Acts Chapter THREE commentary

Verse 3:2 “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;” This brings to mind the blind man whom Jesus healed earlier. The disciples asked who sinned, the blind man or his parents and Jesus answered “…but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Whether it is through the miraculous, or through living an overcoming testimony, God desires to shows His works in the lives of believers.

Verse 3: 3-4: The man saw Peter and “Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.” Contrast the perspectives between Peter and the lame man. Peter is looking with spiritual eyes and the lame man with the physical perspective. Oh- the difference looking at the spiritual made on that day!

Verse 3: 7: “he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up…”. God did the healing but Peter helped to lift him up. Sometimes people need a helping hand. Often a physical action acts as an intermediary between faith and healing. I would also argue that Peter taking that extra step was an act of faith for himself.

Verse 3: 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?”

The man was healed and he made quite a commotion within the temple area. This in turn drew a crowd because this man was well known to the visitors who had walked by him on a regular basis. Peter asked the people “Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this?” I have heard before of people praying for someone to be healed and then they were surprised when God healed the person! Peter is not surprised because the miraculous is operating in his life.

Some time has passed since the day of Pentecost and the message that the followers of Jesus preached was known at this point. This was nothing new and certainly “not done in a corner.” So asking them ‘why are you marveling at this’ could be tantamount to saying “Are you still surprised by this?”

In chapter 3, God is going father than before. The grace of God was reaching out to the religious people who may not have accepted the Word in Chapter 2. He is allowing the evidence of the miraculous to come into the temple courts so that the power of God is in the center of their daily lives. His power reaches to even the heights of a culture so that everyone may know.

“And when Peter saw it” (the large crowd that had gathered)

This is the second time in the chapter that it talks about Peter’s vision, the first being “And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.” (verse 4) The first time, Peter is looking at a need, the second…a group of people needing to be ministered to. Contrast this with Peter’s vision when he walked on water in the book of Matthew “But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.” (Matthew 14:30). Peter has learned to keep his focus on Jesus.

Verse: 3: 13-15: Peter once again accuses the people of killing Jesus. Some of them (if not many) were probably the very ones demanding the death of Jesus sometime earlier. This is not some sort of blood libel or cultural or religious chauvinism. Peter is Jewish. However…why did Peter accuse them at all?

Two things can be true at once. Jesus was meant to die for the sins of people everywhere. Also… many who participated in sending him to the cross had not yet repented and some were probably in Peter’s audience.

This is an unusual situation for a preacher. When a preacher says “Christ was crucified because of you,” he means it in a spiritual sense. However in this case, Peter meant it in both a spiritual and an immediate/culpability sense.

Verse: 3: 16: “And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know…”. Two components for a miracle: HIS NAME through FAITH IN HIS NAME hath made this man strong. You need both the name of Jesus and also to have faith in that name.

Verse 3: 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.” Compare this with Acts 2:38. Peter is still talking about repentance and experiencing a time of refreshing from the Lord—receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Verse 3:22: Peter is referencing a speech made by Moses to the Israelites centuries ago.

Verse 3: 25: “Ye are the children of the prophets.” Peter acknowledges the Jew’s special place within God’s covenant. Peter is walking a line between declaring the gospel of Christ (and the headship of Jesus) and also establishing the continuity of belief between the old and the new.

Antisemitism within the Christian community is a profound evil. It’s a prejudice born of pride, politics, racism and a misunderstanding of the scriptures. Paul compared Gentile (non-Jewish) Christians to a tree branch that had been engrafted into the greater tree. Any harsh words Paul had for his fellow countrymen in the Epistles must be balanced with a biblical record that shows his unwavering love for his people. Christians likewise should continue to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”