Unit 3: The Birth of the Church
Key Verse:
Acts 3:8 NLT
8 He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them.
Prelude:
Proverbs 31:8-9 NLT
8
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves;
ensure justice for those being crushed.
9
Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless,
and see that they get justice.
Happy Mother’s Day! I was speaking with a friend (Deacon Williams) earlier this week, and together we happened upon a shared theme for Mother’s Day and this week’s lesson on the lame beggar at the gate called Beautiful: Compassion. The reason our mothers are so greatly treasured is because of the tender compassion that they have lavished on us throughout each of our lives. It is compassion that our Father in Heaven would have us extend to everyone that we encounter. Compassion will move us to look for opportunities to be a blessing to the unsaved and the unsavory, to advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves. Let’s explore Peter’s response of loving compassion toward a complete stranger.
The Lesson
Acts 3:1 NLTgood
1 Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service.
This is a seeming anomaly. Why would these two leaders of the new ‘Jesus Movement’ go to the Temple to pray? Why would they mingle with Judaizers? Simply put, they were Jews. The natural place of worship for them would have been the Temple in Jerusalem. This was a transitory period where new customs and norms would be established while the old ways would go by the wayside. It would take time…and guidance from the Holy Spirit. In the interim, the believers in Christ would continue to worship alongside their Jewish bretheren at the Temple. Church history instructs that James, the brother of the Lord headed the Church in Jerusalem from the Temple until his martyrdom.
Acts 3:2 NLT
2 As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple.
Leviticus 21:16-21 NLT
16 Then the Lord said to Moses, 17 “Give the following instructions to Aaron: In all future generations, none of your descendants who has any defect will qualify to offer food to his God. 18 No one who has a defect qualifies, whether he is blind, lame, disfigured, deformed, 19 or has a broken foot or arm, 20 or is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or has a defective eye, or skin sores or scabs, or damaged testicles. 21 No descendant of Aaron who has a defect may approach the altar to present special gifts to the Lord. Since he has a defect, he may not approach the altar to offer food to his God.
2 Samuel 5:8 NLT
8 On the day of the attack, David said to his troops, “I hate those ‘lame’ and ‘blind’ Jebusites.[b] Whoever attacks them should strike by going into the city through the water tunnel.[c]” That is the origin of the saying, “The blind and the lame may not enter the house.”
Nehemiah 6:10-13 NLT
10 Later I went to visit Shemaiah son of Delaiah and grandson of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home. He said, “Let us meet together inside the Temple of God and bolt the doors shut. Your enemies are coming to kill you tonight.”
11 But I replied, “Should someone in my position run from danger? Should someone in my position enter the Temple to save his life? No, I won’t do it!” 12 I realized that God had not spoken to him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 They were hoping to intimidate me and make me sin. Then they would be able to accuse and discredit me.
I want to call attention to the thought that it seems to have been the Jewish custom during this time that the lame or disabled were not allowed into the Temple of God. This custom seems to have begun during the time of Moses, and applied only to the levitical priest, but became a general rule of thumb for all Jews in David’s time. In fact, Nehemiah once refused to be lured into the Temple by his adversaries because, as a eunuch, it would be a sin for him to enter the Temple. Thus, the gate demarcating an entry to the Temple was as far as the lame man’s friends or family could take him. He could not enter the place of worship, he could only rely on the compassion of his countrymen from outside of the Temple.
Acts 3:3 NLT
3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money.
Deuteronomy 15:7-8 NLT
7 “But if there are any poor Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them. 8 Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need.
The Hebrews were commanded since the time of Moses to be compassionate toward those less fortunate than themselves. Whether it was their own brethren or the foreigner or stranger who had immigrated from a distant land, they were compelled by God to show compassion to their neighbor. The beggar at the gate called Beautiful relied on the compassion of his neighbors. His neighbors were moved to give as a function of their worship experience.
Acts 3:4-6a NLT
4 Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. 6a But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have…”
Having gained Peter’s attention, the lame man looked expectantly toward Peter and John. His expectations were grounded in scripture and in tradition. Additionally, they were grounded in his past interactions with his neighbors, who had cheerfully blessed him at this Beautiful Gate. Today, God intended to meet the expectations of the lame man. In fact, he intended to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that the lame man could ever have expected.
Acts 3: 6b-7 NLT
6b “...In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene,[a] get up and[b] walk!”
7 Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened.
Note the compassion of Peter. He wasn’t empty-handed. In fact, he had recently acquired a gift of unmatchable value. The gift of the Holy Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit who directed Peter in this moment. Both God’s and Peter’s compassion were displayed in this moment. By the unction of the Holy Spirit, at Peter’s command, the lame man was healed. But take notice of Peter’s compassion as he extended a helping hand to the lame man. The Bible instructs us that Peter pulled the lame man to his feet, all the while, strength was coming into his feet and ankles. He was healed.
Beloved, Peter was motivated in all of his actions by compassion that sought the very best for whomever he encountered. In recent days or weeks, he had been empowered by the Holy Spirit to minister the message of Christ. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter delivered the message of Christ through preaching. On this day, at the Beautiful Gate, Peter delivered Christ’s message through his actions. There was no doubt by whose great name the lame man had been healed: Jesus.
Acts 3:8 NLT
8 He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them.
Matthew 21:14-15 NLT
13 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!”[f] 14 The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them.
I want you to see something here. Peter took the formerly lame man into the Temple. For the first time in his life, he who had been lame was able to enter into the very Presence of God. How wonderful it must have been to finally have been able to participate in worship within the confines of the Temple. Before Peter, only Jesus had ushered the blind and lame into the Temple. Once there, Christ healed them. It was their rightful inheritance as children of Abraham. Now, on this great day, Peter escorted the formerly lame man into God’s Presence. In doing so, he followed the precedent that Christ established before him: to set the Captives free!
Acts 3:9-11 NLT
9 All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. 10 When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! 11 They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon’s Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John.
Acts 4:4 NLT
4 But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of men who believed now totaled about 5,000.
Much like the day of Pentecost, the sight of the lame man walking as a result of God’s handiwork brought great wonder and amazement, both to the believers in Christ and those who had yet to believe. As a result of this miraculous healing, two thousand souls were added to the Church. The fervent, compassionate desire of Peter to share what he had resulted in the magnification of God’s great glory through the great, great name of Jesus, our Lord.
Selah
wb
Proverbs 31:20 NLT
20
She extends a helping hand to the poor
and opens her arms to the needy.
Again, Happy Mother’s Day!
Blessings!
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