In our study of Acts chapter three, we see how God uses the healing of a beggar to provide an opportunity to share the gospel.
** Note ** In this study, we will be using the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) translation which was translated directly from Hebrew into English. You can get your own hardback or paperback copy on Amazon where we will earn a small commission.
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One afternoon at three o'clock, the hour of minchah prayers, as Kefa and Yochanan were going up to the Temple,
The early church knew the value of prayer as we see here. They were intentional about their prayer time. Are we as intentional? We do not have to go to a temple to pray and in fact we have the ability to pray all through the day. In Judaism, there are three times of prayer in an ordinary day which are morning, afternoon, and evening. Here, we see that Peter and John were on the way to the temple for the afternoon (minchah) prayer. The Hebrew word minchah means gift and the afternoon prayer is considered a gift to God as a person has to interrupt their day to go to the temple for prayers at this time. This time is called the ninth hour and we are reminded that, throughout the Bible, the number nine is associated with an outcome meaning we can expect something to happen as a result of these prayers.
a man crippled since birth was being carried in. Every day people used to put him at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, so that he could beg from those going into the Temple court. When he saw Kefa and Yochanan about to enter, he asked them for some money. But they stared straight at him; and Kefa said, "Look at us!" The crippled man fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.
On their way to prayers, Peter and John meet a man that had never been able to walk and, in Judaism, walking speaks of a lifestyle and is an important term because it speaks of the ability to please God. The man had been brought to the Beautiful Gate and this speaks of something that is proper or a desired outcome but it is ironic that this man that could not properly please God was brought to this gate. This is a reminder that God sees us not as we are but as we will be when he works in our lives. By tradition, people still do the same thing at the Kotel in Jerusalem and the thought is that as you are going to prayer expecting a response from God, you first respond to the request of those that are there asking for donations. We see that the beggar was expecting the routine outcome when he saw Peter and John approaching but, instead, they stopped and stared at him. Peter even spoke to him and that was anything but routine as usually people would just drop in their donation without even missing a stride. This reminds us that, to see the truth of God, we must be paying attention.
Kefa said, "I don't have silver, and I don't have gold, but what I do have I give to you: in the name of the Messiah, Yeshua of Natzeret, walk!"
Can you imagine the look on the beggar's face? He must have been stunned. There is a big lesson in this scripture for us today. In many cases today, we will give money, food, clothing, etc. to those in need but that is all we do. Though there are some things that people must have to survive, what good does it do them if they don't know Jesus Christ? We should tell people about Jesus and be the example of Jesus by meeting their needs. The two must go together to be an effective witness for Christ. As we saw earlier, walking is equated with pleasing God in Judaism and so the fact that the beggar would walk after being reconciled to God is a natural conclusion.
And taking hold of him by his right hand, Kefa pulled him up. Instantly his feet and ankles became strong;
We remember that this man has never been able to walk and so the legs would have never developed properly and had strength. Peter helped him up and the legs immediately received strength.
so that he sprang up, stood a moment, and began walking. Then he entered the Temple court with them, walking and leaping and praising God!
We see that this was beautiful (had the proper outcome) as the beggar entered the temple praising God. This verse of scripture is a good model of what should happen in prayer. It seems that we are quick to go to God with our concerns and requests but we often leave out the thanksgiving and praise. Every day we have a reason to praise and thank our God and it is not just because he has said yes to one of our requests.
Everyone saw him walking and praising God. They recognized him as the same man who had formerly sat begging at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, and they were utterly amazed and confounded at what had happened to him.
These verses describe something that should happen to each of us as we accept Christ and are healed from our sins. When that happens, people should take notice of it and glorify God because of it. As this beggar was healed, the people knew that he had been a cripple and then they saw him walking and praising God. They took notice as it says "they were filled with wonder and amazement". Today, we get caught up in all sorts of self improvement nonsense but we forget that God is the one who transforms us. When we do the self help stuff, it is easily explained and usually people don't even notice. But, when God does a work in and through you, people will wonder. Then, you can glorify God just as the beggar did by praising him.
While he clung to Kefa and Yochanan, all the people came running in astonishment toward them in Shlomo's Colonnade. Seeing this, Kefa addressed the people: "Men of Isra'el! Why are you amazed at this? Or why do you stare at us as if we had made this man walk through some power or godliness of our own?
Wev see that the former beggar had the desire to walk with God as we are told that he clung to Peter and John meaning he wanted to please God as they were doing. How do you react when those around you are "astonished" about what God has done in and through you? That is what these passages are showing us. You see, all of the people noticed that the crippled beggar was healed and they started acting like it was Peter and John that had cured him and not God. Immediately, Peter puts a stop to this wrong thinking by letting them know that it was not by their power that it was accomplished. We need to be prepared to give God the glory in every situation.
The God of Avraham, Yitz'chak and Ya'akov, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Yeshua - the same Yeshua you handed over and disowned before Pilate, even after he had decided to release him.
Now that the crowd is wondering how the crippled beggar was healed, Peter puts the focus on Yeshua and their role in his crucifixion. Peter points out that the one who healed the beggar is the same one that they turned over to be crucified. Can you imagine the thoughts going through the minds of the people in the crowd? You know that feeling that you get in the pit of your stomach when you realize that you really messed something up, that is what I picture the crowd coming to realize and the sinking feeling they must have felt.
You denied the holy and innocent one, and instead asked for the reprieve of a murderer! You killed the author of life! "But God has raised him from the dead! Of this we are witnesses.
Peter is still showing the crowd of Jews what they have done. He points out that they even chose a murderer over Yeshua. Then, he moves on to tell them that God raised that same Jesus from the dead. We may think that these verses are harsh but how many times do we choose things other than serving Jesus each day? Peter goes on to tell them that John and him are witnesses of the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead. At that time, there were many stories going around as to why the tomb was empty. There were rumors that the body was stolen by the disciples as well as others but John and Peter testify to the fact that Yeshua had risen.
And it is through putting trust in his name that his name has given strength to this man whom you see and know. Yes, it is the trust that comes through Yeshua which has given him this perfect healing in the presence of you all.
It is hard to believe until you see with your own eyes and that is basically what Peter is telling the crowd here. He reminds them that they have seen the beggar and know him. He then explains how the man that they knew as a crippled beggar was standing there before them. Peter tells them that the power only comes through faith in Yeshua Messiah.
"Now, brothers, I know that you did not understand the significance of what you were doing; neither did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had announced in advance, when he spoke through all the prophets, namely, that his Messiah was to die.
After pointing out how the crowd had been a party to the crucifixion of Jesus, he now strikes a more conciliatory tone by stating that he knows that it was done in ignorance. He then goes on to point out that God knew it was going to happen and in fact Yeshua came knowing that he would be rejected. Isn't it awesome to know that God even uses our ignorance to fulfill his purpose?
"Therefore, repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be erased; so that times of refreshing may come from the Lord's presence; and he may send the Messiah appointed in advance for you, that is, Yeshua.
After spending quite a bit of time reasoning with the crowd and letting the Holy Spirit convict them, Peter now turns to the good news. He tells them that, if they repent, God has appointed the same Jesus that they turned over for crucifixion as their messiah. You see, the Jews believed in a messiah they just did not believe that it was Jesus and they thought that the messiah would immediately usher in a new Jewish kingdom. Peter tells them that this messiah would wipe away their sins.
He has to remain in heaven until the time comes for restoring everything, as God said long ago, when he spoke through the holy prophets.
Now that Peter has explained that Jesus is the Savior, he starts to explain why the Messiah is not what they expected. You see, the Jews knew the Old Testament and that the prophets had foretold the coming of the Messiah (Savior) but it was not what they had expected. The Jewish people were expecting the Messiah to come and immediately restore the earthly kingdom of Israel. This verse also contains a promise for us today. That promise is that God is going to restore everything someday. The earth will be made new and we will get to be with God just as Adam and Eve were in Eden before their sin.
For Moshe himself said, 'ADONAI will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You are to listen to everything he tells you. Everyone who fails to listen to that prophet will be removed from the people and destroyed.'
Peter now goes back to using the Old Testament to get the crowd to understand who Jesus is and what it means. He quotes Moses which the Jewish people respect as the one who brought them the law. Peter points out that this same Moses predicted that there would be a prophet after him that they must listen to. He goes on to say that this prophet will come from the Israelite people. If you look at the beginning of the Gospel account of Matthew, you notice that the first part is tracing the lineage of Jesus back to the Israelite kings. After pointing out that, according to Moses, the prophet would come, Peter then tells them that if they do not listen to him, they will be cut off from among his people. That is also important to us in the world today. It is popular today to say that there are many ways to have a relationship with God. This passage of scripture goes back to the beginning and makes it known that Yeshua is the only way.
Indeed, all the prophets announced these days, starting with Sh'mu'el and continuing through all who followed. "You are the sons of the prophets; and you are included in the covenant which God made with our fathers when he said to Avraham, 'By your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed.'
Peter continues on with the crowd by saying that not only Moses but all of the prophets were talking about Jesus. Then, he reminds them of the covenant that God made with Abraham in Genesis and that this promise had come true. That promise was for us as well because it says that "all peoples" will be blessed and that includes us. Isn't it awesome that, in the very beginning, God knew us and wanted us to be heirs and his children?
So it is to you first that God has sent his servant whom he has raised up, so that he might bless you by turning each one of you from your evil ways."
Peter is reminding the crowd that God sent Jesus to them first. Do you feel blessed to have turned from your evil ways? Peter is trying to tell them that it truly is a blessing to turn from your sins. Many times, we may forget that it is a blessing to be freed from our old ways but when we stop and remember that our old evil ways take us further and further away from God then we can see the blessing of being turned.
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