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.

The Healing of the Lame Man

1
Peter and Yochanan were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. ​
2
A certain man who was lame from his mother’s womb was being carried, whom they laid daily at the door of the temple which is called Yafeh, to ask gifts for the needy of those who entered into the temple.
3
Seeing Peter and Yochanan about to go into the temple, he asked to receive gifts for the needy.
4
Peter, fastening his eyes on him, with Yochanan, said, “Look at us.”
5
He listened to them, expecting to receive something from them.
6
But Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Yeshua the Messiah of Nazareth, get up and walk!” ​
7
He took him by the right hand, and raised him up. Immediately his feet and his ankle bones received strength.
8
Leaping up, he stood, and began to walk. He entered with them into the temple, walking, leaping, and praising God.
9
All the people saw him walking and praising God.
10
They recognized him, that it was he who used to sit begging for gifts for the needy at the Yafeh Gate of the temple. They were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
11
As the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and Yochanan, all the people ran together to them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.

Peter Preaches in Solomon's Portico

12
When Peter saw it, he responded to the people, “You men of Israel, why do you marvel at this man? Why do you fasten your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him walk? ​
13
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Yeshua, whom you delivered up, and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had determined to release him. ​
14
But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
15
and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, to which we are witnesses. ​
16
By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which is through him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

Call to Repentance and Restoration

17
“Now, brothers, I know that you did this in ignorance, as did also your rulers. ​
18
But the things which God announced by the mouth of all his prophets, that Messiah should suffer, he thus fulfilled.
19
“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, ​
20
and that he may send Messiah Yeshua, who was ordained for you before,
21
whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets. ​

Jesus the Fulfillment of Prophecy

22
For Moses indeed said to the fathers, ‘The Lord God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him in all things whatever he says to you. ​
23
It will be, that every soul that will not listen to that prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people.’
24
Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who followed after, as many as have spoken, they also told of these days.
25
You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘In your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed.’ ​
26
God, having raised up his servant, Yeshua, sent him to you first, to bless you, in turning away everyone of you from your wickedness.” ​

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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