Bible Groups - Digests of Bible Commentaries

The Acts of the Apostles - Chapter 3

Revised 2014

The daily activity in the temple and at home (framed by 2.46 & 5:42) is exemplified by teachings in the temple 3:1-4.22 and 5:12-41 which frame activities elsewhere, 4:23-5:11. Temple activities remind us of the Baptist and Jesus in the temple, Lk 1:5-23, 2:21-51, and signal continuing commitment to reach out to Israel through her most sacred institution. Mosaic law strictly prohibited the offering of lame or blemished animals as sacrifice, and also prohibited the service of lame and disabled priests in the sanctuary (Lev 21:16-24, Deut 15:21, Mal 1:8,13). So by reaching out to the lame beggar and moreover entering the temple with him, the apostles are breaking boundaries, as Jesus did. Examples of “signs on the earth below” (2:19).
1 Literally the 9th hour of prayer - the day begins at 6 am. Although Peter has most of the action, he is accompanied by John - perhaps because Jewish law requires at least two witnesses. Also parallels Paul and Barnabbas (Acts 13-15), and obeys Jesus (Lk 10:1).
2 "Beautiful Gate" - no Jewish reference to this gate: possibly the Nicanor gate, made of bronze, separating courts of women and gentiles. Contrast the poor beggar with the Beautiful gate, and the prayers to God about to begin - from which the beggar is excluded, and which are shallow substitutes for real community with all mankind.
3 The Apostles begin their ministry by healing just like Jesus (Lk 4:31-37). The healing has similar elements to synoptics: exposition, healer's word and gesture, demonstration of the cure, and effect on bystanders. It takes place the temple, however - the physically imperfect may not enter the temple (Cf 2 Sam 9).
5 The beggar does his bit by responding and looking at them.
6 The apostles have no money, because it has been given to the community - in contrast to the temple funds. The healing "is in the name of Jesus", not through any self-sufficient power of the apostles - it is a result of prayer to God, who chooses to respond by healing. "Name" and "power" are parallel concepts (4:7). The name is not a magical invocation under control of men, but a form of prayer - a channel of the resurrected Jesus' direct action, granted only upon confession of faith in him. (Cf consecration at Mass). Have we examples of healing in Jesus’ name today?
8 Jumping - like the leaping of deer (Is 35:6), a prophetic sign of Israel's restoration. Healed, the beggar may now enter the Temple, and hear Peter’s sermon. Contrast this activity with his previous passivity (v 2) - are we equally active, energised by faith?
9 A very public sign, healing someone very well known. The people ‘see’ the cured cripple.
11 The healing is followed by a sermon, just as Jesus did. The Pentecost sermon began with the OT (Joel), this sermon ends with challenge based on Deut 18:15. Luke's faulty info about the temple layout leads him to reckon the portico as part of the temple.
12 Peter ‘sees’ the astonished people - also a sign? The audience is "the people" (laos). It is natural to focus on the healer(s), but Peter directs the focus to God, through whose power the healing had been effected.
13 Hallowed titles for God of the OT (Cf Exod 3:6-15) remind us of the larger plan of God, and show that Peter is speaking within Israel as he bids it repent. "servant", which could also be translated as "son" or "child", here reflects Is 52:13 - 53;12. God glorified Jesus by taking him into heaven, whence he does mighty works on earth, This sermon is continuous and complementary to the Pentecost sermon: framed by the arguments from scripture which combine into a christological framework declaring that the apostles' teaching (kerygma) represents the renewal of prophecy in which the voice of the risen Christ is heard as the awaited voice of Moses' successor, with Peter’s witness to the resurrection supported by God’s answer to Peter’s prayer by the healing miracle.
14 Holy (Lk 4:34) and righteous, in contrast to the guilt of those who rejected Jesus in favour of Barabbas. Helps us to understand the centurion's description of Jesus as "this just man" (Lk 23:46).
15 "author of life" could be translated as "leader of life" or "pioneer of life", ie "life" in the sense of goal to which Jesus opened the way for all, all pointing to Jesus as source & originator of salvation.
16 Jesus’ name itself was effective. The power of the divine name to deliver and protect God's people is frequent theme in Israelite worship (Ps 20:1-7, 44:4-8, 54:1-7). The name of Jesus in Acts is more than memory - it is a dynamic symbol of Jesus’ continuing presence and power on earth. In heaven, but still actively present on earth. God’s glory & power is no longer limited to the temple (1 Kgs 8:17) or a person (Acts 8:18-20), but available everywhere.
17 "Ignorance" - a Lucan motif - explains away the actions of the Jews (Cf Lk 23:34) and allows the apostles to continue to seek their repentance. But not all Jews wanted Jesus to die: Lk 23:27,49.
18 "Through the ... prophets": Christian insight into OT saw messianic prophecy as relating to crucifixion and death of Jesus as the suffering servant (Is 52-53). Luke is the only NT writer to refer explicitly to the idea of a suffering Messiah, although Mark hints at it (Mk 8:31-33). The idea is not found in OT or other Jewish literature before NT period. The Jews interpreted Is as referring to the suffering of the Jewish people.
19 Again the challenge to repent, but more clearly specified: in denying Jesus (Lk 23:18) the Jews acted out of ignorance - only Luke asserts this (Lk 23:34) - before the resurrection they had some excuse. So now they have a second chance. But change of heart/mind is necessary if they are to receive Jesus as the messiah when he is sent beck from heaven. Acts shows that many did indeed change (5,000 in Acts 4:4), but many did not. After the resurrection there was no excuse.
20 "send you the Messiah" - a unique view of future Messiahship of Jesus, found nowhere else in NT, and the only reference in Acts to the second coming. May preserve a very early view in which the title "Messiah" (Greek "Christ") is applied to him as of his second coming. Contrast 2:36. Could be seen as being addressed to a Christian - rather than Jewish - audience, indicating the splendid prospect a repentant Israel could have had. Because so many "men of Israel" reject the apostles' teaching, and so are threatened with exclusion in v 23, v 20 paints a picture which would not happen during Acts history, restating the reason for the period of the church described in 1:6-11. The Jewish expectation of good times has to be reinterpreted in terms of the extended time of mission that follows the Jewish refusal.
21 "the times of universal restoration": again associates the Messiahship of Jesus with his second coming, the fruit of Israel's election, now postponed. Perhaps also refers to the heavenly banquet?
22 A loose citation of Deut 18:15 spliced with Lev 23:29, which teaches that Moses and the whole prophetic tradition foretold the time of Israel's ultimate opportunity for conversion, and the Jews are to learn the will of God from noone but their prophets. Luke puns on the Greek word (anastasei) which can mean both “raise up” prophets and “raise up” from the dead. Some Jews expected a unique prophet to come to fulfill this text. Early Christians applied this to Jesus to defend against divergence from Judaism. Jesus fits the mould of Jewish prophets: many failed to listen to him, as to Moses.
23 The key to Luke’s solution to the problem of Jews not accepting Christ: for Luke there is continuity of God’s people through Jews who accepted Jesus. Cf Matt: Christians are a new people replacing the old Israel (Matt 21:43). But if they do not accept Jesus they will be rooted out.
25 God's promise to Abraham has been fulfilled in Jesus - but only those Jews who accepted Jesus as his son - ie the Christian Jews - are parties to God’s covenant with Abraham whose descendants (“all nations”) will be blessed (Gen 22:18).
26 The primary purpose of God sending Jesus was to reclaim his people. But if they persist in rejecting God's prophetic word they "will be cut off from the people". "first" hints at now turning to other people - the gentiles. Israel has priority, but not a monopoly on God's attention.