Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does Acts Chapter 3 mean?

Jesus has ascended (Acts 1:9) and His followers have received the promised Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1–4). They are in the beginning stages of their mission: being Jesus’ witnesses in Jerusalem (Acts 1:8). They have already spoken to a group of Jews from around the Roman Empire (Acts 2:14–41). Their group of 120 people quickly grew to about three thousand (Acts 1:15; 2:41). In Acts 3, Peter and John live their lives as Jewish Christ-followers and respond to their environment accordingly.

As good Jews who are staying in Jerusalem, they go to the temple to pray. While there, they see a lame beggar who asks for alms. They want to help, but they don’t have any money. As Christ-followers, and specially empowered by the Holy Spirit, they have the ability to provide help beyond what the other worshipers can provide. In Jesus’ name, they can heal the man and cause him to walk. The man is a familiar figure in the area, and the people quickly notice (Acts 3:1–10).

A crowd gathers around Peter and John, wanting to know how the man was healed. Peter ties in what the people see to the power and purpose of Jesus. He immediately rejects any idea that the healing was performed by his own power. It is Jesus’ power and authority who healed the man—the same Jesus whom the Jewish nation rejected and traded for a murderer. Peter’s faith in Jesus’ name healed the man (Acts 3:11–16).

Peter goes on to outline how the Jewish people have continually rejected Jesus. They killed Him. They ignored the writings of the prophets that would have told them Jesus was their Savior. They even ignored Moses, who wrote the very law they were at the temple to fulfill. They were blind to the fact that this Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s initial promise to their first patriarch: Abraham. The fact that all these things are in the Jewish Scriptures should have alerted the Jews to who Jesus is. Fortunately, there’s still time to accept Him (Acts 3:17–25).

Since the time of John the Baptist, the message has always been “repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4). With repentance will come refreshment and restoration. The Jews will be blessed—not by finding freedom from Roman rule—but freedom from their own wickedness (Acts 3:26).

Peter’s message to the Jews on the Temple Mount follows the style found elsewhere in Acts. His sermon on Pentecost took the people’s confusion about the disciples speaking in different languages and showed them how this is a sign of the Messiah (Acts 2). Stephen turns a charge of wanting to destroy the temple (Acts 6:13–14) into an accusation that the Jews crucified Jesus unjustly (Acts 7). Paul spent time in Athens and was able to show how the Greek gods suggested the existence of the Creator God who would one day judge the world (Acts 17:16–34). None of these sermons are non-sequiturs—they are not random or chaotic responses. They all take the situation at hand and show how it applies to Jesus.

Chapter Context
Acts 3 contains the second major speech of Jesus’ followers. In Acts 1, Jesus ascended into heaven. In Acts 2, His followers received the Holy Spirit and gave such witness to Him that three thousand people believed in Him. Here, Peter explains that Jesus’ power and authority have healed a lame man, and Jesus can heal sinful hearts, as well. This moment will bring the fledgling church to the attention of the Sanhedrin: the Jewish ruling court. There, Peter and John will set the example for all Jesus-followers. Jesus told them to be His witness (Acts 1:8); nothing a human authority can say will stop them.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.

A short time before, while Jesus’ body lay in the tomb, Peter and John did not dare go to the temple. They were hiding in a room with the other disciples, terrified of the Jewish leadership (John 20:19). Now that Jesus has risen and ascended and the Holy Spirit has come on His followers, they display the boldness they will need to be Jesus’ witnesses to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the farthest reaches of the earth (Acts 1:8). Far from avoiding the Jewish leadership, Jesus’ followers are now “continually in the temple blessing God” (Luke 24:53).

“The ninth hour” is 3 p.m. It is the prayer for the evening sacrifice and the likely time of day during which Jesus died (Matthew 27:45–50). Other times of regular prayer are held at 9 a.m. and 12 noon. Adherence to these traditions shows that the church is still very Jewish. The original members were the twelve disciples (less Judas who had betrayed Jesus and plus Matthias who was chosen to replace Judas), Mary, Jesus’ brothers, and other women and men who followed Jesus during His ministry (Acts 1:13–15, 26). The day the Holy Spirit came (Acts 2:1–4), three thousand Jews from Mesopotamia, Alexandria, Rome, and parts in between joined the congregation (Acts 2:9–11, 41).

Soon, Jesus’ offer of forgiveness will reach the Samaritans (Acts 8:4–8), whom Jesus promised would worship in spirit and truth, not in Jerusalem (John 4:19–24). Later still, Gentiles will join and the Jews will not force them to follow the same traditions (Acts 15:1–35). For now, the church is very Jewish in both membership and practices, although the salvation Jesus offers can never be earned through the Mosaic law.

Context Summary
Acts 3:1–10 illustrates one of the ”wonders and signs” the apostles performed after receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:43). The setting is completely mundane. As Jews, Peter and John go to the temple to pray and find a lame beggar they wish to help. As specially-empowered followers of Jesus, healing the man comes second nature. The act validates Peter’s status as witness to Jesus (Acts 1:8), and he is ready with an explanation that ties the event to Jesus’ call to repentance (Acts 3:11–26). This miracle, however, catches the attention of the Sanhedrin and starts the long road of church persecution (Acts 4).

Verse 2. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple.

Bartimaeus was begging at Jericho when Jesus met him on His way to Jerusalem (Mark 10:46–52). Jesus never condemns beggars, and He is clear that congenital defects are not “earned” because the person is sinful (John 9:1–7). The healing of the lame is a sign that the Messiah has come (Isaiah 35:6). Whether healed or not, the lame are welcome into God’s kingdom (Luke 14:21).

The location of “the Beautiful Gate” is uncertain. It being a “gate of the temple” doesn’t mean that it goes directly into the building; the phrase “the temple” is often used to mean the entire top of the Temple Mount. Some think it is one of the gates in the temple itself, but no other source mentions “the Beautiful Gate” by name. It is unclear if the lame were allowed into the temple, although many believe they may have been banned. When David first captured Jerusalem, the inhabitants—the Jebusites—mocked that the lame and blind could fight off his army. After his victory, the saying, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house” became popular, but in the context, this refers to Jebusites, not literal blind and lame people (2 Samuel 5:6–8). Men who were lame were not allowed to be priests (Leviticus 21:17–18), but the Mosaic law doesn’t forbid the lame from entering the temple as worshipers.

Verse 3. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.

Giving alms is a significant part of Judaism for those who have the money to give. “Alms” is from a Greek word that implies pity or mercy. Jesus said, “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you” (Matthew 5:42). Throughout Paul’s ministry, he encouraged the churches outside of Judea to give support to the church in Jerusalem (Acts 11:28–30; 1 Corinthians 16:1–3). The Psalms say that the righteous give to the poor (Psalm 112:9) and are blessed in return (Psalm 41:1). One of the ways the centurion Cornelius showed he was a faithful follower of God was by giving alms (Acts 10:1–2).

Of course, the culture around giving alms can be abused. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for performing religious rites for show and used the example of giving alms as something that should be done from the heart (Luke 11:37–41). When Mary of Bethany spent a great deal of money on the perfume she used to anoint Jesus, Judas Iscariot complained, saying the perfume could have been sold and the money used for alms. He didn’t want to give alms with it; he wanted the money for himself (John 12:1–6).

Scripture encourages a giving spirit as well as discernment. There are many ways to give to the poor including directly, through a food bank, or through a rescue mission. Christians ought to pray for guidance when faced with someone asking for mercy.

Verse 4. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.”

Peter and John are entering the temple when a lame man asks for alms. Peter doesn’t have any money—what he has is much more valuable. But first, he needs the man’s attention.

Many times, Jesus preferred His miracles remain quiet. Sometimes, however, He gathered people’s attention. This was the case with the woman who had the issue of blood. A woman who had been bleeding for twelve years had the boldness to touch Jesus’ robe. She realized immediately she was healed and meant to sneak away, but Jesus stopped her and called the crowd’s attention to her. In doing so, He publicly commended her faith and let her community know that she was no longer unclean (Mark 5:25–34).

Whether or not a miracle-worker intended for his work to be public depended on the situation and the purpose of the miracle. In this case, Peter is having pity on a lame man, but his main purpose is to use the miracle to bring attention to Jesus. Peter could have quietly healed the man and gone about his business. That would not have provided him a chance to be Jesus’ witness in front of the crowd (Acts 1:8).

This dichotomy is seen in Jesus’ teaching about ministering to others. In Matthew 6:3–4, He says to give to the needy secretly so that your reward comes from God, not other people. But in Matthew 5:14–16, He says to let others see your good works. These are not at all contradictory, because of the difference in who will receive the praise. If your good works inspire others to give God glory, “let your light shine” (Matthew 5:16). Since Peter’s goal is to teach about Jesus, he allowed the miracle to be public.

Verse 5. And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.

A lame beggar has asked Peter and John for alms (Acts 3:2–3). Actually, he’s probably asked everyone who has come through the gate where he is stationed. But Peter stops and tells the man to look at him. He does so, expecting Peter will hand over money.

Peter doesn’t. He doesn’t have any money. What he has is faith in Jesus that will heal the man.

In The Weight of Glory, and Other Addresses, C. S. Lewis famously said:

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”*

We often treat God like the lame man did Peter: asking for a small thing when He wants to give us so much more. We ask for money; He offers spiritual healing that will make our hearts soar. When the man receives strong feet and ankles, he doesn’t complain that he didn’t receive a coin, he rises, “walking and leaping and praising God” (Acts 3:8). May we all do the same when God gives us what we need, not what we ask for.

*Lewis, C. S, and Walter Hooper. The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses. First HarperCollins edition 2001 [revised] ed. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001.

Verse 6. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”

When faced with a lame beggar, Peter offers something better than money: healing. He provides that healing through the name of Jesus. “Name” is from the Greek root word onoma. It’s not just an identifier. “Name” encompasses the essence of the person: in this case, Jesus’ character, sovereignty, authority, power, deity and identity as God. Peter doesn’t use “Jesus Christ of Nazareth” as a magical spell. He has faith in the Person of Jesus. He has the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; 2:1–4). He has authority from Jesus to heal if it is for Jesus’ purposes (John 16:23). So he has the confidence that Jesus will heal and honor his words (John 14:13–14).

Some may have faith that Jesus can grant what they ask, but that doesn’t mean they can superficially ask “using” Jesus’ name and get what they want. James warns, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:3). Others may have good exterior motives, but no faith, like the Sons of Sceva who tried to exorcise a demon “by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims” and got beaten up for their trouble (Acts 19:11–16). Part of praying in Jesus’ name means submitting to His purposes. John makes this clear when he says, “if we ask anything according to his will he hears us” (1 John 5:14). Since we don’t always know Jesus’ will, it’s enough to ask for what we think we need and trust that He will take care of what we really need.

Why didn’t Peter have any money? This isn’t the first time he’s been found without coins. When faced with tax collectors, neither he nor Jesus had any cash. Instead, Jesus told Peter to go fishing and that the fish would have the coins they needed (Matthew 17:24–27). When Jesus and His disciples travelled, Judas held their money (John 12:6). In the very early days of the church in Jerusalem, the believers held their property in common; those who had need were provided for by those who had extra (Acts 2:42–47). Carrying currency, at this point, is simply not a priority for Peter.

Verse 7. And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.

Peter has just proclaimed his intent to heal a lame beggar (Acts 3:6). Jesus had equipped His disciples with the ability to heal before (Mark 6:7–13; Luke 10:1–12), although it appears that ability was for limited timespans. With Jesus’ ascension, His followers have received the permanent in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1–4). In some cases, and for the early establishment of the church, this included miraculous signs. This is one of many miracles to be accomplished through them (Acts 2:43; 5:12–16) in the service of being Jesus’ witnesses to the world (Acts 1:8).

After Peter heals the man, he holds out his hand and helps the man to stand. Once the man realizes what has happened, the beggar walks, leaps, and praises God (Acts 3:8).

We must be careful not to spiritualize Scripture that is meant to be read literally. However, there are times when literal events serve as symbolic explanations of spiritual truths. This scene echoes the experiences of people who are healed from their sinful habits. It’s not uncommon to hear people say, “God healed me from that addiction.” What they mean is that they no longer feel the unbearable impulse to act in that particular harmful way. It doesn’t mean that they are freed for the rest of their lives. If one day the lame man had refused to stand, eventually he would have become too weak to walk again. He, again, would have had to resort to begging. In a similar way, someone who has been released from sin needs to walk and continue to walk. He needs to continue to live as someone who is healed, not fall back in old broken patterns.

Verse 8. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

Peter has healed a lame man through the power of Jesus Christ, and the man reacts. Jews have come to the temple to pray during the evening sacrifices (Acts 3:1), and this man is leaping around. Even more, he is praising God. This is why Peter had the man look at him and know how he was healed. Peter could have mumbled a prayer while he passed the man, but he didn’t. He made sure the people around them knew that the words Peter spoke healed the man.

Taken at face value, this might seem to counter Jesus’ instruction in Matthew 6:2–4. Jesus explained that when you give to the poor, you should do it in secret so that you receive your reward from God and not from human witnesses. The difference in Peter’s action is explained by Jesus’ introduction to the instruction: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them” (Matthew 6:1). Peter has no intention of bringing glory to himself. He is following Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:14–16: he is letting his “light shine before others, so that they may see [his] good works and give glory to [his] Father who is in heaven.” In fact, once the miracle attracts the attention of the crowd, Peter immediately explains the man is healed by Jesus’ power, not his own (Acts 3:11–13).

Paul will have a similar interaction with a very different result. When he and Barnabas go to Lystra and heal a crippled man, the people come to the conclusion that Barnabas is Zeus and Paul is Hermes. They even try to sacrifice to the missionaries. Paul and Barnabas insist they are not Greek gods and barely keep the priests from sacrificing to them. The tables quickly turn when critics from Antioch Pisidium and Iconium arrive. The newcomers convince the locals that not only is Paul not Hermes, he is worthy of being stoned. It is by the grace of God that Paul survives (Acts 14:8–20).

Verse 9. And all the people saw him walking and praising God,

This verse embodies the purpose Jesus gives for doing good works in public. The man in question has been healed through Peter (Act 3:1–8). In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says:

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:14–16).

The point of doing good works ought never to be to get attention for yourself (Matthew 6:1–4). Peter, John, and the other apostles have the task of bearing witness of Jesus “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The miracles they perform will help that cause. Miracles attract attention so the apostles can preach to people. And miracles validate the apostles as messengers of God. Finally, miracles bear witness that Jesus is a God of compassion and healing.

With the establishment of the canon of the New Testament, the occurrence of miracles declined. Today, God rarely chooses to heal directly as He did for the apostles. That doesn’t mean that we are completely devoid of “signs” of Jesus’ power. Jesus said that we prove to be His disciples if we bear much fruit (John 15:8). The fruit of the Spirit is not healing or tongues or other miracles; it is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23). These are characteristics of a believer who allows the Holy Spirit to work through her. In this day and age, they can be as miraculous—and rare—as a man, crippled from birth, suddenly leaping to his feet. And when such qualities catch someone’s attention, we have an opportunity to bear witness to Jesus as the apostles did.

Verse 10. and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

A man who had been crippled since birth spends his days at a gate to the temple, begging for alms (Acts 3:2). When Peter and John pass by, they have no money, but Peter heals the man’s feet and ankles in Jesus’ name. The man rises, “walking and leaping and praising God” (Acts 3:8). The man had been a fixture at the temple and his display attracts the attention of the worshipers, giving Peter a chance to teach them about the one who really healed the man: Jesus (Acts 3:11–26).

Later, Stephen will die trying to explain that God cannot be confined to the temple (Acts 7). This formerly-lame man came to the temple regularly, begging for “mercy,” translated from the Greek word from which we get the term “alms.” He apparently found some mercy in the temple, as worshipers, priests, and scribes passed by. But he found no healing in the rituals of sacrifices and ceremonies. The law was a place-holder—the “guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). Jesus has come. He has been crucified, buried, and resurrected. He ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9) and commissioned His followers to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8).

Now, one of them has acted as such a witness. By the power of Jesus’ name, not by the power of the Mosaic law, this man is healed. Peter’s faith in Jesus’ authority and power, combined with the Holy Spirit’s guidance about God’s will, has healed this man. We aren’t told if he comes to the faith that saves, although by this time five thousand other men, plus women, have done so (Acts 4:4). But the event is an important one for the Jesus-followers. The miracle and Peter’s ensuing speech draws the attention of the Sanhedrin—the ruling Jewish court. They command Peter and John to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, a command the men reject (Acts 4:18–20). Peter and John are released and return to their friends who gather to pray. But they don’t pray for protection, they pray for boldness. They pray that no matter what comes, they will have the strength to endure it and keep being Jesus’ witnesses (Acts 4:23–31). A short time later, as signs and wonders were done regularly and “more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women” (Acts 5:14; cf. Acts 5:12–16), the high priest called for the arrest of the apostles. The men were imprisoned, released by an angel who directed them to teach at the temple, taken by guards back to the Sanhedrin, charged not to speak in Jesus’ name, and beaten (Acts 5:17–40). The apostles respond by “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name” (Acts 5:41).

Verse 11. While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon ‘s.

A lame man, healed by Peter (Acts 3:1–8), follows Peter and John away from “the Beautiful Gate” and toward Solomon’s Portico. A portico is a walkway with a roof held up by columns. In the case of the porticos around the edge of the Temple Mount, the exterior sides are solid walls while the columns face inward. Solomon’s portico is on the east side of the mount, facing the temple; the larger portico on the south is called the Royal Portico. The porticos seem to be a regular place for teachers to instruct their students and passers-by. The apostles teach and heal there before the persecution begins (Acts 5:12–16).

The crowd of people knows the man (Acts 3:10). They know he was unable to walk and that he regularly begged in the temple area. It’s unclear if they want to know how the healing miracle happened or if they want healing of their own. Peter and John learned early on from Jesus that the primary purpose of miracles is to draw attention to and validate the message of God (Mark 1:38; Acts 1:8). They will heal more—at this very spot—but right now, Peter needs to clarify whose power it was that really healed this man. He needs to explain that this same power provides spiritual healing for those who want it.

Verse 12. And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?

Jesus has two contrasting teachings on doing good works. In Matthew 6:1–4, He says to give to the poor secretly so that the giver will receive honor from God instead of other people. But in Matthew 5:16, He says to “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” The difference between these is the motivation for the work. Good works should be made public if they inspire that public to glorify God (Matthew 5:14–16). The lame man had the correct reaction: when he realized he was healed, he entered the temple, “walking and leaping and praising God” (Acts 3:8). The crowd, however, seems to place the honor on Peter and John. Peter needs to stop this line of thought immediately.

Paul and Barnabas will face something similar in Lystra, during their first missionary journey. After Paul heals a man lame from birth, the people decide Barnabas is Zeus and Paul, who is the spokesman, must be Hermes. Paul and Barnabas immediately deny the assertions and are barely able to stop the people from offering sacrifices to them (Acts 14:8–18).

One person who did not understand this was Herod Agrippa I, who is king over Judea at this point. Agrippa was well-tolerated by the Jewish leadership, in part because he primarily lived in Jerusalem, not Caesarea Maritima, and in part because he prevented Caligula from placing a statue of himself in the temple. But one morning, during a celebration in Caesarea, the sun’s rays caught his silver robe—according to the historian Josephus—inspiring the people to cry out, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” (Acts 12:22). Although Herod somewhat respected the God of the Jews, he did not correct the people, and an angel struck him such that he died (Acts 12:20–23).

Verse 13. The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.

Peter has just healed a lame man in the temple (Acts 3:1–9). When the man starts leaping, the people recognize him and realize what has happened. They mob Peter and John, and Peter explains the power that healed the man did not come from them but from Jesus (Acts 3:10–12). The man was healed by faith in the name of Jesus (Acts 3:16) whom God raised (Acts 3:15) and glorified.

Peter gives a short summary of the crucifixion and the people’s part in it in Acts 3:13–15. The Sanhedrin arrested Jesus because of jealousy (Matthew 27:18). But they had limited authority to execute a criminal (John 18:31)—plus, they didn’t want backlash for killing Jesus, whom the people considered a prophet (Mark 14:1–2). The Sanhedrin brought Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor, but Pilate didn’t want anything to do with the case. After Pilate questioned Jesus, he wanted to release Him, so he had Jesus flogged and humiliated, hoping it would be enough to satiate the Sanhedrin’s wrath. But the Jewish leaders told Pilate that releasing Jesus was rebellion against Caesar. Pilate didn’t want the Sanhedrin to riot against him any more than the Sanhedrin wanted the people to riot against them, so Pilate agreed to have Him crucified (John 18:28—19:16).

The sequence of events shows how culpable the Jews are in the death of Jesus. Although the Jewish leadership was the driving force, to the point of inciting the crowd to their cause (Matthew 27:20), God dealt with the Jews in a more collective way. Even if some in Peter’s audience weren’t there in Jerusalem at the time of the crucifixion, they carried the guilt of their people.

That same collective identity is why Peter describes God as the God of the Jewish patriarchs. Today, nearly two thousand years later, we tend to think of Christianity divorced from Judaism, or replacing it. In the early days of the church, Christianity was well understood to be a fulfillment of Judaism. The same God who took the Jews for His people brought them Jesus. The same prophets who contributed to the identity of the Jews foretold Jesus’ coming (Acts 3:21–25). When presenting the good news to the Jews, the apostles start with the Jewish Scriptures. If they reject Jesus, they reject their own faith.

Verse 14. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,

Peter is explaining to a crowd of Jews on the Temple Mount how they rejected the Messiah that God promised to send the Jews. Here, Peter is talking about how the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council, incited a crowd to force Pilate to crucify Jesus and release a murderer named Barabbas (Matthew 27:15–26). But this verses also describes the history of the Jewish nation.

The most egregious example is the choice of the Israelites to worship Moloch. God promised the Israelites that if they obeyed and worshiped Him, He would make sure their land would remain fertile and their families would have many children (Deuteronomy 28:1–6). Instead, they ignored God and worshiped the Phoenician god Moloch. Part of Moloch’s worship was to make large metal statues of the god, either with outstretched arms or a cut-out in the stomach. The statues were placed in a roaring fire, and worshipers put their young children in the arms or the hole. The Israelites who did so certainly denied the Holy and Righteous God in favor of a murderer.

In reality, this is the history of the human race. In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve chose the sin that causes death over God (Genesis 3:1–7). Peter is condemning Jews for the murder of Jesus because He is a Jew speaking to Jews. The truth is, we are all equally guilty of Jesus’ death.

Verse 15. and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.

Peter is explaining to a crowd of Jews that they—like all people of all nations—are responsible for the death of the Holy One whom God sent.

“Author” is from the Greek root word archēgos and has the double-meaning of both originator and leader; in the New American Standard Bible, it is translated “Prince.” Jesus is the originator of life; John 1:3 says of Him, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” He also maintains creation: “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). Jesus is also ultimately the ruler of creation: “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16).

It’s significant that the Bible states God raised Jesus from the dead (Galatians 1:1); Jesus did not raise Himself. Jesus died as an act of submission to God and God’s plan (Philippians 2:5–8). He submitted to the burden of sin that made God turn His face away (1 Peter 2:24; Mark 15:34). He submitted Himself to death and burial. That God raised Him from the dead proves that He was the perfect, sinless sacrifice who died for the sins of the world (Romans 4:24–25).

Shortly before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told His disciples they would be His witnesses “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). “Witness” is from the Greek root word martys. As witnesses, the disciples gave first-hand testimony about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. But as persecution against the church rose, martys took on a different meaning and is now the base of our word “martyr.” A witness in this context, then, is someone who will speak the truth about Jesus, even at the expense of their own life. Church tradition says that all of the apostles, except John, died as martyrs.

Verse 16. And his name — by faith in his name — has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

As Peter and John go to the temple to pray, they come upon a beggar who has been lame from birth. Instead of alms, Peter gives him the gift of healing (Acts 3:1–8). A crowd swarms around them as they leave the gate and settle in Solomon’s Portico (Acts 3:9–11). Peter takes advantage of the attention and shows the connection between the man’s healing and the people’s need for Jesus.

Often, a person’s faith was key to their healing. Jesus told the woman with an issue of blood, “Daughter, your faith has made you well” (Mark 5:34). But, sometimes, that faith wasn’t necessary. That’s certainly true for those who were raised from the dead like Lazarus (John 11:38–44) and Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:35–43). There’s no reason to think Peter’s mother-in-law knew what Jesus was up to (Mark 1:29–31). In this case, it appears that the faith is that of Peter. That’s consistent with Mark 9:14–29. Jesus, Peter, John, and James descend the mountain after the transfiguration to find the other disciples in a struggle with a demon who has captured a little boy. Jesus doesn’t condemn the boy’s faith but the disciples’ (Mark 9:19). Still, some will say that the man reacted to Peter’s use of Jesus’ name by having the faith to take Peter’s hand and stand (Acts 3:6–7).

“Faith in his name” doesn’t mean that Peter used the spoken words “Jesus Christ of Nazareth” as a magical spell. In the culture, one’s “name” was one’s reputation and character. Jesus’ name includes the idea of His sovereignty, power, and authority. The healing was possible because of faith in Jesus, Himself.

Verse 17. “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.

Peter’s concept of guilt may sound harsh. He is speaking to a crowd of Jews in Solomon’s Portico, across from the temple. It’s likely many of them are residents of Jerusalem and were present at the Passover when Jesus was crucified. It doesn’t follow that they were all part of the crowd who demanded Jesus be crucified and Barabbas be released (Matthew 27:20–23). But God interacted with the Jews collectively: if they obeyed Him as a whole, He blessed them as a whole; if they rebelled against Him as a whole, He punished them as a whole (Deuteronomy 28:1–6, 15–19). Their corporate identity resulted in corporate culpability. That is why Daniel, a righteous God-follower, could confess the sins of the Jews as if they were his own (Daniel 9:1–19).

Now, Peter explains that they are guilty of Jesus’ murder even though they acted in ignorance. Granted, “ignorance” is a relative term. The people of Israel—and especially their religious leaders—had the Jewish Scriptures that prophesied the description of the Messiah (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Zechariah 9:9). But because they did not have a strong relationship with God, they could not recognize that Jesus was their Savior (John 15:21). Later, Paul will explain that the prophecies about Jesus’ death (Psalm 22:16–18; Isaiah 50:6; 53:3–7; Zechariah 12:10) were fulfilled because the perpetrators didn’t understand the prophecies: “For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him” (Acts 13:27).

We sometimes try to bargain our way out of guilt for our sins. We claim we didn’t know; or we didn’t have a choice; or although we were part of a group that espoused those beliefs, we weren’t present at that particular time when the beliefs were manifested as harm to another. The Bible is clear: we are born sinful (Psalm 51:5). Certainly, there are mitigating circumstances, and accidents do happen. But if our leg is broken, it doesn’t matter whether it was entirely our fault, or entirely someone else’s fault—we go to the doctor and get it taken care of. So, when we sin, we need to deal with it. We must repent, accept Jesus’ forgiveness, and ask Him to work in our heart so we grow in righteousness.

We should also be grateful that His death gave us these options. Pride and defensiveness just get in the way. Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Those who willingly acknowledge their spiritual bankruptcy before God will be welcomed into the world where His grace and love reign. That’s an overwhelming reward for just being honest with ourselves.

Verse 18. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.

Peter has been talking about the responsibility of his Jewish audience in Jesus’ crucifixion. Details of that crucifixion are scattered all over the Old Testament:

• In Psalm 22:16, “dogs” encompass the victim and evildoers “pierce” his hands and feet. “Dog” was a derogatory term for a Gentile; it was the Roman governor Pilate who ordered Jesus’ death and the Roman guards who saw it done (Matthew 27:26–31).
• In Psalm 41:9, David talks about a close friend who lifted his heel against him. Of course, it was Judas who betrayed Jesus (Mark 14:10).
• The “Suffering Servant” passage (Isaiah 52:13–53:12) has many prophecies about Jesus. Isaiah 53:7 talks about His silence in the face of affliction. It is true that Jesus answered questions (Mark 14:62; John 18:20–23, 34–37) but He never spoke in His own defense.
• The words that Jesus spoke on the cross (Matthew 27:46) were originally found in Psalm 22:1.
• David also prophesied the insults Jesus received on the cross (Matthew 27:41–43) in Psalm 22:7–8, including the very specific, “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him.”
• Psalm 22 also predicts that Jesus’ clothes will be divided by lots (Psalm 22:18), which the soldiers did (John 19:23).

Some critics claim that when Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John wrote their Gospels, they twisted details in their accounts to match Old Testament prophecy. But Matthew, Mark, and Luke wrote within thirty years of Jesus’ crucifixion. If they included any discrepancies, or points not widely accepted by Christians at that time, there were plenty of eye-witnesses still alive who would have contradicted their stories. Truly, God gave David and the other prophets specific things to include in their writing. Those details were given so it can be clear to us that Jesus is the Messiah, just as it was to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–35).

Verse 19. Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,

A crowd has gathered at Solomon’s Portico to discover how a lame beggar is suddenly leaping and praising God (Acts 3:8–11). Peter explains that it is not his own power that healed this man, but the power of Jesus, whom the crowd rejected as their Messiah (Acts 3:12–16). He tells them to repent of their sins, including the corporate sin of Jesus’ crucifixion.

“Repent” is from the Greek root word metanoeō. It doesn’t mean “to apologize;” it means to acknowledge your way is wrong and God’s way is right. It’s a complete change in your view of the world.

Repentance is a major theme in Jesus’ ministry, even now. In order to be saved, we must accept that our sins are wrong and that God provides the way we should live. This isn’t just an intellectual exercise; we need to allow the belief to change us, inside and out. That doesn’t mean we’ll never sin again. It means our goal is to hate sin as much as God does. True repentance is connected to a “godly grief” that we have rebelled against God (2 Corinthians 7:9).

Peter says if they repent, their sins will be “blotted out.” At that time, a lot of writing was done on papyrus. Papyrus sheets were made by taking the stalk of a type of aquatic grass, cutting the pith into strips, and pressing the strips together. This material doesn’t readily absorb ink; the ink dries on the surface. So a damp cloth can wipe the ink off—those marks can literally be “blotted out.”

Verse 20. that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,

Verse 21. whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.

Heaven “received” Jesus when He ascended into heaven after the resurrection (Acts 1:9). At some time in the future, He will return and Israel will be restored. Not even Peter knows when this will happen, although he suspects it will be soon (Acts 1:6–7). And Jesus tells us that we should continue to live as if He can return at any moment—because He can! (Mark 13:32–37.)

The Old Testament describes this restoration in several places:

• The relationships between fathers and children will be restored (Malachi 4:6).
• Israel will finally hold the geographical borders God promised (Genesis 15:18–21).
• God’s promise to David, that his heir will sit on the throne forever, will come to be (2 Samuel 7:12, 16).
• The people of Israel will follow God with their whole hearts (Jeremiah 31:31–34).
• All nations will serve Jesus (Daniel 7:13–14).
• God will restore the peace of the animals from the fear He subjected them to after the flood (Isaiah 11:6–9; Genesis 9:2).

Other passages explain that Jesus will return after God has made a footstool of Jesus’ enemies (Psalm 110:1; 1 Corinthians 15:24–28). The seven-year tribulation, a time of war, judgment, and horror, will be followed by the thousand-year reign of Jesus on the earth. This is similar to the reigns of David and Solomon. In David’s time, Israel fought for honor and security. In Solomon’s reign, peace ruled, and Israel was more prosperous than it has been before or since.

Verse 22. Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you.

Peter is relaying a quote from Moses recorded in Deuteronomy 18:15. We don’t typically think of Moses in the same category as other “prophets” because he was so much more: the rescuer and leader of Israel, a military commander, and the friend of God (Exodus 33:11). A prophet is someone whom God called to tell others His words. Considering God gave Moses the Law, he may rightly be considered Israel’s greatest prophet.

Jesus claimed this direct responsibility as well: “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak” (John 12:49). When He is rejected in Nazareth, He identifies Himself with the prophets (Luke 4:24).

Biblical prophets have two main tasks. First, they are to relay what God wants the people to know (2 Samuel 7:4–5; Jeremiah 1:5, 7, 9; Ezekiel 3:4). Second, they tell the future. There are too many examples of this in the Old Testament to list! As for Jesus, not only did He prophesy His own death (Mark 8:31; 9:30–32; 10:32–34), He prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70 (Mark 13:2), and the end times (Mark 13:3–27).

Jesus not only said what God wanted Him to say, He explained how His audience could judge if a prophet was from God or not. If someone spoke with the purpose of giving God the glory, that was a sign they were a true prophet; if they sought glory for themselves, they weren’t (John 7:16–18). In addition, God identified His prophets by empowering them to perform miracles (Exodus 7:8–10). Although Jesus willingly performed miracles, the purpose of His ministry was never to heal; the signs were to validate His words (Mark 1:32–39). And He always sought Father-God’s glory, not His own (John 8:50).

Different denominations have different views as to if there are still prophets in the world today. Since the ratification of the biblical canon, when the books of the New Testament were decided upon, we can say that there are no more prophets like those found in the Bible. God’s Word comes to us through Scripture; nothing new is given directly to people.

Verse 23. And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’

Peter is talking to a crowd of Jews in Solomon’s Portico on the Temple Mount; likely, there are proselytes there, as well. They are there for the 3 p.m. prayers at the temple (Acts 3:1). They consider themselves followers of God and heirs of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. What they need to realize is that in order to remain Abraham’s heirs, they need to follow Jesus, as well.

“That prophet” is Jesus. In Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses promised the Israelites that another prophet would come and take his place. A prophet is someone who receives a message from God and passes it on to His people. Sometimes that message is instructions, like how to build the tabernacle (Exodus 25:9). Sometimes, it’s a warning, like the Old Testament books of the prophets’ record. Other times, it’s images of the future, like in Daniel 7. Jesus did all of this throughout His ministry, being careful to speak what God the Father told Him to (John 12:49).

The Jews in Peter’s audience knew to look for “the prophet,” but they didn’t know that prophet was Jesus of Nazareth. Now, they’re being told that to remain true Jews, they have to listen to a man whom the Sanhedrin contrived to have crucified. They can’t just call Jesus a good teacher or even a miracle worker. Peter tells them, “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus” (Acts 3:13). Jesus said Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets will enter God’s kingdom, but those who do not accept Him will be cast out (Luke 13:28).

Fortunately, from this crowd, thousands of men plus women do believe (Acts 4:4). They understand that Jesus is the Messiah and following Him is the fulfillment of what Judaism promised.

Verse 24. And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days.

The coming of the Jewish Messiah is prophesied in many Old Testament passages. God, through Nathan, promised that David would have an heir with an eternal kingdom (2 Samuel 7:16). Jeremiah recorded God saying that God would make a new covenant with Israel; He said, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33). Psalm 118:22 predicts that the Jews would reject their own Savior.

The most powerful, and yet confusing, prophecy about Jesus and the times in which Peter is speaking is from Daniel 9:24–27. It speaks of seventy “weeks” or seventy sets of seven years each—490 years total. The first “week” started “from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem” (Daniel 9:25). This is taken to mean when King Artaxerxes of Persia ordered that the wall of Jerusalem was to be rebuilt around 445 BC (Nehemiah 2:1–8). It would take seven “weeks” to completely rebuild Jerusalem. After another 62 weeks, or 434 years, “an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing” (Daniel 9:26). This reaches AD 30, the year of Jesus’ recognition as the Anointed One, such as by Mary of Bethany (John 12:1–8), and His crucifixion.

The initial seven “weeks” plus the sixty-two “weeks” adds up to sixty-nine “weeks.” Daniel 9:26 seems to be a double-prophecy. It was initially fulfilled in AD 70 when the Roman army destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. But there is a larger gap between Jesus’ final year on earth and the beginning of the seventieth “week.” The church age is not found in very many prophecies; prophecy is generally for Israel and the nations around Israel. The second fulfillment of Daniel 9:26 and the fulfillment of Daniel 9:27 will be during the seven-year tribulation when the Antichrist makes a covenant with Israel and her enemies for seven years and the defiles the temple.

It’s amazing to think even the year of Jesus’ crucifixion was prophesied of in the Old Testament.

Verse 25. You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’

Peter is finishing his speech to a group of Jews on the Temple Mount who have crowded around him, trying to find out how he healed a lame man (Acts 3:1–11). Peter has explained that the power came from Jesus—the Jesus they crucified (Acts 3:12–16). He says they acted ignorantly, though by their actions what God had foretold was fulfilled; the people need to repent (Acts 3:17–19). Peter explains how their betrayal and Jesus’ life were prophesied in the Jewish Scriptures—the Old Testament (Acts 3:17–24). He also hints at Jesus’ return (Acts 3:20–21).

In this verse he has one last prophecy to show them. Some of God’s covenants with people were bilateral—if the Israelites obeyed God, He would bless them (Exodus 19:5–8). But His promise to Abraham was unconditional. God promised to multiply Abraham’s descendants, numbering them as the stars in the heavens and the sand on the seashore, and that in those descendants all the people in the world would be blessed (Genesis 22:17–18). God chose him for this so that his descendants would eventually obey God, not if they would (Genesis 18:18–19).

The Jews in Peter’s audience are the literal descendants of Abraham and the spiritual descendants of the prophets who foretold of Jesus’ coming and death. It is through them—through Israel as a whole—that God sent His son (Matthew 1:2–16; Luke 3:23–34). Jesus verified that He is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham (John 8:56). In Galatians 3 Paul specifies that Jesus is the One through whom the blessing of Abraham is given to all people. Salvation is by faith and made available to Gentiles as well as to Jews. It is not by law, but by the promise. Paul writes, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:27–29).

Peter doesn’t yet understand how the nations will be blessed. He has yet to receive a strong lesson from God that Gentiles will be welcome to the Holy Spirit (Acts 10). He has yet to see how the Gentiles will accept Jesus far more than the Jews will. It will get to the point that Paul will remind the Gentiles that they owe the Jews for their salvation and tell them that when witnessing their salvation, the Jews may become jealous and also turn to their Messiah (Romans 11:17–24).

Verse 26. God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

The idea of Jesus being “raised up” can have several meanings. One is that He was raised as a child and as a teacher and prophet. Another is that He was raised or lifted up on the cross. A third is that He was raised from the dead. The wording however, comes close on the heels of Acts 3:22: “Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’” So it would appear the phrasing matches the first possibility: God “raised up” Jesus to be the prophet promised in the Old Testament.

God sent Jesus to the Jews first. Jesus did minister to Gentiles, but His primary mission was to reach the Jews (Mark 7:27). Paul, the missionary specifically chosen by God to reach the Gentiles (Acts 9:15), knows this (Romans 1:16). Even though he was the apostle to the Gentiles, when he came to a new city, he first looked for the Jews (Acts 13:5; 14:1; 17:1–2).

The second half of the verse may explain why the Jewish nation rejected Jesus as their Messiah. The triumphal entry was a celebration that the Messiah had come to bring the kingdom of David again, to free the Jews from the dominion of the Romans (Mark 11:1–10). The people forgot that John the Baptist never said the Christ would free Israel. He said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Mark says, “John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4).

For many Jews, what Peter has said in Solomon’s Portico is convincing. The number of men, not counting women, who respond to Peter’s sermon numbers in the thousands (Acts 4:4). After his sermon at Pentecost, three thousand put their faith in Jesus (Acts 2:41). And more came daily (Acts 2:47; 5:14).

It’s possible that if Jesus had promised independence for Israel, the nation as a whole might have followed. Today, we see that the promise of an easy, prosperous life on earth often draws a bigger crowd than the chance to be reconciled with God. That is the option that those on the wide path choose (Matthew 7:13–14). Jesus said, “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:25). We must all decide if we want to try to find fulfillment on earth or peace with God in eternity.

End of Chapter 3.

Please Note:

The material use in this post, video is from BibleRef.com which is from Got Questions Ministries and is posted here to be read by Immersive reader in the Edge Browser. If you copy this material please follow these rules:

•Content from BibleRef.com may not be used for any commercial purposes, or as part of any commercial work, without explicit prior written consent from Got Questions ministries.

•Any use of our material should be properly credited; please make it clear the content is from BibleRef.com.

•BibleRef.com content may not be altered, modified, or otherwise changed unless such changes are specifically noted.