Verses 1-3 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.
The ninth hour would have been 3PM. Here the Apostles Peter and John meet an adult male with birth defects that made it impossible for him to walk. It is interesting that the name of this man is not given in the narrative. The Greek word translated as “lame” is “cholos” and it means lame, deprived of a foot, or maimed. The English dictionary definition of lame is “unable to walk normally because of an injury or illness affecting the leg or foot”. So it is not known if this man was born without a foot, or if he had a neurological problem or a structural problem involving his back, legs, and/or feet. Regardless, he had to be carried everywhere, so his quality of life had to be miserable, and the only way he could earn a living was to beg for money. It is thought that there were 10 Temple gates and that the one called Beautiful was 60 feet wide and that it was the place of worship during the morning and evening sacrifices. So there would be a lot of people going through this gate that societal outcasts like this lame man could ask for money. Imagine the humility and suffering of this one man in the city of Jerusalem who God cared enough about to send His servants to help, and try to imagine this lame man’s mental and emotional state as the miracle of his healing came about.
Verses 4-8 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.
The Apostles had no money to give, but they had something far more valuable: the power of the Holy Ghost/Spirit. Instead of throwing (literally) money at this man and his problem, the Apostles exercised the gifts of healing through the name of Jesus and commanded this man to get up. The healing was instant, and the lame man walked. Under normal circumstances, it is impossible for someone who has not used an extremity for a period of time to just be able to use it. The muscles atrophy, the tendons shorten and prohibit movement of the joints, and fasciae dries out around the muscles, and there is no strength, or in the case of a leg/foot, there is no balance so the person will fall. That this was a miracle could not be denied by the people passing by and observing, or by the Temple priest or the power elite.
Application: It is the name of Jesus that contains power. It is through the name of Jesus that salvation comes to mankind. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” Colossians 3:17 “And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.” 1 John 3:23 This writer never prays using Hebrew names or the title God, but always prays in the name of Jesus because the example is set forth here in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. The LORD has a pattern for His church to follow just as He had a pattern for the Old Testament saints to follow in their worship at the Temple, and that pattern is seen and learned in this book.
Regarding healing: this writer in comments in the Gospel of Matthew has attempted to point out the different ways in which people were healed in the Apostolic Church. Here, the Apostle Peter simply commanded the lame man to walk and then took him by the right hand and helped him up, all in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. There is no begging Father God for healing. There is no lengthy prayers. The Apostle Peter took charge of the situation and of the infirmity and just commanded the results that he wanted and it happened. How? Through faith in the name of Jesus.
Verses 9-11 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.
The Greek word translated as “wonder” is “thambos” and it means to render immovable or amazement. So the people were more than likely stopped in their tracks when they saw this miracle. This was no ordinary day for the masses. Remember that it had only been a short time prior to the Day of Pentecost when Jesus was performing miracles all over Judaea and Samaria and yet the people were amazed. After three plus years of miracles by Jesus and His Apostles, one would think that the people would have understood where these miracles came from and that they were not unusual things. Perhaps, like the Jewish leadership, they assumed that the miracles were a thing of the past after Jesus was murdered and buried. Notice that the lame man did not want to let go of the Apostles. They were not supporting him as he was completely healed, but he wanted to not be separated from them in the crowd.
In this Temple that King Herod constructed there were 4 outer courts, Solomon’s porch being one of them. It had a roof so there was protection from the weather, and it was located on the East side of the Temple. Walking through this area would take one to the Court of the Gentiles, which was the only area non Jews were allowed to enter. Remember that no words in the King James Bible are superfluous, but all are put there by God for a specific reason. The death, burial, and resurrection of the LORD Jesus Christ did away with the division between the Jews and the Gentiles, although the Jews did not realize it or want to accept this fact and still do not. So here one of the most amazing and grandiose miracles happens in the very area that leads towards the gathering place of the Gentiles. Not a coincidence.
Verses 12-13 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.
The Apostle Peter asks a question. Were the people going to put the Apostles on a pedestal, so to speak, and credit them with this miracle? Neither Peter nor John wanted this to happen, so they immediately gave the credit to the LORD, and at the same time again pointed out that the very God of their fathers that they, the people at the Temple, had come to worship, sent His Son and they rejected Him and delivered Him to be killed by the government. The fault was theirs. Notice that the Apostle Peter clearly points out that Pilate wanted to free Jesus. It was not the Roman’s who were at fault, but “God’s chosen people”.
Application: Notice the boldness of the Apostles. Before receiving power from on high on the Day of Pentecost, they were hiding from the authorities and from the people. Now they were accusing all the “men of Israel” of killing the Son of God. What happened to change these men from being afraid to boldly stating the uncomfortable truth? They were not worried about their lives or their futures. They had the Holy Ghost of their LORD living inside of them telling them what to say. They had no fear. Were they converted or Christian before receiving the baptism of the Spirit. Yes. But they had no power. Once Pentecost happened, all believers can have power. Power to do what? To heal, to cast out devils, to raise dead people back to life, to teach and preach the Gospel, and to proclaim truth and not worry about the outcome. It is these Christian believers that Satan is afraid of. He is not worried about those marginal believers that warm pews every Sunday and do nothing for the rest of the week. They are not a threat to his evil kingdom. But believers operating in the power and authority of the Spirit of Jesus Christ are a threat as they can tear down the strongholds of Satan and his fallen angels.
Verses 14-15 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.
More uncomfortable truth from the Apostle Peter. The Greek word translated as “Just” is “dikaios” and it means righteous, observing divine laws, innocent, faultless, guiltless, and approved of or acceptable of God.
Application: Note that it was the body of the Messiah that was killed: the flesh. And it was that body that was raised from the dead. A spirit cannot be killed. God Almighty is a Spirit and when He chose to dwell in a body of flesh, His name was Jesus which means salvation. So God was not killed as is taught by some false religions. It was the body that clothed His Spirit that was killed and then brought back to life. And that body when resurrected rose to Heaven and is there today. This was the example to all Christian believers of what will happen to them when they physically die. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the basis of hope for the Christian believer. “But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:13 But the Apostles were witnesses that Jesus Christ did indeed rise from the dead. “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” 1 Corinthians 15:20-26
Verse 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.
Did the lame man have faith in Jesus? No. He was looking for a handout. So who had the faith? The Apostles. Where did the Apostles’ faith come from? Jesus. So the verse above could be paraphrased as, “and Jesus’ name, through our faith in Jesus’ name hath made this man strong. . . yea, the faith which is by Jesus hath given this man this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.”
Note: Because the King James Bible is the only word-for-word translation in the English language, every word is important, and one has to be careful when a verse contains numerous pronouns or prepositions to determine who or what they refer to.
Application: “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 The disciples knew that the power was in having faith in Jesus’ name and the example throughout the book of Acts is prayer in the name of Jesus. The Greek name for Jesus is “Iesous” and it is translated into English 972 times as Jesus. Why was Mary and Joseph commanded to call the Son of God Jesus? Because it literally means Jehovah is salvation. It is the Greek version of the Hebrew name, Joshua, which also means salvation. The whole purpose of God descending from Heaven and inhabiting a body of flesh was to provide a means of salvation for mankind through the blood sacrifice of that body of flesh. The Old Testament sacrifices of sheep and goats did not and could not remove sin. That same power that can save men and women from the ravages of sin and set them free from sin’s bondage is the power that can heal men and women from the bondage of sickness and infirmities. That power can raise people from the dead and can change the course of weather. That power is what fights the spiritual battles with the forces of evil. The Christian believer can do nothing without the power of the Holy Ghost/Spirit through faith in the name of Jesus.
Regarding the name: There is a movement among some believers today that this writer believes is from Satan that promotes the use other names for Jesus. Yahweh, Yeshua, and Jehovah are some of the names being used by people claiming to be converted Jews and by others who are adopting this means of referring to the Son of God. Why would Satan want to stop believers from using the name, Jesus? Because as stated in the verses above, the faith to be saved from sin, death, and Hell is only in that name, and the power to be like Jesus and do what He did is in the use of His name. Counterfeits will not work. However, God said in Exodus 6:3, “And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.” The Hebrew meaning of Jehovah is “the existing One”. So Father God, who is a Spirit, uses the name JEHOVAH. The body of flesh that God (JEHOVAH) indwelt was/is both man and God and therefore has a different name (Jesus) commanded by God as recorded in the verse above from Matthew. God, because He is Spirit, could not die for the sins of mankind. Jesus, because He was/is both Spirit and flesh could. It was Jesus who became the final sacrifice and atonement for sin. Therefore, it is His name, Jesus, where believers receive power to have faith and to minister and to perform miracles. Can you see the distinction?
Verses 17-18 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.
The British spelling of the word “what” in 1611 was “wot”. The Greek word translated as “wot/what” is “eido” and it means to see, to perceive with the eyes, to perceive by any of the senses, to notice, to discern, or to discover. So the Apostle Peter is saying the what he discerned was that, because of ignorance, the men of Israel and the leaders of Israel killed/murdered the LORD Jesus Christ, the Messiah. However, the will of God as evidenced by the writings of His prophets which the leaders of Israel should have been very familiar with, was fulfilled.
Verses 19-21 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.
The Apostle Peter’s advice was for these men to repent and turn to the worship of the true God and Savior Jesus Christ so that this sin and all their other sins could be blotted out. The Greek word translated as “blotted out” is “exaleipho” and it means to anoint or wash in every part, to obliterate, erase, or wipe out.
The Greek word translated as “refreshing” is “anapsuxis” and it means a cooling or refreshing. Refreshing means a welcome or stimulating difference or to refresh or reinvigorate someone. When referring to the Sabbath in Exodus 31:17, Mose wrote that the LORD said, “It (the Sabbath) is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.” So refreshing is associated with resting. “And the king, and all the people that were with him, came weary, and refreshed themselves there.” 2 Samuel 16:23 So the times of refreshing may be the condition of the new believer when true repentance and conversion takes place and the Holy Ghost/Spirit indwells the believer and that peace that passeth understanding occurs. “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.” Galatians 5:22 “For the kingdom of God is not meant and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Romans 14:17 And the times of refreshing may be the end of the world when all believers are in the Kingdom of God in Heaven and able to rest and refresh from their labors just a God rested and refreshed from His on the seventh day. This writer believes it is both.
When the end of time comes, so also comes Jesus Christ who will judge the quick and the dead and usher in eternity. According to the Apostle Peter above, Jesus is residing in Heaven until the end of time and that at His coming, there will be a restitution of ALL things. The Greek word translated as “restitution” is “apokatastasis” and it means restoration, of a true theocracy, of the perfect state before the fall. So everything that mankind and Satan has destroyed or made contrary to the will of God will be made perfect again so that God and His people can look and declare it is good. This includes the plants and animals, the soil and the Heavens and everything that God created during the six days of creation written about by the prophet Moses in Genesis chapters one and two. All the saints will be able to experience that which Adam and Eve experienced before they allowed sin to enter their lives. And best of all will be the governance of the LORD Jesus Christ over His people. Think about it.
Verses 22-23 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.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6 People either accept the lordship of Jesus or they reject it. Rejection results in eternal damnation, plain and simple.
Verse 24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
Every book of the Bible in some way reflects the LORD Jesus Christ. In Genesis He is reflected by the ram sent to Abraham to sacrifice in the place of his son Issac. In Exodus He is reflected through the Passover lamb. In Judges He is the faithful judge. In the Samuels He is the trusted Prophet. In Job He is the Redeemer. In Micah He is Peace, and so forth.
Application: Because the Bible is made up of 66 books written on three continents by numerous writers over thousands of years, people try to discredit it and claim it is not the work of Almighty God. But the very fact that the various prophets have written about the LORD Jesus Christ and that He can be seen in metaphor and in prophecy in all 66 books authenticates the Bible as the true Word of God. Only God could have directed His prophets to write in such a manner as to not contradict another writer’s words. Remember that often the writers of the various books of the Bible did not have access to other prophet’s written Scripture. And everything was hand written and hand copied and yet the Scripture remained accurate as proven by finds such as the Dead Sea Scrolls. More in-depth study by you, the reader, will show that God did not allow His written Word to be in error.
Verses 25-26 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. (Acts 3)
The Apostle Peter reminded his audience that they were descendants of Abraham and therefore of all the prophets that ever rose up out of the nations Israel and Judah, and that the agreement God made with Abraham to bless all the people of the world through the Hebrew people was fulfilled through the coming of the LORD Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the grave. Therefore, Jesus was sent to the Jews first to turn them away from their sins and to inherit eternal life. Unfortunately, history shows that the Jewish rejection of Jesus Christ as their Messiah continued from the days of the apostles and the establishment of the Church to today.