Act 3:1-5 “Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.”
It was customary among the Jews to have three daily prayer times. These prayer times coordinated with the times of the daily sacrifice. Since the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, and the coming of the Comforter was already accomplished at this time, it is unlikely that Peter and John were going for anything other than to pray and worship. This does not indicate that the Jewish people had stopped making daily sacrifices.
According to history, the sacrificial offerings continued to be made by those Jews who did not believe that Jesus was the Christ. This practice continued until the destruction of the temple in AD 70. The scripture was clear that sacrificial offerings were to be made on the altar at the temple. Once the temple was destroyed and the people scattered, there was no acceptable place for these offerings to be made.
Believing in Jesus, we understand that once Christ was offered to God on the cross, there is no need for further sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:10-26). However, there is still a great need for prayer, praise, and worship in fellowship together. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are blessed to continue to have an hour (season, time) of prayer. We should gladly go up together to engage in this great blessing from God.
As Peter and John went to the temple, they went in by the gate called Beautiful. There was a man who was born with a crippling defect at that gate. He was carried and laid there daily, so he was likely no stranger to many of the people that went into the temple. He sat at the Beautiful gate and begged for whatever people would give him to earn a livelihood.
Like this man, we were lame spiritually. We did not have the ability to enter the worship of God on our own. Our life was based on what we might gain from those around us. We were only seeking to satisfy our natural desires, even though we were sitting at a beautiful gate.
As God’s people, we are the temple. Some sit at the gate, as it were, for years and never enter. We are lame because the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life prevent us from walking in a way that is acceptable unto Him (1 John 2:16). We should be very thankful when God sends faithful servants our way and uses them to lift us above the things that have made us lame.
It is very likely that there were many going into the temple at that hour. However, this lame man’s attention was drawn to Peter and John on that day. By God’s providential hand, this man was about to receive something that he had never imagined possible. He still thought he was destined to just beg alms.
Certainly, he thought that Peter and John were about to help him. However, he had no idea at that moment where his help was really going to come from. He was still expecting to receive something from men. What he was about to experience would change his life forever.
May God bless us to be diligent in seeking a time of prayer together and to be mindful of those sitting at the gate!
