Acts 3:11-26
Read another four verses into chapter 4 if you want to see how this incident ends. My Study Bible again enlightened me, this time about Solomon’s Portico. This structure was a porch on the east side of the inner wall that enclosed the outer court. (You might want to find a picture of Herod’s Temple and Solomon’s Portico. Here’s a link with a number of pics: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=solomon%27s+portico&fr=mcafee&imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fdustoffthebible.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F02%2FHerods-Temple-and-Solomons-Portico.jpg#id=18&iurl=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.neverthirsty.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F01%2Fsolomons-portico.jpg&action=click). My Study Bible continues – there were rows of 27-foot-high stone columns and a roof of cedar. Here’s another reference: “Solomon’s Porch was a long, covered but open gallery created by two parallel rows of columns supporting a long wooden roof. Solomon’s Porch ran along the eastern edge of the temple area, overlooking the Kidron Valley and facing the Mount of Olives to the east.” (https://www.bibleversestudy.com/acts/acts5-solomons-porch.htm) All this information is noteworthy. This area could well have been the regular gathering place for the Apostles and their followers who “met daily in the temple” – an open, covered structure, a place to gather out of the hot sun, but still open to bystanders. It could have even been the place where the disciples were gathered when the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost, where Acts 2:1-2 describes the location as (gathered in) “one place” and (the Spirit filled the) “whole house”. I can now see dozens or even hundreds of Apostles and disciples gathered daily at this long, open-porch area, sharing with one another and preaching to bystanders. It is so much more vivid in my mind!! GLORY!!
Slava Bohu!
What a wonderful visual image! The beggar was waiting for alms, maybe even for Peter. But Peter grabbed the teachable moment. I need to be more aware of those teachable moments!
My study Bible notes that after Solomon, the Israelites gave up their mission to tell the world of God. The Ark was lost, the kings led them to Babylon, and they came back with increasing silence from prophets. Pray that we never lose our sense of mission to the world!