Acts 3:1-3 1Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth. 2And a certain man crippled from his mother’s womb was being carried along, whom they used to put every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, in order that he might beg alms of those who were entering the temple.
Luke now illustrates the wonders and signs mentioned twice in chapter 2 with an incident that happened near the temple. Verses 1 and 2 give the setting of a great miracle that got a lot of attention. Two themes stand out. Once is prayer, which has been mentioned multiple times and was a characteristic of the earliest believers (2:42). The apostles Peter and John continued the Jewish habit of praying in the temple. Peter is the main character and does all the talking, while John is more in the background. These two apostles were central authority figures among the early believers, which may have a background in their central role in Jesus’ ministry and resurrection appearances. The temple was located on the hill in Jerusalem called Zion, so everything went up to it. The ninth hour was equivalent to three in the afternoon, when sacrifices were also offered. The most people would likely be at the temple at this time of the day.
Jesus spoke in 1:8 about how the disciples would become witnesses in Jerusalem. It was difficult to witness to the unsaved when meeting behind closed doors in people’s homes. The temple was a public area where the disciples’ actions could be clearly seen and heard by many people. As a response to the miracle of this passage, Peter had the opportunity to preach another sermon in verses 12-26.
Verse 2 introduces the main character. As Peter and John came to the temple area, they were met by a crippled man sitting by the gate called Beautiful, begging to support himself. Luke notes the important detail that this man was crippled from birth. This small detail is important because it highlights just how significant the man’s healing was. His handicap had something to do with his ability to walk since he had to be carried there each day to get money to support himself. It is difficult to imagine the challenges such a person would have in the first century just surviving. He must have had someone who cared for him enough to carry him to the place where he could beg from the passerbyers.
The location of the Beautiful Gate was strategic because many people would have walked by on their way to the temple. These people were presumably sincere worshipers with enough compassion to give the man a coin so he could buy food. Giving alms was an important practice to pious Jews, and there would have been plenty entering the temple precincts. The location of the gate called Beautiful is unknown and not mentioned in any literature of that time. According to Josephus (War 5.201 (cf. 5.198, 201–06; 2.411), the temple had ten gates, with several of these quite amazing. Herod the Great had started the renovation of the temple precincts, and by the time of the apostles, it was a beautiful complex. One of the gates, known as the Nicanor gate, was made of Corinthian bronze and may have gotten the nickname of Beautiful. The contrast between a crippled man and a beautiful setting sets up the reader to wonder what might happen when he encounters Peter and John.
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