Acts — Chapter 3

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1Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.

2And 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;

3Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.

4And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.

5And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.

6Then 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.

7And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

8And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.

9And all the people saw him walking and praising God:

10And 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.

11And 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.

12And 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?

13The 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.

14But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;

15And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

16And 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.

17And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.

18But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.

19Repent 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;

20And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

21Whom 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.

22For 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.

23And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.

24Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.

25Ye 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.

26Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

1Now Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer, [being] the ninth [hour].

2And 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 them that entered into the temple;

3who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked to receive an alms.

4And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him, with John, said, Look on us.

5And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something from them.

6But Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but what I have, that give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.

7And he took him by the right hand, and raised him up: and immediately his feet and his ankle-bones received strength.

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

9And all the people saw him walking and praising God:

10and they took knowledge of him, that it was he that 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.

11And as he held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon`s, greatly wondering.

12And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this man? or why fasten ye your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him to walk?

13The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Servant Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied before the face of Pilate, when he had determined to release him.

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

15and killed the Prince of life; whom God raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

16And by faith in his name hath his name made this man strong, whom ye behold and know: yea, the faith which is through him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

17And now, brethren, I know that in ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.

18But the things which God foreshowed by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled.

19Repent ye therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that so there may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord;

20and that he may send the Christ who hath been appointed for you, [even] Jesus:

21whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, whereof God spake by the mouth of His holy prophets that have been from of old.

22Moses indeed said, A prophet shall the Lord God raise up unto you from among your brethren, like unto me. To him shall ye hearken in all things whatsoever he shall speak unto you.

23And it shall be, that every soul that shall not hearken to that prophet, shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.

24Yea and all the prophets from Samuel and them that followed after, as many as have spoken, they also told of these days.

25Ye are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

26Unto you first God, having raised up his Servant, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.

1Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time for prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon.

2And a man lame from birth was being carried up, who was placed at the temple gate called “the Beautiful Gate” every day so he could beg for money from those going into the temple courts.

3When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple courts, he asked them for money.

4Peter looked directly at him (as did John) and said, “Look at us!”

5So the lame man paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.

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

7Then Peter took hold of him by the right hand and raised him up, and at once the man’s feet and ankles were made strong.

8He jumped up, stood and began walking around, and he entered the temple courts with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

9All the people saw him walking and praising God,

10and they recognized him as the man who used to sit and ask for donations at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with astonishment and amazement at what had happened to him.

11While the man was hanging on to Peter and John, all the people, completely astounded, ran together to them in the covered walkway called Solomon’s Portico.

12When Peter saw this, he declared to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us as if we had made this man walk by our own power or piety?

13The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our forefathers, has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate after he had decided to release him.

14But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a man who was a murderer be released to you.

15You killed the Originator of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this fact we are witnesses!

16And on the basis of faith in Jesus’ name, his very name has made this man—whom you see and know—strong. The faith that is through Jesus has given him this complete health in the presence of you all.

17And now, brothers, I know you acted in ignorance, as your rulers did too.

18But the things God foretold long ago through all the prophets—that his Christ would suffer—he has fulfilled in this way.

19Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out,

20so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and so that he may send the Messiah appointed for you—that is, Jesus.

21This one heaven must receive until the time all things are restored, which God declared from times long ago through his holy prophets.

22Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must obey him in everything he tells you.

23Every person who does not obey that prophet will be destroyed and thus removed from the people.’

24And all the prophets, from Samuel and those who followed him, have spoken about and announced these days.

25You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed.’

26God raised up his servant and sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each one of you from your iniquities.”

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

2A 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 Beautiful, to ask gifts for the needy of those who entered into the temple.

3Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive gifts for the needy.

4Peter, fastening his eyes on him, with John, said, “Look at us.”

5He listened to them, expecting to receive something from them.

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

7He took him by the right hand, and raised him up. Immediately his feet and his ankle bones received strength.

8Leaping up, he stood, and began to walk. He entered with them into the temple, walking, leaping, and praising God.

9All the people saw him walking and praising God.

10They recognized him, that it was he who used to sit begging for gifts for the needy at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. They were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

11As the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.

12When 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?

13The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up, and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had determined to release him.

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

15and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, to which we are witnesses.

16By 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.

17“Now, brothers, I know that you did this in ignorance, as did also your rulers.

18But the things which God announced by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ 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,

20and that he may send Christ Jesus, who was ordained for you before,

21whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets.

22For 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.

23It will be that every soul that will not listen to that prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people.’

24Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who followed after, as many as have spoken, they also told of these days.

25You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘In your offspring will all the families of the earth be blessed.’

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

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

Peter heals a lame man at the temple gate Beautiful in Jesus' name, then preaches to the astonished crowd that the God of Abraham has glorified His servant Jesus — calling them to repent so their sins may be blotted out.

Authorship & Background

Author: Luke (see Chapter 1 notes for full authorship details).
Historical Context: Chapter 3 records the first miracle of the apostolic church — the healing of a lame man at the Temple gate — and Peter's second sermon explaining the miracle and calling Israel to repentance. This event takes place shortly after Pentecost, while the church is still centered in Jerusalem and the Temple.
The Healing at the Beautiful Gate (vv.1-10): A man lame from birth, over 40 years old (Acts 4:22), was carried daily to beg at the Temple gate called Beautiful (likely the Nicanor Gate on the east side of the Temple). Peter and John had no money — but they had something better: the authority of Jesus' name. The healing was instant, complete, and public — the man leaped, walked, and praised God.
Peter's Second Sermon (vv.12-26): Peter immediately deflects attention from himself — "Why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?" (v.12). He points to Jesus — the one Israel delivered up, denied, and killed — whom God raised from the dead. The healing was done through faith in Jesus' name (v.16).
The Call to Repentance (vv.19-26): Peter offers Israel another chance — "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out" (v.19). He connects Jesus to Moses' prophecy of "a prophet like me" (Deuteronomy 18:15) and to Abraham's covenant blessing for all nations (Genesis 12:3).

Map & Geography

  • Jerusalem / the Temple — the Beautiful Gate (v.2): The healing occurred at the gate on the east side of the Temple, leading from the Court of the Gentiles to the Court of Women. The Temple was the center of public life.
  • Solomon's Porch (v.11): The eastern colonnade of the Temple where the healed man and the crowd gathered, and Peter preached his second sermon.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines the healing miracle, Peter's deflection of glory, the titles of Jesus in the sermon, and the call to national repentance.
  • Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "Silver and Gold Have I None" on v.6 (MTP Vol. 10, No. 602) "Silver and gold have I none — but such as I have give I thee. Peter had something better than money. He had the name of Jesus. And in that name there is more power than in all the treasuries of the world. What do you have to give? Not money perhaps — but the name of Jesus. That is enough." Sermon: "The Prince of Life" on v.15 (MTP Vol. 22, No. 1337) "You killed the Prince of life — the Author of life, the Source of life. You destroyed the One who gives life to everything that lives. And God raised Him. Death could not hold the Author of life. The grave could not contain the Source of existence."

Reflection

  • 1. "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee" (v.6). Peter didn't have money — but he had the authority of Jesus' name. What do you have to give people? Not just material resources but spiritual power, prayer, the Gospel, your presence. Are you giving what you have?
  • 2. Peter immediately deflected glory from himself to Christ (v.12). When God works through you, do you take the credit or point to Jesus? How do you handle recognition and praise?
  • 3. Peter called Israel to repent even though they had crucified Christ (v.19). Grace is still offered to those who committed the worst sin in history. Is there anyone you think is beyond God's grace? How does this passage challenge that assumption?
  • 4. "His name through faith in his name" (v.16). The power is in Jesus' name — His person, His authority, His finished work. Are you living in the authority of that name, or are you trying to operate in your own strength?
  • 5. The lame man asked for money (v.3) — he expected a coin. He received legs. God often gives us something far better than what we ask for. Where are you asking God for "coins" when He wants to give you something greater?
  • 6. Peter said "such as I have give I thee" (v.6). You can only give what you have. Do you have a living relationship with Christ that you can share with others? What do you "have" spiritually that others need?
  • 7. Peter offered Israel repentance and forgiveness (v.19) — even after they killed Christ. He attributed their action to "ignorance" (v.17). How does this grace-filled approach to those who have wronged you challenge your own tendency toward judgment?
  • 8. Peter connects Jesus to Moses (v.22) and Abraham (v.25) — showing that Christ is the fulfillment of the entire Old Testament. How does seeing Jesus as the center of all Scripture change how you read the Bible?
  • 9. The healing was instant and complete (v.7) — "immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength." God's power is not limited or gradual when He chooses to act. Where do you need to trust God for immediate, complete transformation?