Acts, Chapter 3

Please read this chapter in your Bible.

Verse 1: “One day Peter and John were going up to the temple, at the time of prayer, at three in the afternoon.”

Once they had gathered in a house, the doors locked, because they were afraid of hostile Jews (John 29:19). Once they were together in sacred solitude on the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:12). Now, the two of them, are in public, in the wide-open temple-courts.

Verse 2: “Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple-gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple-courts.”

‘The temple-gate called Beautiful’.

No doubt the whole temple building was beautiful. This particular gate must have been outstanding. But in all this dazzling beauty there was nothing for this crippled man! Even if they would carry him to the inside of the temple, he could do no more than be a beggar. Many a time he did see this Jesus of Nazareth, passing by, into the temple. He never appeared to hear this man’s cry: ’Jesus, what about me?’ It seemed as if Jesus never noticed him. Crippled from birth, day after day carried here and there, and Jesus of Nazareth never answered his cry. Yes, true, BUT . . . GOD!

Verse 3: “When he daw Peter and John, about to enter, he asked them for money.”

Verse 4: “Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said: ‘Look at us’!”

Jesus of Nazareth had not healed him. Could money do that? Could a paid physician? Would he cure him?

All of us have an inborn sinful nature. We were born into a sinful world, where we all have a dire disease. It is called ‘sin’. No one or nothing from this world can cure it. God most Holy, Who created us, is hostile about human sin. He does condemn the human sinner to death in eternal hell, unless that sin-debt has been paid for. There is only one place where that debt was paid. Where forgiveness may be found. Not in a stately cathedral, not with a denomination, not by money or good deeds! Forgiveness of sin may be found at the Cross of Jesus! Nowhere else! There He was and is the sinner’s substitute, taking the sinner’s place under the righteous judgment of a Holy God.

That Holy God cares about a man, cripple from birth. Cares about every sinner, loves you and me.

‘Look at us,’ Peter said.

From every nook and corner in this world people are being beguiled. Look at us, they hear. We will show you our icons, our statues and our phenomenal growth. We will show you the truth as we see it, our way, back up to God. You may learn the ideas of human thinking, we have learned from our prophets. That’s how people are being hoodwinked into error, into falsehood.

BUT . . . GOD!

Verse 6: “Then Peter said: ‘Silver or gold I do not have. But what I have I give you. In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, WALK!”

‘What I have’.

What did Peter have? No doubt he had unlimited faith in Jesus of Nazareth. Once, on the roaring waves of a wild sea, he had walked with Jesus. And like anyone of us would, when Peter began to doubt and sink. Who was there, right there, to lift him and take him to the boat? Where was Peter safer, with Jesus on the waves or with Jesus in the boat? Why was he safe at any time, anywhere? Peter had seen the same Jesus, nailed to a cross and dying there. Had seen Him, being buried and . . . after that . . . had seen Him, walked and talked with Him. After death and a grave Jesus of Nazareth was alive! What else did Peter and John have? They did have something that you and I, by the grace of God His children, also do have. They had received God’s mighty Holy Spirit, indwelling them. That means they could be, we may be, sure of the power of God. Human impossibilities are God’s opportunities.

Crippled from birth, yes! Carried here and there, Yes! BUT . . . GOD! Peter’s God!

Yes! Our God, yes! Peter being available to and used by our God, did say to that man: ”WALK” !

Verse 7: “Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly, the man’s feet and ankles became strong.”

Verse 8: “ He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping and praising God.”

Who did all the work? Peter did. At the right time, he was in the right place; God’s time and God’s place.

Who did the miracle? God did!

Question! Did God perform that miracle to help a poor, crippled man? Yes, He did. Did He perform the miracle to honor the faith of Peter and John? Yes, He did! Did God do it to impress the community of Israel? Yes, He did!

Please, let us get this straight. Primarily God did so for the glory of His own Name!

Glory, arising from the hearts and lips of mortal man. In that motivation God desired glory for His dear Son , Who, for the Jews, was Jesus of Nazareth.

Never forget that! In all our prayers, in all our believing, not the need as you and I see it, but let us make and have His glory paramount.

Verse 9: “When all the people saw him, walking and praising God”

Verse 10”They recognized him as the same man who used to sit, begging, at the temple gate, called Beautiful and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.”

When God exhibits part of His glory, what else could have happened? We will come to that in the next chapter.

Verse 11: “While the beggar held on to Peter and John all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s colonnade.”

Who were ‘all the people who came running’? Peter answers that question in verse 12. And we must repeat it here. They were not un-converted people of 2010 who might see a so-called miracle. Most of them were religious Jews who were still and again being confronted by Jesus of Nazareth. In order that now they may see and hear God’s message, about His Messiah for Israel. Today unconverted people need to hear, read and believe the Word of God to become saved.

Verse 12: “MEN OF ISRAEL, why does this surprise you?”

Yes, why? Many of these men of Israel had seen the many mighty miracles done by Jesus of Nazareth. And then regarded Him as a fraud. Also treated Him as such. Now they reckoned Him dead and buried. But . . . God! God still showed them His glorious patience and was still endeavouring to change their mind and attitude.

Peter continued: “Why do you stare at us? As if by our own power or godliness we had this man walk.”

Peter knew and confessed it. No money or physician, no good or godliness in Peter or John could do what only God could do.

Verse 13: “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus. You handed Him over to be killed, and you disowned Him before Pilate though he had decided to let Him go”

Yes, ‘The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob’. Every one of the men of Israel knew Him or about Him. Every one knew about the many miracles by that God, all for the benefit of Israel. From the days of Abraham onward God had

revealed His plan for Abraham’s descendants. They had all of it spelt out in their scrolls. The men of Israel very well knew that the God of Israel was the God of miracles. By all His marvellous miracles in their midst, they should have known that the claims of Jesus of Nazareth were valid indeed.

Verse 14: “You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you.”

By faith we may see the finger of God, pointing at Israel. Will they now, finally see their burden of sin?

Verse 15: “You killed the author of Life, BUT GOD raised Him from the dead, we are witnesses of this.”

There were witnesses, true and reliable, when the eternal ‘author of Life’ was born, into a world of sin. son of Mary. Throughout His life on earth there were witnesses to His life of peace and power, witnesses to the fact that He was much, much more than the son of Mary. The son of Mary, the son of man, was the Son of God, the author of Life. You, men of Israel, you killed Him. You, YOU, you!

Yes, there were witnesses that saw the Author of life, dead, on a cross. And witnesses to His burial and the big stone to cover His grave. All that was true in the sight of witnesses. BUT GOD, glory, glory be to our God, He raised Him from the dead, ‘We are witnesses of this.’

Verse 16: “By faith in the Name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know, was made strong. It is Jesus’ Name and the faith that comes through Him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.” ‘

No longer ‘Jesus of Nazareth’! They had crucified Him. The Name of Jesus, the Son of God, Who is now in His presence.

“It is Jesus’ Name and the faith that comes through Him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.”

For many ages and generations God gave the nation of Israel that grand privilege. They may believe Him by what they could hear and see of His glorious power, love and wisdom. That was Israel’s privilege! Today God is asking for faith in what He is saying and has made known in His Word, our Bible.

Where and how does a sinner before a Holy God find ‘complete healing’ from that guilt of sin? Nowhere but by faith in Jesus, and Him crucified, risen from the grave and now glorified.

Verse 17: “Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders.”

‘Now brothers’.

No, not brothers in Christ! But brothers in Israel!

‘In ignorance’.

Could that be an excuse for their sinfulness? Could a Holy God forget their sinfulness on account of their ignorance? No, most surely He could not and never can or will. In fact they were not ignorant. Nor were their leaders.

Verse 18 “But this is how God fulfilled what He had foretold through all the prophets, saying that His Christ would suffer.”

Miss-informed by leaders and teachers, they were dreaming about a great and victorious king, who would restore their kingdom to glory. They were not expecting a suffering Messiah.

‘Foretold through all the prophets’.

In their scrolls they did have every message that was spoken by ‘all the prophets’. And every Sabbath day, in their synagogues, they were reading those scrolls. There is an interesting account of how Jesus read one of those prophets:

Luke 4:16 - 19 “He went to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day He went into the synagogue, as was His custom. And He stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it is written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on ME, because He has anointed ME to preach good news to the poor. He has sent ME to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’

Verse 21: “He began to say to them: ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’

Well, that was something they wanted to hear. ‘The year of the Lord’s favor’. Many years they had been waiting for that year. Now the ancient Scriptures were going to be fulfilled. In ‘the year of the Lord’s favor’ their God would drive out the hated Roman occupation and restore the Kingdom to Israel. That’s what they thought.

Verse 22: “All spoke well of Him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from His lips. ‘Isn’t this Joseph’s son?’ they asked.”

‘The year of the Lord’s favor’. With those words our Lord finished reading. But the prophet Isaiah did not finish with those words. No, Jesus was not Joseph’s son. And He ‘began’ saying to them. ‘Gracious words’, ‘truthful’ words’.

The prophet Isaiah added some more. “ Isaiah 61:2 “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God.” That part of Isaiah’s prophecy also was to be and still will be fulfilled..

Verse 24: “ ‘I tell you the truth’ He continued ‘no prophet is accepted in his home town’

And then He spoke to them about the prophets Elijah and Elisha. One was sent, not to a widow in Israel, but in Zarephath, in the region of Sidon. The other to Naaman, the Syrian. Each of the two prophets was sent to a Gentile. It had been recorded in their scrolls but, when Jesus mentioned it, what happened in the synagogue? To the people who ‘spoke well of Him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from His lips’?

What did happen?

Verse 28 “ All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.”

‘I tell you the truth’ Jesus said. For them the truth was cutting too close to the bone. Gladly they would have thrown Him from the cliff.

Now back to the men of Israel in Acts, chapter 3, where Peter and John are preaching:

Verse 19: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord

Verse 20: “and that He may send the Christ, Who has been appointed for you – even Jesus.”

‘That times of refreshing may come from the Lord’.

If only Israel would repent and turn to God. Then times of refreshing may come from the Lord, that He may send the Christ. On the Mount of Olives, then already a while ago, Peter and John heard a promise: ‘This same Jesus, Who has been taken from you into Heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go.’ Did that promise play on Peter’s mind? Was he expecting to see Jesus coming back in the same way he did see Him go? If only Israel did repent and turn to God?

‘The Christ Who has been appointed to you – even Jesus.’

Men of Israel, brothers in Israel, He was appointed to YOU! He was, He is your God-given Messiah.

Verse 21: “He must remain in Heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as He promised long ago through His holy prophets.”(Deuteronomy 30:2-5 / 2 Samuel 7:16, note ‘forever’)

Verse 24: “Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days”

Verse 25: “ And you are heirs of the prophets and the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed’ “

‘He said to Abraham, through your offspring all the peoples on earth will be blessed’.

Peter was not addressing the Church of the Lord Jesus! But he was speaking to the men of Israel, the offspring of Abraham. The Bible allows the Church to listen in. In spite of Israel’s apartheid policies, the God of Israel would bring blessing on ‘all’ peoples on earth.

Verse 26: “When God raised up His servant, He sent Him FIRST TO YOU to BLESS YOU by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

‘First to you’, men of Israel, then to ‘all peoples on earth’.

Many men of Israel did turn from their wicked ways. But the nation as such and its leadership hardened its heart and today is further from the God of Israel than it has been, ever before.