People are carrying people who were born unable to walk.

 People are carrying people who were born unable to walk.

 

Acts 3:1-3 『Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.』

『At the ninth hour of prayer』 About the number nine (9) Luke 17:14-19 『When he saw that they were healed, he said to them, "Go show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed (ekadalisthesan). But one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice. He fell down at Jesus' feet and gave him thanks. He was a Samaritan. Jesus answered and said to him, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Have not any found back to give glory to God except this foreigner?" And he said to him, "Get up and go. Your faith has saved you."』

The story is that ten people were cleansed, but only one returned to Jesus. The Greek word translated as cleansed, ekadalisthesan, means a ritual of purification. The Jewish ritual of purification was the act of killing a sacrificial animal and sprinkling its blood as prescribed by the law. Hebrews 10:1 "For the law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very image of the things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near."

Through this purification ceremony, God tells us that we are all sinners, and when we realize this, we are to turn around and look to Christ, who will come in our place as the sacrificial lamb. This is faith. Hebrews 11:1-2 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen: for by it the elders obtained a good report." According to Hebrews, only a very small number of people looked forward to the coming Christ.

Faith is a gift from God to those who repent and turn back. Those who do not turn back have nothing more than their own faith. Such faith is like straw that can easily be burned by fire. Galatians 3:22-24 “But the Scripture has confined everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, kept in custody until the faith that would be revealed was revealed. So the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”

Jesus said to the one who returned (Hipposrexanthes), “Your faith has saved you.” Therefore, salvation is to repent and return to Christ. Today, church community believers say that salvation is to believe in Jesus and receive forgiveness of sins. However, those who enter into Christ are those who believe that they were crucified with Jesus and were resurrected with Jesus.

It is said that those who cannot walk do not know the truth of the gospel. The gospel means death on the cross and resurrection. However, although Peter preached the gospel, only one out of ten people heard the gospel, repented, and returned to Jesus. The word “Hippostraxanthes” means to turn back or turn back.

The sinner received forgiveness of sins, but did not turn to Jesus (repent) and continued to do his own work. In the end, he fell away from salvation. In order to repent and come to Jesus, he must first die on the cross with Jesus. Romans 6:6-7 "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin."

『People are carrying a man who was crippled from birth.』People have been sinners since birth. However, it is said that people are carrying him to the beautiful gate of the temple, which is the house of God. Today, saints are spreading the gospel to those who do not know Jesus.

『This is the one who is placed daily at the gate called Beautiful to beg from those entering the temple.』 Those who enter the temple are apparently entering the temple to pray. There was a court of women in the temple, which was a place where all Israelites, regardless of gender, could enter. During the regular burnt offerings in the morning and evening, there was a time when incense was burned in the sanctuary, and those who came to the temple to pray at this time prayed in the court of women. Therefore, the court of women was also called the court of prayer.

However, those who were crippled could not enter the temple by themselves, but they were at the temple gate not to pray, but to receive something from those who entered the temple. On the surface, it would be money. However, in reality, it signifies the faith of ups and downs that seeks to gain profit through the temple. Today, the faith of ups and downs is rampant in the church community, which is like those who cannot walk begging at the temple gate.

"He who laid him daily at the gate of the temple called Beautiful." The word Beautiful is the Greek word Horai'an, which means beautiful. If we translate it again, it should be "He who laid him at the gate of the temple called Beautiful." It is not the gate that is beautiful, but the temple that is beautiful. The temple is beautiful because it is a place to pray and meet God. However, the gate is the entrance to the temple, and because they put a lame man at the gate, he is someone who does not enter the temple. Since he cannot enter the temple, he is not saved.

Today, believers gather in church communities and worship, but they worship without knowing the temple in their hearts, so it is not the worship that God receives. They are like those who are at the door of the temple.

『When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple, he asked for alms.』 Among those who have turned away from God and become sinners, there may be those who come into the church community to learn the gospel. However, it is not easy to hear the true gospel. Therefore, if they do not hear the true gospel, they will be like begging at the temple gate. However, he met Peter and John, who preached the true gospel. The true gospel means the death and resurrection of Jesus on the cross, and those who are united with the death and resurrection of Jesus will be saved. The faith that believes this becomes the faith that leads to salvation.

This means that although they heard this true gospel, not many actually heard the gospel, repented, and entered into Christ. It was expressed as one out of ten. The number ten (10) refers to all sinners, and the number one (1) refers to those who become one with God. It means that although sinners hear the gospel, only a very small number of them turn to God because of the gospel, die with Jesus, are resurrected with him, and are seated in heaven.