Acts 3:1-10

Acts 3:1-10

Peter and John were going up to the temple area

for the three o’clock hour of prayer.

And a man crippled from birth was carried

and placed at the gate of the temple called “the Beautiful Gate” every day

to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple.

When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple,

he asked for alms.

But Peter looked intently at him, as did John,

and said, “Look at us.”

He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.

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.”

Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up,

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.

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.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I contemplate your holy face in your Son. You do not offer me an abundance of earthly gold or silver but promise me the resurrection to eternal life. I welcome and embrace your promise and trust that you will lead me along the right path that leads to you.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Evening Sacrifice: After Pentecost, we see two of Jesus’ apostles – Peter and John – worshipping in the Temple. They continued to participate in the Temple liturgy and went to the Temple to pray during the daily evening sacrifice (Exodus 29:38-42; Numbers 28:1-8; Daniel 9:21). A lamb was sacrificed in the Temple twice a day: one in the morning (around 9:00) and another in the afternoon/evening (around 3:00). This sacrifice or burnt offering (olah) was called the “tamid” or “perpetual offering.” It was the backbone of Israel’s Temple liturgy. Twice a day, an unblemished lamb was sacrificed. The blood of the lamb was sprinkled on the altar. The burnt offering of the entire lamb was accompanied by a grain offering (flour mixed with oil), and a drink offering of wine was poured out. Incense was offered in the Sanctuary (Holy Place), and the priests recited prayers. The twice-daily pattern created a “continual” sacrifice before God, with the smoke and aroma of the offering ascending as a symbol of total dedication. What thoughts went through the minds of Peter and John as they witnessed the tamid? Did they see how Jesus brought all of these symbols to fulfillment? Jesus was the spotless lamb sacrificed at 3:00. Jesus gave his body and blood in the form of bread and wine at the Last Supper. Can I imagine and meditate on Peter and John contemplating the Old Covenant sacrifices and their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus?

2. Israel’s Restoration: The continual offering (tamid) symbolized Israel’s continual devotion, 0atonement, and drawing near to the Lord through the daily offering of an unblemished lamb. Israel offered the lamb in the hopes of being restored by the Lord. Jesus, the Lamb of God, brought about this restoration. “Following Pentecost, Peter immediately sets about exercising his leadership within the restored Israel through his preaching and works of power. He heals a lame man (cf. Acts 3:1-10), preaches in the Temple (cf. Acts 3:11-26), answers the Jerusalem establishment on behalf of John and himself (cf. Acts 4:5-12), cures the sick (cf. Acts 5:12-16), and speaks for the Twelve before the Sanhedrin (cf. Acts 5:27-32)” (Pimentel, Witnesses of the Messiah, 55). The healing of the lame man portrays the power of the risen Jesus as bringing the true blessing and wholeness that the tamid pointed to but could not ultimately provide. The healing serves as a “sign” (Acts 4:22) of Israel’s restoration through the Messiah.

3. Continuing the Mission of the Messiah: After announcing the Resurrection of Jesus to the Jewish people and baptizing three thousand, Peter and John went to the Temple. When Peter encountered the crippled man, he ministered to him in the name of Jesus, the Lord. Peter gave the man what he had received from Jesus. Peter was able to heal because he had been empowered to heal by Jesus. “[T]his healing confirms the impression given at the beginning of Acts that Jesus would continue to speak and act through his disciples, and especially his apostles” (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, p. 68). The healing restored the man to the community and its worship. He no longer had to remain outside the Temple but could join the liturgical assembly and praise and give thanks to God. The healing is a sign that the Messianic age has arrived: “Then the lame shall leap like a stag” (Isaiah 35:6; see Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, 68).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world. Have mercy on me and grant me a share in your peace. Reconcile me with the Father and my brothers and sisters. Watch over and shepherd me as I walk toward the gates of heaven.

Living the Word of God: What can I offer to God through Jesus Christ as a pleasing sacrifice? Is there something I am suffering that I can unite to the suffering of Jesus? Is there something good that I can abstain from and offer to God as a sacrifice today?