Acts 3

Acts 3:1

E. The Healing of a Lame Man, and Peter’s Charge to Israel (3:1-26) 3:1 It was 3:00 p.m. when Peter and John went up together to the temple in Jerusalem. As mentioned previously, the early Jewish Christians continued to attend the temple services for some time after the church was formed. This was a period of adjustment and transition, and the break with Judaism was not made instantaneously. Believers today would not be justified in following their example in this, since we have the full revelation of the NT and are told to go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach (Heb_13:13. See also 2Co_6:17-18). 3:2 As they approached the temple, they saw men carrying a crippled beggar to his customary spot at the gate … called Beautiful. The helpless condition of this man, lame since birth, is in marked contrast to the beauty of the architecture of the temple. It reminds us of the poverty and ignorance which abound in the very shadow of great cathedrals, and of the helplessness of mighty ecclesiastical systems to assist those who are physical and spiritual cripples. 3:3 The lame man had obviously given up hope of ever being cured, so he contented himself to ask for a handout. 3:4 Instead of looking on this man as a helpless wretch, Peter saw him as one in whom the mighty power of God might be demonstrated! If we are led by the Spirit, we will fix our eyes on those whom God intends to bless, instead of firing blank cartridges and beating the air (Selected). Peter’s command, Look at us, was not intended to attract publicity to John and himself, but merely to insure the undivided attention of the beggar. 3:5, 6 Still expecting nothing more than financial help, the cripple gave them his attention. Then he heard an announcement that was both disappointing and thrilling to him. As far as a handout was concerned, Peter had nothing to give. But he had something better to give. By the authority of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, he commanded the lame man to rise up and walk. A witty old preacher said, The crippled beggar asked for alms and he got legs.It is said that Thomas Aquinas visited the pope at a time when large sums of money were being counted.

The pope boasted, We need no longer say with Peter, Silver and gold I do not have! Aquinas replied, Neither can you say with Peter, Rise up and walk!3:7 As Peter helped the man to his feet, strength flowed into the hitherto useless feet and ankle bones. Here we are reminded again that in the spiritual life, there is a curious mingling of the divine and the human. Peter helps the man to his feet; then God performs the cure. We must do what we can do; then God will do what we cannot do. 3:8 The miracle of healing was immediate, not gradual. Notice how the Spirit of God multiplies words of action and movement: leaping up, stood … walked and entered … walking, leaping. When we remember the slow, painful process an infant goes through in learning to walk, we realize how wonderful it was for this man to walk and leap right away, for the first time in his life. This miracle, performed in the Name of Jesus, was a further testimony to the people of Israel that the One they had crucified was alive and was willing to be their Healer and Savior. 3:9, 10 The fact that the beggar had lain daily at the door of the temple made him a familiar sight. Now that he was healed, the miracle was necessarily generally known. The people could not deny that a mighty miracle had taken place, but what was the meaning of it all? 3:11 As the healed man held on to Peter and John, as to his physicians, all the people ran together at Solomon’s porch, a portion of the temple area. Their amazement and wonder provided the opportunity for Peter to preach to them. 3:12 Peter first diverts the attention of the people from the cured man, and from the apostles. The explanation of the miracle was not to be found in any of them. 3:13-16 Quickly he brings them to the true Author of the miracle. It was Jesus, the One they had rejected, denied, and killed. God raised Him from the dead and glorified Him in heaven. Now, through faith in Him, this man had been cured of his helplessness. Peter’s holy boldness in accusing the men of Israel is remarkable. His charges against them are:

1. They delivered up Jesus (to the Gentiles for trial).
2. They denied Him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to release Him.
3. They denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for the release of a murderer (Barabbas).
4. They killed the Prince (or Author) of life. Notice, by contrast, God’s treatment of Jesus:
5. He raised Him from the dead (v. 15).
6. He glorified His Servant Jesusnot His Son Jesus, as in the 1611 Version (v. 13). Notice finally the emphasis on faith in Christ as the explanation of the miracle of healing (v. 16). In this verse, as elsewhere, the name stands for the person. Thus, faith in His name means faith in Christ. 3:17 There is a distinct change in Peter’s tone in this verse. Having charged the men of Israel with the death of the Lord Jesus, he now addresses them as his Jewish brethren, graciously allowing that they did it in ignorance, and urging them to repent and be converted. It almost seems contradictory to hear Peter say that the Jews crucified the Lord Jesus in ignorance. Did He not come with the full credentials of the Messiah? Did He not perform wondrous miracles in their midst? Did He not infuriate them by claiming to be equal with God? Yes, this is all true. And yet they were ignorant of the fact that Jesus Christ was God incarnate. They expected the Messiah to come, not in lowly grace, but rather as a mighty military deliverer. They looked upon Jesus as an impostor. They did not know He was truly the Son of God. They probably thought they were doing God a service in killing Him. Thus the Savior Himself said at the time of the crucifixion, They do not know what they do (Luk_23:34), and Paul later wrote, Had they [the princes of this age] known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1Co_2:8). All this was designed to assure the men of Israel that their sin, however great, was still subject to the forgiving grace of God. 3:18 Without excusing their sin, Peter shows that God overruled it to fulfill His own purposes. The prophets of the OT had predicted that the Messiah would suffer. The Jewish people were the ones who inflicted the suffering on Him. But now He offered Himself to them as Lord and Savior. Through Him they could receive forgiveness of their sins. 3:19 The people of Israel should repent and make an about-face. When they would do this, their sins would be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come. It must be remembered that this message is addressed to the men of Israel (v. 12). It emphasizes that national repentance must precede national restoration and blessing. The times of refreshing … from the presence of the Lord refer to the blessings of Christ’s future kingdom on earth, as mentioned in the next verse. 3:20 Following Israel’s repentance, God will send the Messiah, Jesus. As mentioned previously, this refers to the Second Advent of Christ to set up His thousand-year reign on the earth. 3:21 The question inevitably arises at this point, If Israel had repented when Peter was speaking, would the Lord Jesus have returned to earth? Great and godly men have differed on this subject. Some insist He would have returned; otherwise, they say the promise was not a bona fide one. Others take the passage as being prophetic, as showing the order of events that would actually take place. The question is a purely hypothetical one. The facts are that Israel did not repent, and the Lord Jesus has not returned. It is clear from verse 21 that God foresaw that the nation of Israel would reject Christ, and that the present age of grace would intervene before His Second Coming. Heaven must receive Christ until the times of restoration of all things. The times of restoration of all things point forward to the Millennium. They do not indicate universal salvation, as some have suggested; such a teaching is foreign to the Bible. Rather they point to the time when creation will be de livered from the bondage of corruption and Christ will reign in righteousness as King over all the earth. These times of restoration had been foretold by the prophets of the OT period. Verse 21 has been used in an effort to disprove the pretribulation Rapture. The argument is that if the heavens must receive Jesus until the beginning of the Millennium, then He cannot come before then to take the church home to heaven. The answer, of course, is that Peter is speaking here to the men of Israel (v. 12). He is discussing God’s dealings with Israel nationally. As far as the nation of Israel is concerned, the Lord Jesus will remain in heaven until He comes to reign at the end of the Tribulation. But individual Jews who believe on Him during this Church Age will share with believing Gentiles in the Rapture of the church, which could take place at any moment. Also, in the Rapture, the Lord does not leave the heavens; we go to Him in the air. 3:22 As an example of an OT prophecy looking forward to Christ’s glorious reign, Peter quotes Deu_18:15, Deu_18:18-19. The passage pictures the Lord Jesus as God’s Prophet in Israel’s golden age, announcing God’s will and law. When Moses said, The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me, he did not mean likeness as to character or ability, but likeness in the sense that both were raised up by God. He will raise Him up as He raised me up.3:23 During Christ’s reign on earth, those who refuse to hear and obey Him will be utterly destroyed. Of course, those who reject Him today suffer eternal judgment also, but the primary thought of this passage is that Christ will yet rule with a rod of iron and that those who disobey Him and rebel against Him will be promptly executed. 3:24 To further emphasize that the times of restoration were well predicted, Peter adds that all the prophets from Samuel and his successors spoke of these days. 3:25 Peter now reminds his Jewish hearers that the promise of these times of blessing was made to them as sons of the prophets and descendants of Abraham. After all, God had made a covenant with Abraham to bless all the families of the earth in his seed. All the promises of millennial blessing center in the Seed, i.e., in Christ. They should therefore accept the Lord Jesus as Messiah. 3:26 God had already raised up His Servant (3:13), and had sent Him first to the nation of Israel. This refers to the Incarnation and life of our Lord rather than to His resurrection. If they would receive Him, He would turn away every one of them from their iniquities. In this sermon by Peter, delivered to the people of Israel, we notice that it is the kingdom that is in view rather than the church. Also the emphasis is national rather than individual. The Spirit of God is lingering over Israel in longsuffering mercy, pleading with God’s ancient people to receive the glorified Lord Jesus as Messiah and thus hasten the advent of Christ’s kingdom on earth. But Israel would not hear.