Israel’s Grander Jubilee

Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel.—Acts 1:6

A verse by verse study in Acts 3

This year is being celebrated in Israel as the jubilee, or fiftieth anniversary of statehood. Much progress—socially, politically, militarily, and economically—has been made by this fledgling nation in the past half century. This first jubilee, however, is but a prelude to far greater days ahead. The Bible has much to say about the resurgence of this ancient people and the effect of their regathering, not only for them as a people but for all the nations of the world.

The second apostolic sermon, recorded in the third chapter of Acts, has much to say about their restoration as a people and how it will affect the entire human race.

The Setting—Verses 1 to 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.

The persecution and death of Jesus by the Jewish religious hierarchy did not separate the followers of the Galilean from their observance of their national religious rites. In fact, throughout the period covered in the book of Acts, we see the growing group of Christians regularly attending synagogue services and temple rituals.

Three times a day was set aside for prayer—morning, noon, and evening (Psa. 55:17; Dan. 6:10). The morning and evening prayers (at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.) coincided with the morning and evening sacrifices while the noontime prayer was probably associated with the blessing of the mid-day meal (Acts 27:35). Since the main thrust of Peter’s lesson was to call attention to the death of Jesus on the cross, it may be more than coincidental that this incident happened during the 3 p.m. prayer, for that was the hour of the death of the Messiah on the cross (Luke 23:44-46).

Not only was the time significant, so was the location. The holy spirit was given at Pentecost, not only for symbolic reasons but for a practical one as well. Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks, drew the Jewish populace from throughout the known world. Some sixteen nations are specifically listed as being present (Acts 2:9-11). While we do not know for sure how long after Pentecost the events of chapter three took place, it is reasonable to assume that they were during the week of feasting associated with Pentecost. Large numbers of pilgrims would be present in Jerusalem.

According to the noted historian, Alfred Edersheim,the temple compound was divided into four sections: the court of the Gentiles surrounding the temple building, the court of the women occupied a high-walled area just west of the temple proper, which in turn was divided into the court of the Israelites and the court of the priests. The court of the women was so named, not because it was exclusively for women but because it was the closest they could approach the sanctuary. It was a place of general assembly for the worshippers and overlooked by four balconies at the four corners for the women. Alms boxes were scattered liberally throughout this enclosure.

The gate called "Beautiful," some forty feet tall and covered with Corinthian brass, was the eastern and main entrance into this court. As such, most temple worshipers would pass through this gate. It was, therefore, a logical place for the friends of the lame man to leave him in his quest for alms.

The Miracle—Verses 4 to 8

And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.

While the lame man approached the two disciples in a general way, as part of the passing crowd Peter and John singled him out from the other beggars who would certainly have been there. There is no indication in this case of the lame man exhibiting unusual faith. Rather he was singled out to provide the basis for a lesson to the gathering crowd.

Instead of the anticipated alms, the disciples had a better gift—health. Yet it was not so much the healing but the name by whose authority it was performed that was the purpose of the miracle. By appending "of Nazareth," Peter was positively identifying the authority as the one despised by the scribes and Pharisees. By using the term "Christ," they were further identifying Jesus as the promised anointed one, the Messiah.

As he felt strength surging in those legs which had been useless for over forty years (Acts 4:22), he did not gingerly rise to test them out but leaped exultantly. Together the three passed through the Nicanor gate into the temple proper where the lame man obediently walked, then leaped for the joy of being healed, and praised not Peter and John for performing the miracle but God, whom he recognized as the ultimate source.

The Audience—Verses 9 to 11

And all the people saw him walking and praising God: And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him. And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.

Apparently the man was well known for he was recognized immediately by the other worshipers. Exiting the temple proper and the court of the women, the scene of the story changes to Solomon’s porch. This was so named because it was the only remaining part of the original temple of Solomon (The Temple, Alfred Edersheim, p. 36). This porch extended along the inside of the entire eastern wall of the temple complex and provided an ideal pulpit for the ensuing sermon to over 5000 worshippers (Acts 4:4).The size of the crowd also indicates that this miracle took place during the Pentecost week.

The Accusation—Verses 12 to 17

And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.

Peter begins his sermon by immediately calling attention to the one whose authority he invoked in performing the miracle. His words take on an accusatory tone as he contrasts the glorification of Jesus by Jehovah with the crucifixion by the Romans at the instigation of the Jewish religious hierarchy. Peter does not content himself to denounce the leaders of the Jews, but places the blame on the populace for their clamor, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" and their demand for the release of Barabbas, a murderer, instead of Jesus, the Just and Holy One. Although Peter partially excuses their act, attributing it to ignorance, the force of his words is nevertheless strong.

Nor were such healings as this through the mere incantation of the name of Jesus, but they must be mingled with true faith in the ability of that name to accomplish what was desired. The name of which Peter speaks is not merely the name Jesus, but Jesus Christ. The addition of the word Christ showed a recognition of Jesus as the Messiah. It is this recognition that was essential for it showed the value of his sufferings and death to release humanity from the original Adamic curse which included the dying process as well as death itself: "Dying, thou shalt die" (Gen. 2:17, literal Hebrew).

The Solution—Verses 18 to 21

But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

Here Peter turns from the negative to the positive. The sufferings which they caused, he assures them, did not catch God by surprise. They had all been predicted by the prophets. Nevertheless, the guilt was theirs.

He points a way out of their guilt—through repentance and conversion. This dual action of sorrow for what they had done and a change of thinking and behavior would produce a natural reaction—their sins would be blotted out.

The Greek word here translated "blotted out" only occurs in one other place in the New Testament in relation to the removal of sin. That is in Colossians 2:14, "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross." We suggest that it is used by Peter to refer to the removal of the sins of Israel under the law covenant.

In such reliable translations as the New American Standard Version, the Revised Version, and the American Standard version the nineteenth verse contains two conditional clauses. We quote from the New American Standard, "Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." These translations not only making the blotting out of sins dependent upon repentance and conversion, they also make the "times of refreshing" dependent upon the blotting out of sins.

Further, the expression, "from the presence of the Lord," would be better translated "from the turned face of Jehovah." This phrase is not an allusion to the second presence of Christ but to a special favor from God himself.

Putting the above evidence together, the thought of this verse appears to be that if any in Peter’s audience would repent and be converted the guilt against them under the law covenant would be removed This removal of guilt would permit a special "refreshing" from the returned face of Jehovah.

A literal translation of the word "refreshing" implies what that blessing might be. The word literally means "a new breath." For the repentant listener, and there were 5000 of them that day, their repentance would result in the privilege of a new breath of life under the heavenly calling.

However there was still more in store. Peter tells of still another blessing—one that is introduced without a dependent clause. "And [in addition to the opportunity for a new breath] he [Jehovah] will send "the Christ, appointed for you (NAS)." This promise was unconditional. God promised to do this regardless of repentance on their part. This thus distinguishes the "times of restitution" from the "times of refreshing," which were dependent upon repentance.

This blessing of restitution, however, was not to be experienced immediately but when he, who had ascended into the heavens, was no longer retained by those heavens. The implication of the context is that this "restitution" was to be particularly to natural Israel—the people for whom the Messiah was appointed.

The word apokastasis, translated "restitution," contains the thought of a complete restoration to a former condition. It was used in ancient medical writings of a complete recovery.

This complete restoration, however, is not to be limited to Israel. It is of "all things, which God hath spoken of by all his holy prophets since the world began." Like so many of God’s blessings, it is "to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile" (Rom. 2:9, 10).

What are some of these things to be restored? They include the return of God’s favor to his covenant people, the regathering of them to their promised land, and the setting up of the spiritual theocracy which will eventually work through them to bless all the families of the earth.

Future blessings yet to come to this people will be the remarkable deliverance from their enemies (Zech. 14, Ezek. 38, 39) and the restoration of "their judges as at the first" (Isa. 1:26). In due time this restitution will include the restoration of all the dead who have ever lived and the "highway of holiness" by which these restored billions may learn the laws of God and live forever. From Israel, these blessings will flow forth to all mankind (Isa. 2:2, 3).

It is this work of restitution that was pictured by Israel’s law of Jubilee (Lev. 25). Under that law, every man was to return to his possessions with equal opportunity to make a living. This will be the grander jubilee for not only the nation of Israel, now celebrating their 50th year of statehood, but a jubilee of restitution for all of Adam’s race—both those dead and those living.

The Prophets—Verses 22 to 24

For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.

Although Peter assured his Jewish audience that all of God’s prophets since the world began spoke of this time, he contents himself with furnishing but one example. He quotes Deuteronomy 18:15, where Moses predicted the rising up of a spiritual leader like unto, but greater than, himself. This leader all agree is Jesus of Nazareth and some, like the writer, feel it includes his church as his body. The return of Jesus, then, is the first evidence of restoration—the restoring of God’s spiritual government upon this earth. Closely following that return is the raising of those who are his bride (1 Thess. 4:15, 16).

Children of the Prophets—Verses 25 and 26

Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

The natural seed of Abraham was given many titles. One among them is "children of the prophets." Consider Paul’s words in Romans 3:1, 2: "What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God."

Israel is the inheritor of the promises of these prophets. They are also the recipients of a new covenant, similar and yet diverse from that made with Moses at Sinai. "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers . . . But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more" (Jer. 31:31-34).

This "new" covenant will be, in fact, the means by which God will carry out the blessings of the original covenant made with Abraham. That covenant promise is the one referred to in Genesis 22:17, 18: "That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice."

The first step in the fulfillment of that covenant promise, Peter informed them, was the raising up of Jesus as their Messiah to bless them by turning them from their iniquities.

This remarkable sermon was perhaps the most effective of all the spoken messages recorded in the Bible. No less than 5000 believed. They did repent and were converted. They did receive the new breath of the holy spirit. And what of those who heard but did not heed Peter’s words? To them God will fulfill the balance of that promise—by the return of his son, their Messiah, will come that time promised by all God’s holy prophets—"the times of restitution."

Already we see the beginning of that restoring work with the re-establishment of the nation of Israel. It is with this long-range view of the glories to be brought to all mankind that we most heartily join in wishing God’s chosen people a blessed jubilee and urge them to anticipate with us that still grander jubilee which will completely fulfill the Abrahamic promise to bless all the families of the earth.