Acts 3: Peter heals a lame man and preaches his second gospel sermon

(Act 3:1 ESV) Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.

Notice that the early church continued to worship God at the Temple, even following the Jewish custom of praying at the 9th hour (about 3:00 PM), which was one of the times for the twice-daily sacrifice.

(Act 3:2-3 ESV)  2 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple.  3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.

This was a smart man. It would have been hard for a God-fearing Jew to enter the Temple without making a donation. How clean could you feel before God if you’d just rejected the needs of one of his children?

(Act 3:4-6 ESV)  4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.”  5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.  6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”

Notice that Peter and John were penniless. They were the leaders of a church of 3,000 — the world’s first megachurch — and didn’t have a penny to give a beggar!

Leading such a large church was surely fulltime work. It’s hard to imagine that they worked a second job. They lived on the generosity of the congregation.

They give what they have — the power of Jesus the Messiah — which is of far greater worth than money. How I wish we believed this! Yes, the poor need money, and we should be generous, but if we refuse to share Jesus with them, we are tightfisted and miserly.

The apostles work a miracle “in the name of Jesus Messiah of Nazareth.” The language emphasizes both that Jesus is King and that he human. He grew up in Galilee, but he lives in heaven.

(Act 3:7-10 ESV) 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.  8 And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.  9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God,  10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

The natural response of finding Jesus is to praise him before even strangers. Indeed, he was “leaping” in the Temple! How embarrassing is that? I mean, the Temple is a place for decorum, where we wear our church faces, where we pretend to be as holy as the place where we walk. But this man knew nothing but joy and honestly expressed his feelings in the presence of God Almighty. Amen.

The result was to draw others to Jesus in “wonder and amazement.”

(Act 3:11 ESV)  11 While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s.

Imagine the scene. It’s the Temple, filled with all sorts of people who’ve come to see a lamb sacrificed and to pray to YHWH. This man comes in praising God loudly, leaping, and clinging to two Galileans.

Why cling? Well, I suppose because he just wanted to be close to those who rescued him from misery. Or because he wanted to point the world in their direction.

But the word translated “cling” really means “grasped” — as in, “hold and refuse to let go.” He hung on them, insisting on being as close of possible.

Peter takes the opportunity to preach a sermon.

(Act 3:12-15 ESV)  12 And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?  13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.  14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,  15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.

He begins by accusing his listeners of killing Jesus! I’m not sure the homiletics professors would approve. It’s a gutsy move in a city known for stoning prophets.

“Holy and Righteous One” takes language formerly reserved for God and applies it to Jesus. “Author of life” credits Jesus with being one with the Creator. To a Jewish audience, Peter was claiming that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God.

(Act 3:16 ESV)  16 And his name–by faith in his name–has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

Peter then quickly speaks of the necessity of faith in Jesus — the power of faith being proved by the miracle.

(Act 3:17-21 ESV) 17 “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.  18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.  19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,  20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,  21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.”

Peter declares his listeners to have acted in ignorance — even their rulers! — but still requiring repentance. Forgiveness comes if they repent — which they would do by faith in Jesus, that is, submitting to him as King.

(Act 3:22-26 ESV)  22 Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you.  23 And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’  24 And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days.  25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’  26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

Peter concludes by reviewing several key messianic prophecies — especially God’s covenant with Abraham.

He concludes by urging his listeners to turn from “your wickedness” by faith. Their wickedness was a failure to recognize that Jesus is the Messiah. They turn from that wickedness by faith in Jesus.

Now, notice that the sermon Peter preaches is centered on Jesus and the fact that he is the Messiah. It calls for a response — faith in Jesus — meaning submission to him as King. (He didn’t have to define “Messiah” for the Jews in the Temple.)

Peter quotes Moses, “You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.” To “listen” to Jesus is a Hebrew idiom for obey. This is a call for submission.

The gospel is not merely that we can invite Jesus into our hearts be saved or that we can confess his divinity and be baptized and so be saved. The gospel begins with the fact that Jesus is King Jesus, and that we are called to submit to him — coupled with a promise of forgiveness and the hope of a “time of refreshing.”

About Jay F Guin

My name is Jay Guin, and I’m a retired elder. I wrote The Holy Spirit and Revolutionary Grace about 18 years ago. I’ve spoken at the Pepperdine, Lipscomb, ACU, Harding, and Tulsa lectureships and at ElderLink. My wife’s name is Denise, and I have four sons, Chris, Jonathan, Tyler, and Philip. I have two grandchildren. And I practice law.
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3 Responses to Acts 3: Peter heals a lame man and preaches his second gospel sermon

  1. Jerry says:

    On a couple of other blogs I am following there is recent discussion of how we have turned from preaching Jesus to preaching the church. Here is a good example of preaching Jesus.

    Edward Fudge today posted a GracEmail speaking of the same thing – and tells how his first published article addressed this failing. Sadly, he also reports that he was excoriated by extremists at both ends of the theological spectrum. Happily, he also reports his belief that most of our congregations have grown past that pettiness. I hope he is right.

  2. Ray Downen says:

    Speaking of jumping at a conclusion, someone just did by supposing the reason Peter and John were going to the temple was in order to there join in Jewish prayers. The assumption is not based on good sense. The goal was to tell others about the risen Lord and invite them to join in the new kingdom. Many would gather at the temple at the hour of prayer. Peter and John went there to spread the gospel rather than to join in Jewish prayers. Isn’t that the more likely reason? Did they heal and then immediately join in Jewish prayers? We know better. Why jump to believe they went there continuing in Jewish worship?

  3. Brent says:

    Couldn’t they have been there to both worship God and spread the gospel?

  4. Ajoy Varghese says:

    Acts 3: 1 – 10 The most significant moment in the history of mankind. WHY?
    Here is a man who most people including himself would say “most unluckiest” or “Reject of the society”.
    Here is a man who has given up hope on himself or rather let us say “One who missed the healing bus by a whisker”. How?

    Let us look at the background of this LAME MAN.

    He is born lame from birth (Acts 3: 2). In-fact he was deformed before he was born, observe “man who was lame from his mother’s womb”.
    He was over 40 of age (ACTS 4:22). For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.
    Everyone who came to temple to worship knew him very well (ACTS 3: 9-10). When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 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.

    Even Jesus ignored him See (John 10:14).

    As Jesus was walking in the Solomon’s Colonnade, the Pharisees and Scribes questioned him about himself. The one of the most significant entrance to Solomon’s Colonnade is through the Gate called Beautiful. It is hard to miss this man sitting at the temple gate called Beautiful when rest of the people who saw him after he was healed recognized him as one who sat at the gate called beautiful begging for alms. This same Peter and John walked with Jesus along with other disciple into the temple courts when Jesus had that encounter mentioned in John 10:14.

    Just two weeks before Jesus was crucified, Jesus violated the basic norm of Jews Temple laws laid down by Moses as mentioned in Leviticus 21:18 (For no one who has a defect shall approach: a blind man, or a lame man, or he who has a disfigured face, or any deformed limb,) which could have led to stoning Jesus with his disciple if this “Amazing miracles” did not happened as recorded in Mathew 21:14 ( The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.) This was in fact what Jesus wanted to happen that whoever with any sickness or defect who approach the temple of God in His Presence should be healed there by revealing the true nature of God.

    But our Lame Man who “Missed this Healing Bus by a Whisker”. And of course, this Peter and John with rest of all disciple where with Jesus during this amazing healing as mention in Mathew 21:14. Like many, like Peter and John may have lamented the fate of this man. That may have led this man to live the rest of his lives without hope to live out with this condition. Like any other day, Peter and John went to the temple to pray at 3pm afternoon and this lame was also being laid to beg for alms as it was routine.

    But this moment the most significant healing in the history of mankind.

    This was first miracle done by an ordinary, unschooled men as mentioned in ACTS 4:13 after ascending of Jesus to heaven fulfilling the promise He said in John 14:12 Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
    Peter and John accomplished something which Jesus himself could not do during his ministry on earth. this miracle was the beginning of that.
    When Jesus healed the lame and the blind at this very temple court in Mathew 21:14, salvation of a single soul could never happened. Because Jesus was not yet Glorified by crucifixion and death and he did not rise from the dead yet.

    But at sight of this lame man who was completely healed standing with Peter and John, number of people who believed in Christ and saved in the name of Jesus rose to 5000 men as recorded in ACTS 4:4.
    This is greatest moment in history of mankind!!!!
    So your troubles and sorrows and failures in life that you may have that made you into who you are, is not end of your fate. Like Sputnik launched into the space for ever, your sorrow and troubles and failures may one day launch you into eternal salvation of many at your testimony of your life.

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