Peter heals a lame beggar and second message to Jews (Acts 3:1-26) By Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce

 Peter heals a lame beggar and second message to Jews (Acts 3:1-26)

By Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce 

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical Precepts &Gospel music   

Chapter 3 Peter Heals a Lame Beggar –The Miracle (Acts 3:1-260)

1One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2Now a man who was lame 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. 3When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10they 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.

Peter’s message by faith in the name of Jesus (Acts 3:11-26)

11While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. 12When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13The 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. 14You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 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 completely healed him, as you can all see.

    

17“Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. 19Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20and that he may send the Christ (Messiah), who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. 21Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’ 24“Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. 25And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ 26When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

 

 

 Verse 1 It was not only the early believers who were not clear the early believers who were not clear concerning God’s New Testament economy in relation to the Judaic temple; even the early apostles did not have a clear vision concerning God’s abandoning of the Judaic things. Hence, even after God poured out the Spirit upon them on the day of Pentecost to initiate a new dispensation, they still would not separate themselves from the Judaic temple. At the initial stage God tolerated their ignorance in this matter. But this led to a mixture of the church with Judaism, which was not condemned by the early church in Jerusalem (21:20-26). Eventually, the temple was destroyed by Titus with his Roman army in A.D.70 as prophesied by the Lord in Matt.23:38 and 24:2. That destruction cleared up the religious mixture.

 

 Verse 6 Peter did not possess silver and gold, but St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome was constructed with a superabundance of gold. He did not have silver and gold, but he had the name, the person, of Jesus Christ, He was poor in silver and gold but rich in Christ. The Roman Church is filled with gold but not with the person of Christ. She is rich in gold but poor in Christ. Verse 6 “in the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene” His power and authority are invoked. Nazarene indicating the One despised by the Jewish leaders (John1:45-46; Acts 22:8; 24:5)

 Verse 15 “Author of life” The Greek word here means author, origin, originator, chief leader, captain. Here it denotes Christ as the origin or Originator of life, hence the Author of life, in contrast to a murderer in the previous verse.

 Verse 16 by faith, through the apostles’ faith or possibly the lame man’s faith. on the ground of faith in His name. His name, denoting the person. The person is the reality of the name; hence, the name is powerful.

 Verse 18 First, the redeeming death of Christ was determined by God in eternity (2:23) and announced beforehand through the prophets in the Old Testament time. This proves again that Christ’s death was not a historical accident, but an act planned by God according to the purpose of His good pleasure and announced beforehand through the prophets.

Verse 19 Turn, turn from sin to God by reversing their verdict about Jesus and confessing Him as the Messiah. Times of refreshing and time…to restore everything (v.21) refer to the millennial kingdom.

Verse 20 refreshing Lit, cooling, reviving: hence, relieving, refreshing. The seasons of refreshing denote a time of revival of all things with joy and rest, referring to the times of restoration of all things in v.21, which will be brought in by the coming of the Messiah in His glory, as taught and prophesied by the Savior in Matt.19:28. It seems that Peter’s word skips over the church age and goes directly from the time of Pentecost to the millennium. This may indicate that Peter did not have a clear vision concerning the church age in God’s New Testament economy. The entire New Testament reveals the before the seasons of refreshing, the church occupies a considerable period of time in God’s dispensation.

 Verse 21 until the times the times of restoration in the millennium, as prophesied in Isa. 11:1-10 and 65:18-25, and referred to by Christ in Matt.17:11 and 19:28. It will be brought in by His coming back.

 Verse 22 Prophet will the Lord your God, referring to the Lord Jesus.

 Verse 25 in your seed, referring to Christ (Gal.3:16)

 Verse 26 God sent back the ascended Christ first to the Jews by pouring out His Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Hence, the very Spirit whom God poured out is the very Christ whom God raised and exalted to the heavens. When the apostles preached and ministered this Christ, the Spirit was ministered to people.

Bibliography,

Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.

Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie Study Bible (NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986.