Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Peter heals the beggar (Acts 3)


One day, Peter and John are heading to the temple court to pray.  They encounter a man crippled from birth who is begging by the on the street.  Both Peter and John stop and look at him.  Peter says "look at us!"

The man thinks he is about to receive money so he looks at them.  Peter then says he does not have money, but he can give something else.  He reaches down, pulls the man, and tells him to be healed in the name of Jesus.  As he is being pulled up, the beggar's ankles strengthen and he is healed.

The beggar then shouts and jumped around the temple courts.  The others in the temple recognized him and this gives Peter an opportunity to preach about Jesus.  The rest of the chapter contains Peter's speech about how the Jews gave Jesus to be crucified when he was in fact the Holy One of God.

Given that the man jumped around the temple, this probably did not happen on the Sabbath.  Otherwise, the Pharisees would criticize the man for working (jumping) and Peter for healing on the Sabbath.  This would also indicate that the Apostles continued going to the temple to pray and preach throughout the week, at least at this point in their ministry.

We are also seeing John's emergence as a standout Apostle separate and apart from any reference as the "disciple whom Jesus loved".  Previously, the only other specificity of John by name as a standout Apostle was when he witnessed Jesus' transformation with James and Peter.

Still, Peter is taking the lead in the action in this story, both in the healing of the cripple and the speech.  This is also a far contrast to denying Jesus three times which happened at the same place probably a few months before.

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