Chapters 3 and 4 of Acts center on a miracle performed in
the name of Jesus in the Temple. We don’t know exactly how long after the
events of Acts 2 this took place, but the impression left by the Biblical
account is that it wasn’t long after Pentecost. This is particularly true if
the number 5000 mentioned in 4:4 is the total number of believers, rather than
a new group of 5000. (I lean toward the first interpretation, for reasons I won’t
expand on here.) Thus, it comes at a time when the city of Jerusalem is still
widely aware of the events of Jesus’ crucifixion and people are beginning to
hear that this Jesus is still alive. Many have believed, but God also used
miracles to bring opportunities to preach the Gospel and to validate the
message of the apostles.
One question raised about this miracle is exactly where it
took place. It was definitely in the Temple precincts, but the specifics given
in the text aren’t as obvious to us as we might like. Luke tells us that the
lame beggar was carried to the “Beautiful Gate” of the Temple. However, no gate
had as its given name “Beautiful.” The name was probably a popular nickname for
one of the gates of the Temple. Knowing which gate Luke meant gives us some
insight into both the possible audience for the miracle and how the events
following the lame man’s healing flowed.
The prime candidate for the “Beautiful Gate” is the gate
that led from the outer Court of the Gentiles to the Court of Women, which was
the beginning of the actual sacred space of the Temple. Gentiles were not
allowed to progress beyond this gate, and warning signs were posted threatening
death to any who dared. This was the Nicanor Gate, which was unusual in that it
was covered with Corinthians bronze instead of gold or silver. While scholars
aren’t certain, this is likely the gate Josephus refers to in “The Jewish War”
as being more valuable than the other gates covered in silver or bronze (5.5.3).
If this were the case, it must have been a beautiful gate indeed, and to have
earned that designation from those who attended at the Temple. It would also
explain why the lame man chose that location to beg; if it was at the entrance
to the Temple proper, he would encounter many Jews going in to worship who
might be more inclined to bestow alms on a poor man as a good deed.
If this was the gate, the narrative flow would look like
this:
1) Peter and John, entering the Temple from the Court of the
Gentiles, see the beggar there and heal him in the name of Jesus.
2) The man joins Peter and John in entering the Temple,
where they would have participated in the afternoon prayers. For the lame man,
this might have been his first time to go into the actual Temple.
3) As they left, the people, who recognized the man and had
seen him enter the Temple praising God, crowd around Peter, John, and the man
in one of the exterior porticos, Solomon’s Colonnade. As this crowd gathers,
Peter begins to preach.
4) Given that they were still within the outer courts of the
Temple, word would spread to someone who would report to the priests, who sent
our representatives to stop Peter’s sermon, which was accomplished by arresting
Peter and John.
While this is not the only possible solution to the location
of the healing of the lame man, it does make sense and provide a reasonable
flow of events. If Peter was preaching in Solomon’s Colonnade, a significant
crowd could have gathered, resulting in another large response to the Gospel
message. The church continued to grow, but now began to face serious opposition
from the leaders of the Temple. This account also shows us the Spirit-filled
boldness of Peter, which should inspire us to be bold as we face opposition to
the Gospel in our own witness.
NOTE: There is a nice schematic plan of Herod’s Temple on
the Bible
History Online web site.
No comments:
Post a Comment