is the hole in the heart of God. Specifically, I’m speaking of the hole caused by the point of the spear that was thrust into the heart of Jesus Christ as His battered corpse hung from the cross. It’s the hole in the heart of God from which flowed the water and the blood. Friends, that same water and blood flow from the Savior’s side still today in the water of Baptism by which we are cleansed of sin and reborn as the children of God, and in the blood of the Supper by which Jesus communicates to us His gift of eternal life. That’s the Lord’s hole-hearted commitment to you. Today, may we receive Him gladly with our whole hearts so that Jesus Christ may fill the God shaped void in us to the point of overflowing, and that we too may experience times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!