16. The Cripple at the Beautiful Gate

(Acts 3, 4)

One afternoon two friends were walking along a street in Jerusalem on their way to the evening sacrifice in the temple. At one of the entrances—the Beautiful Gate (so named because of its snow-white marble steps leading up to its great door of costly brass)—sat a poor lame man, begging. His feet and ankles were so crippled that he had never been able to walk or even to stand. His friends carried this helpless cripple and laid him every morning at this temple entrance to beg charity from those who went to pray. As soon as the man saw these two friends, Peter and John, he cried piteously, “Give charity!” Standing still and looking him quietly in the eye, the two friends said, “Look on us!” He looked up at once most expectantly. Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none, but what I have, I give thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” Taking him by the hand Peter lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle-bones became strong. The man leaped up and went into the temple with Peter and John, walking and leaping and praising God. All the people were amazed, seeing him leaping and hearing his shouts of joy as he held fast to his two friends. A great throng gathered about them in the large open court, called Solomon’s porch. Peter, seeing the throng, began to tell them about the wonderful Prince of Life, Jesus, whom they had put to death. Such preaching within the temple courts aroused the people and offended the priests, and the chief officer seized Peter and John and cast them into prison. This caused hundreds of the people to declare themselves Christians. The next morning when Peter and John were brought before the council and questioned, the officers said, “We will let you go if you will promise not to speak or teach in this name again.” They answered: “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you, rather than unto God, judge ye; for we cannot but speak the things we have seen and heard.” So, failing to frighten them, the officers were compelled to let them go. And being let go, they returned at once to the Christian company, and told what the Jewish officers had said to them. And the cripple who had been healed at the Beautiful Gate was a happy Christian in that company, and was one of the loudest in giving true praise to God that day.