Acts 3 takes place at one of the busiest spots in Jerusalem, a gate of the temple, where a man who had never walked sat every day outside God's house.
God's house. The temple stood on a hill in Jerusalem. It had large open courts surrounded by walls and covered walkways. God's people came there to pray, to bring offerings and to worship Him.
Many gates. Gates led from one court into the next. Crowds passed through them every day, and the busiest times were the hours of prayer.
The Beautiful Gate. One gate was “called Beautiful” (3:2). It may have been the great bronze gate that a Jewish historian named Josephus described. He said it shone even more than the gates covered in gold.
The hour of prayer. Peter and John went “at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour” (3:1). That was about three in the afternoon, when the evening sacrifice was offered and many people came to pray.
A man who never walked. The man was “lame from his mother's womb” (3:2). He was “over forty years old” (Acts 4:22). In all those years he had never taken a single step.
Carried every day. People carried him and “laid daily at the gate” (3:2). Friends or family brought him each morning. They could not heal him, but they did not leave him alone.
Asking for alms. Alms are gifts of money for the poor. Giving to the poor was part of worshiping God. Jesus taught us to give quietly, because our Father “who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly” (Matthew 6:4).
So close, still outside. The man sat at the doorway of God's house every day, yet he could not walk in on his own. He was near the place of worship and still outside it.
A picture of us. Without Jesus, every person is like that man. Paul wrote that people without Christ were “having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). We cannot walk into God's presence by our own strength.
Seen by God. Many people walked past the man. Peter and John looked straight at him. God never walks past anyone. He sees the person everyone else forgets.
Seeing like Jesus. Jesus said that when we help “one of the least of these My brethren,” we do it for Him (Matthew 25:40). Kindness to people in need is kindness to Jesus.
What to do. This week, look for someone others walk past, such as a lonely classmate, a neighbor, or someone sitting alone. Say hello, help them, and pray for them.
When Peter spoke in the name of Jesus, the man who had always sat outside the gate went in. His very first steps took him through the doorway of God's house.
Lifted up. Peter “took him by the right hand and lifted him up” (3:7). Jesus had done the same when He healed Peter's mother-in-law: “He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up” (Mark 1:31).
Strong at once. “Immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength” (3:7). A man who had never walked did not have to practice. God gave him strength and balance in a moment.
Inside at last. He “entered the temple with them” (3:8). He had been lame for over forty years, and every day he was carried to the gate. Now he walked through it on his own feet.
Leaping. He went in “walking, leaping, and praising God” (3:8). He was too happy to walk slowly!
A promise kept. Long before, Isaiah wrote about the day God would come to save His people: “Then the lame shall leap like a deer” (Isaiah 35:6). The man's leaping showed that God's promise was coming true through Jesus.
Jesus' own signs. When John the Baptist sent to ask about Jesus, Jesus sent word back: “The blind see and the lame walk” (Matthew 11:5). Now Jesus was doing the same work through His followers.
Praising God. The man praised God, not Peter. He knew who had healed him, and he wanted everyone to know it too.
Everyone saw. “And all the people saw him walking and praising God” (3:9). They knew he was the beggar from the gate, and “they were filled with wonder and amazement” (3:10).
Holding on. The healed man “held on to Peter and John” (3:11). He stayed close to the men who had brought him the good news of Jesus.
Brought near. This is what Jesus does for us. Paul wrote, “you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13). Now we can “come boldly to the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16).
Coming with joy. A psalm says, “Come before His presence with singing” (Psalm 100:2). People Jesus has rescued come to God with praise.
One day, all things new. Jesus still heals, but not always in the way or at the time we ask. One day God will make everything new, and “there shall be no more pain” (Revelation 21:4).
What to do. This week, thank God out loud for three things Jesus has done for you. Praise Him like the man who leaped through the gate.
Complete all sections to finish!
Read each section and answer the questions correctly.