Chapter 3
Cure of a Crippled Beggar. 1 [a]Now Peter and John were
going up to the temple area for the three o’clock hour of prayer.[b] 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
[c]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.
Peter’s Speech. 11 As he clung to Peter and John, all the
people hurried in amazement toward them in the portico called “Solomon’s
Portico.” 12 When Peter saw this, he addressed the people, “You Israelites, why
are you amazed at this, and why do you look so intently at us as if we had made
he walks by our own power or piety? 13 The God of Abraham, [the God] of Isaac,
and [the God] of Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified[d] his servant
Jesus whom you handed over and denied in Pilate’s presence when he had decided
to release him. 14 You denied the Holy and Righteous One[e] and asked that a
murderer be released to you. 15 [f]The author of life you put to death, but God
raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses. 16 And by faith in his
name, this man, whom you see and know, his name has made strong, and the faith
that comes through it has given him this perfect health, in the presence of all
of you. 17 Now I know, brothers, that you acted out of ignorance,[g] just as
your leaders did; 18 but God has thus brought to fulfillment what he had
announced beforehand through the mouth of all the prophets,[h] that his Messiah
would suffer. 19 Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins maybe
wiped away, 20 and that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment and send
you the Messiah already appointed for you, Jesus,[i] 21 whom heaven must
receive until the times of universal restoration[j] of which God spoke through
the mouth of his holy prophets from of old. 22 For Moses said:[k]
‘A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you
from among your own kinsmen; to him you shall listen in all that he may say to
you.
23 Everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be cut
off from the people.’
24 Moreover, all the prophets who spoke, from Samuel and
those afterwards, also announced these days. 25 You are the children of the
prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors when he said to
Abraham, ‘In your offspring all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ 26
For you first, God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you by turning
each of you from your evil ways.”
Footnotes
3:1–4:31 This section presents a series of related events:
the dramatic cure of a lame beggar (Acts 3:1–10) produces a large audience for
the kerygmatic discourse of Peter (Acts 3:11–26). The Sadducees, taking
exception to the doctrine of resurrection, have Peter, John, and apparently the
beggar as well, arrested (Acts 4:1–4) and brought to trial before the
Sanhedrin. The issue concerns the authority by which Peter and John publicly
teach religious doctrine in the temple (Acts 4:5–7). Peter replies with a brief
summary of the kerygma, implying that his authority is prophetic (Acts 4:8–12).
The court warns the apostles to abandon their practice of invoking prophetic
authority in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:13–18). When Peter and John replied that
the prophetic role cannot be abandoned to satisfy human objections, the court
nevertheless releases them, afraid to do otherwise since the beggar, lame from
birth and over forty years old, is a well-known figure in Jerusalem and the
facts of his cure are the common property (Acts 4:19–22). The narrative concludes with
a prayer of the Christian community imploring divine aid against threats of
persecution (Acts 4:23–31).
3:1 For the three o’clock hour of prayer: literally, “at the
ninth hour of prayer.” With the day beginning at 6 A.M., the ninth hour would
be 3 P.M.
3:6–10 The miracle has a dramatic cast; it symbolizes the
saving power of Christ and leads the beggar to enter the temple, where he hears
Peter’s proclamation of salvation through Jesus.
3:13 Has glorified: through the resurrection and ascension
of Jesus, God reversed the judgment against him on the occasion of his trial.
Servant: the Greek word can also be rendered as “son” or even “child” here and
also in Acts 3:26; 4:25 (applied to David); Acts 4:27; and Acts 4:30. Scholars
are of the opinion, however, that the original concept reflected in the words
identified Jesus with the suffering Servant of the Lord of Is 52:13–53:12.
3:14 The Holy and Righteous One: so designating Jesus
emphasizes his special relationship to the Father (see Lk 1:35; 4:34) and emphasizes
his sinlessness and religious dignity that are placed in sharp contrast with
the guilt of those who rejected him in favor of Barabbas.
3:15 The author of life: other possible translations of the
Greek titles are “leader of life” or “pioneer of life.” The title clearly points
to Jesus as the source and originator of salvation.
3:17 Ignorance: a Lucan motif, explaining away the actions
not only of the people but also of their leaders in crucifying Jesus. On this
basis, the presbyters in Acts could continue to appeal to the Jews in Jerusalem
to believe in Jesus, even while affirming their involvement in his death
because they were unaware of his messianic dignity. See also Acts 13:27 and Lk
23:34.
3:18 Through the mouth of all the prophets: Christian prophetic
insight into the Old Testament saw the crucifixion and death of Jesus as the
main import of messianic prophecy. The Jews themselves did not anticipate a
suffering Messiah; they usually understood the Servant Song in Is 52:13–53:12
to signify their own suffering as a people. In his typical fashion (cf. Lk
18:31; 24:25, 27, 44), Luke does not specify the particular Old Testament
prophecies that were fulfilled by Jesus. See also note on Lk 24:26.
3:20 The Lord…and send you the Messiah already appointed for
you, Jesus: an allusion to the parousia or second coming of Christ, judged to
be imminent in the apostolic age. This reference to its nearness is the only
explicit one in Acts. Some scholars believe that this verse preserves a very
early Christology, in which the title “Messiah” (Greek “Christ”) is applied to
him as of his parousia, his second coming (contrast Acts 2:36). This view of a
future messiahship of Jesus is not found elsewhere in the New Testament.
3:21 The times of universal restoration: like “the times of
refreshment” (Acts 3:20), an apocalyptic designation of the messianic age,
fitting in with the Christology of Acts 3:20 that associates the messiahship of
Jesus with his future coming.
3:22 A loose citation of Dt 18:15, which teaches that the Israelites
are to learn the will of Yahweh from no one but their prophets. At the time of
Jesus, some Jews expected a unique prophet to come in fulfillment of this text.
Early Christianity applied this tradition and text to Jesus and used them
especially in defense of the divergence of Christian teaching from traditional
Judaism.
Source Catholic Bible: New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)
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