Acts3

Peter and John, going to the temple, encounter a man lame from birth begging at the Beautiful Gate. Peter, having no silver or gold, commands the man to rise and walk in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and he is instantly healed, leaping and praising God. Peter then addresses the astonished crowd, attributing the miracle to the glorified Jesus, whom they had denied and crucified, and calls them to repentance and conversion.
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The Healing of the Lame Man

1
Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. ​
2
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;
3
Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
4
And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
5
And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
6
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. ​
7
And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
8
And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
9
And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
10
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.
11
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.

Peter Preaches in Solomon's Portico

12
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? ​
13
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. ​
14
But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
15
And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. ​
16
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.

Call to Repentance and Restoration

17
And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. ​
18
But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
19
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; ​
20
And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
21
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. ​

Jesus the Fulfillment of Prophecy

22
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. ​
23
And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
24
Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
25
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. ​
26
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. ​

Study Notes for Acts 3

Verse 1

The 'ninth hour' (3:00 PM) was the time of the evening sacrifice and one of the prescribed public prayer times, signifying that the apostles continued to participate in traditional Jewish Temple life.

Verse 6

Peter explicitly states the source of the miracle is not his own resources or power, but the authoritative 'Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.' This miracle publicly validates the apostles' message.

Verse 12

Peter immediately deflects the crowd's attention away from himself and John, ensuring that the focus remains solely on the power of the resurrected Jesus, not on the apostles' personal merit.

Verse 13

Peter uses the traditional covenant name for God, emphasizing continuity with Jewish history, while simultaneously accusing the crowd of rejecting the one whom the God of their fathers had ‘glorified’ through resurrection.

Verse 15

The title 'Prince of life' (or Author of Life) contrasts sharply with the crowd’s actions (killing the source of life) and asserts Jesus' divine pre-eminence and essential role in salvation.

Verse 17

Peter softens his accusation by acknowledging that their rejection of Jesus was done in 'ignorance.' This provides a pathway for the audience to repent, suggesting their sin was due to a lack of understanding.

Verse 19

Repentance (a change of mind) and conversion (turning around) lead to the 'times of refreshing,' referring to the spiritual blessings and renewal associated with the arrival of the messianic age.

Verse 21

The 'times of restitution of all things' refers to the eschatological restoration of creation and the full establishment of God’s kingdom on earth, which must precede Jesus’ final return from heaven.

Verse 22

Peter quotes Deuteronomy 18:15, 18, demonstrating that Jesus fulfills the foundational prophetic expectation within Judaism: the raising up of a new prophet like Moses, who must be obeyed.

Verse 25

Peter reminds the Jewish audience of their unique status as recipients of the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 12:3), which promised that through Abraham's 'seed' (Christ), all the world would be blessed.

Verse 26

God’s intention was to offer salvation 'Unto you first' (Israel), emphasizing that the messianic blessing involves moral transformation and deliverance from sin, not merely political liberation.

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