Acts 3:2

‘And a certain man that was lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the door of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of those who entered into the temple,'

As they passed through the Beautiful gate, which has not yet certainly been identified, they passed a man who had been born lame. Each day he was carried to the Temple so that he could receive alms from those who entered the Temple. Beggars regularly sat at the gates of temples and shrines hoping to benefit from donors when they would be feeling at their most pious. We are not told for how many years this had occurred, but he was now over forty years of age (Acts 4:22), and was clearly a well known figure (Acts 3:10).

As mentioned above Luke has selected this incident because this lame man represents those of Israel who recognise their need and are open to God's call. The later mention of his having been lame for ‘over forty years' may well have been a reminder of the ‘lameness' of Israel in the forty years in the wilderness.

The Beautiful gate may be the Eastern gate which had glistening doors of Corinthian bronze-work. (called the Shushan gate because it had on it depictions of the palace of Shushan). It led into the outer courtyard of the Temple. It was representative of the silver and gold that was everywhere apparent in this new Temple (of Herod). As Peter gazed at it, it may well have filled his mind with the thought of silver and gold. Even the pillars which supported the gates in the Temple were all silver and gold plated, and within there was much more that was of silver and gold, including the gigantic vine of pure gold that hung above the entrance to the Holy Place.

But we must see it as Luke (or his source) who is drawing the lesson. The mention of the Beautiful Gate combined with the mention of silver and gold had to draw his reader's attention to the connection between the two comparing, the old Temple with its splendour, but ineffective, with the new Temple of His people founded on the wonder-working Apostles.