Atos 3

A man lame from birth

1 Now Peter and John were going up together into the temple at the hour (the ninth)*If Luke is using Hebrew time, it was 3 p.m., if Roman, it was 9 a.m., both being Jewish times for prayer. But from 4:3 below, that says it was already evening, it appears that Luke uses Hebrew time here. of prayer.*But why did they go to the temple to pray? Since God had abandoned that temple, they might just as well have prayed at home. 2 And a certain man, who had actually been lame from his mother’s womb, was being carried (they would lay him daily at the temple gate, the one called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple), 3 who, upon seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, began asking for alms.

Peter heals him

4 So Peter, with John, fastening his gaze on him said, "Look at us." 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said: "I do not have silver and gold, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ the Natsorean, get up and walk!"*Alack! Many churches now have silver and gold, but can no longer say, "Get up and walk!" 7 And grasping him by his right hand he lifted him up;*This was an act of faith on Peter’s part; if nothing happened the man would fall back down. immediately his feet and ankles were strengthened. 8 So jumping up he stood, and began to walk!*He had never learned to walk (lame from birth), so how could he just start walking, not to mention leaping? The miracle included his head, not just his limbs. And he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping*Don’t you know he had a bouncing good time! and praising God. 9 Well all the people saw him walking and praising God; 10 and they recognized him—that he was the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, with a view to alms—and they were filled with wonder and amazement because of what had happened to him.