Atos 3
Bob Utley · Citado em PreceptAustin
Atos 3
Utley - The Jews took official action after the fall of Jerusalem and instituted an oath formula (rejecting Jesus as the Messiah) to restrict membership in the local synagogues. This is when the church solidified its day of worship as Sunday (the day to commemorate Jesus’ resurrection; the day Jesus appeared three times to the disciples in the Upper Room). NET Note on going up to the temple at the time for prayer (cf Acts 2:15+ = 9 AM) - The earliest Christians, being of Jewish roots, were still participating in the institutions of Judaism at this point. Their faith in Christ did not make them non-Jewish in their practices. They may have continued this practice until 70 AD when it would no longer have been possible. The Jewish prayer times were 9 AM, 3 PM and sunset (possibly derived from Ps 55:17) and devout Jews kept these prayer times, so Peter and John apparently kept their former practices. It is interesting that enabled by the Spirit, believers are now commanded not to pray 3 times/day, but "pray (present imperative = continually) without ceasing." (1 Th 5:17+) Don't try to obey this command in your own power or you will put yourself under the law! Remember "you are not under law but under grace" (Ro 6:14+) so now the Spirit of grace (Heb 10:29+) will enable you to have both the desire and the power to pray without ceasing! (Php 2:13NLT+). Going up (305)(anabaino from ana = upwards, up, as a pref. denotes up, again, back + basis = a foot) means to go up, to ascend, cause to ascend from a lower to a higher place. They were ascending the terraces to the temple courts, the Temple being at the highest point, which is why this area is called Temple Mount! See the picture of remnant of the Stairs of Ascent discovered by archaeologist Benjamin Mazar, to the entrance of the Temple Courtyard. Pilgrims coming to make sacrifices at the Herodian Temple would have entered and exited by this stairway. Some feel the phrase going up to the Temple was used not as much in a physical sense as in an ethical sense, in a manner of speaking "toward God." This recalls the rhetorical question of David in Ps 24:3 "Who may ascend (Lxx also uses anabaino) into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place?" Ninth [hour], the hour of prayer - This was three o'clock in the afternoon (Calculated from sunrise - the Jewish day began at 6 AM - see Josephus, Ant. 14.4.3 = "the priests...did...twice a day, in the morning, and about the ninth hour, offer their sacrifices on the altar.). "The time of the evening sacrifice (cf Da 9:21+); or, as the words of prayer indicate, half an hour later, for the prayer which accompanied the offering of incense." (Vincent) In other words Peter and John did not go up for the afternoon sacrifice but for the prayer that followed the sacrifice. Luke 1:10+ describes "the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering." One priest offered incense each morning and evening while the other priests and the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside the holy place. It is interesting to recall that some 50+ days earlier an unusual cosmic sign had occurred during Jesus' crucifixion for "from the sixth hour (12 Noon) darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour (3 PM). And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" that is, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?" (Mt 27:45, 46) And what else happened at the ninth hour? "The veil of the Temple was torn in two" and the writer of Hebrews gives us the significance... Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith (THIS IS WHAT PETER AND JOHN WERE DOING), having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; (Heb 10:19-23) Henry
Atos 3
Utley - Here is the shocking paradox of the sick sitting daily at the house of God. (ED: DOES THIS STILL OCCUR? ARE THEIR "SICK" SITTING IN CHURCH PEWS, IN NEED OF A HEALING TOUCH FROM JESUS?) As a matter of fact, there was even a prohibition against these kinds of people actively participating in worship (i.e. serving as priests, cf. Lev. 21:16–24). The gospel offers a new day. Even an Ethiopian (no race barriers) eunuch (no physical barriers) is welcome in the new kingdom (cf. Acts 8:26–40). Almsgiving, or giving to the poor, was a required part of the Jewish faith (cf. Matt. 6:1–4; Luke 11:41; 12:33; Acts 10:2, 4, 31; 24:17). Usually money was collected weekly in the local synagogues and then food distributed, but apparently some begged daily in the Temple area itself. (See Utley's further discussion of Almsgiving). Note the contrasts in Acts 2-3 regarding the apostle Peter (from Wiersbe). Peter the preacher Peter the personal worker multitudes one poor man ministry resulting in blessing ministry resulting in arrest and persecution.
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Utley - The Greek term “faith” (pistis) can be translated into English as “faith,” “trust,” or “believe.” It is humanity’s conditional response to God’s unconditional grace (cf. Eph. 2:8–9). It is basically the believer’s trusting in the trustworthiness of God (i.e. His character, His promises, His Messiah) or faithing God’s faithfulness! It is difficult in the healing accounts of the Gospels and Acts to document the spiritual (i.e. covenantal) side of the event. Those healed are not always “saved” (cf. John 5). Faith (4102)(pistis) is synonymous with trust or belief and is the conviction of the truth of anything, but in Scripture usually speaks of belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervor born of faith and joined with it. POSB notes that in this passage we see that "belief is a gift of Christ. Faith is not an emotion or a thought or a commitment that a man tries and tries to stir up within himself. It is not of himself. The thought, the impulse, the movement, the tug, the pull to believe is initiated by God’s Spirit. A man’s spirit is dead. It cannot in and of itself move toward a living relationship with God. A dead spirit cannot make any movement whatsoever, for it is dead. When a man experiences and senses the pull to believe, he needs to stop resisting and believe. He needs to let go and trust Christ. When God initiates belief and moves upon a man’s heart with the gift of belief, the man needs to exercise his will in accepting Jesus; he needs to give all he is and has to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior. It is by such belief and commitment that a man is made perfectly sound." Faith in Acts - Acts 3:16; Acts 6:5; Acts 6:7; Acts 11:24; Acts 13:8; Acts 14:9; Acts 14:22; Acts 14:27; Acts 15:9; Acts 16:5; Acts 17:31; Acts 20:21; Acts 24:24; Acts 26:18 Horton - The healing came on the ground of faith in Jesus for what He is. But it was not their faith as such that brought the healing. It was the Name, that is, the fact that Jesus is true to His nature and character. He is the Healer. Faith did have a great part, of course, but it was the faith that was "through him [Jesus]." The faith Jesus himself had imparted (not only to Peter and John, but also to the man) gave complete freedom from defect before their very eyes. (Acts: A Logion Press Commentary) D L Moody - FAITH is the hand that takes the blessing. But don’t look too much at the hand. Suppose I ask a man who has just received a thousand dollars of a friend: “Did he give it to you with his right hand?” He would reply: “What do I care about which hand; so that I have got the money.” It is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man - Note it is not just by saying the "Name" but is it all that the Name conveys - Jesus' deity, power, authority, etc. The Name in this context stands for the essence of the Person of Jesus. The phrase "Name of Jesus" occurs 11x in 11v in Acts and only 1x in the rest of the NT (Php 2:10) - Acts 2:38; Acts 3:6; Acts 3:16; Acts 4:10; Acts 4:18; Acts 5:40; Acts 8:12; Acts 9:27; Acts 10:48; Acts 16:18; Acts 26:9 Has strengthened (4732) see note on stereoo Whom you see and know (cf Acts 4:16+) - This repeats the idea of Acts 3:10+ where the crowd was "taking note of" the lame man. God had chosen a sign that would undeniably point to the fact that a miracle had occurred. The Jews knew that a "God thing" had occurred. See (2334)(theoreo from theaomai = to look at closely or attentively or contemplatively - even with a sense of wonder; cp theoros = a spectator) (Gives us English = theater) usually refers to physical sight but can also refer to perception and understanding. It means to gaze, to look with interest and purpose, to carefully examine with emphasis on or attention to details. To behold intensely or attentively. Our English word scrutinize conveys this sense, for it means to examine closely and minutely. The picture this verb conveys is to be a spectator and thus to understand or perceive. Theoreo in some contexts can include the idea of to behold with amazement.