April 27, 2020
In the days after the Holy Spirit had shown up and fallen on the people, after three thousand were baptized, Peter and John were heading up to the temple to pray. The temple was the place where the people of God went to pray, but also to see others. They gathered there, and the ‘Beautiful Gate’ was a special entrance, a place where wealthier members or special guests might enter. It makes sense then, that those who were in need might choose that as a place to ask for help from folks that went into the temple that way. This man was unable to walk, so he had people carry him to the place where he could ask for a little money to survive. Collecting a small amount might be the difference between life and death for this man. He saw Peter and John. He noticed them. All we can know for sure is that he saw them as they were going into the temple, maybe just like anyone else, but we might wonder if after the coming of the Holy Spirit there was something different about them. Did their faces shine with the glory of God? Did they carry themselves differently after that transformative moment? How do you think they would have seemed to this man waiting at the temple gate?