Now Peter and John were going up to the temple area for the three o’clock hour of prayer. 2 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. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms. 4 But Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 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.” 7 Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong. 8 He leaped up, stood, and walked around, and went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 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.
Observant Jews prayed three times a day; morning, afternoon, and evening, and Peter and John went to the Temple for evening prayer according to Jewish custom. Even though the disciples were now followers of Jesus the awaited Messiah, they continued their devotion to the Jewish faith and worshipped in the Temple. However, their devotion to the Jewish faith did not conflict with their belief in Jesus as the Messiah. They saw Jesus as fulfilling the OT prophecy.
The man sitting at the Temple gate was crippled his whole life. He had no way to support himself, so he sat by the gate begging for alms from people who entered the Temple. The Beautiful Gate was one of the grand entrances to the temple, adorned with precious metals and intricate designs. When the man asked Peter and John for alms, they looked intently at him and commanded him to look at them. The man expected to receive alms but Peter and John invoked the name and power of Jesus Christ to heal the crippled man. Peter could not offer the man material wealth but the restoration of the man’s physical health was a more valuable gift. Peter raised the man up and restored him just as Christ’s power raises us up and restores us spiritually. The man was healed instantly. He leaped up and went into the Temple praising God.
It is unlikely that the man would have been allowed in the Temple while he was crippled because according to Jewish law, individuals with certain physical impairments, including bodily defects or deformities, were considered ritually impure and therefore restricted from entering certain sacred spaces, such as the inner courts of the temple. The healing of the man became a powerful witness to the power and authority of the name of Jesus Christ. The crowd was astonished when they saw the crippled man who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple now leaping and praising God.
Almighty God, help us to see the miracles you work in our lives every day and grant us the grace to give you thanks for your goodness. Help us to be instruments of your healing and restoration in the lives of those in need. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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