3
A man lame from birth
1 Now Peter and John were going up together into the temple at the hour (the ninth)* If Luke is using Hebrew time, it was 3 p.m., if Roman, it was 9 a.m., both being Jewish times for prayer. But from 4:3 below, that says it was already evening, it appears that Luke uses Hebrew time here. of prayer.† But why did they go to the temple to pray? Since God had abandoned that temple, they might just as well have prayed at home. 2 And a certain man, who had actually been lame from his mother's womb, was being carried (they would lay him daily at the temple gate, the one called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple), 3 who, upon seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, began asking for alms.
Peter heals him
4 So Peter, with John, fastening his gaze on him said, “Look at us.” 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said: “I do not have silver and gold, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ the Natsorean, get up and walk!”‡ Alack! Many churches now have silver and gold, but can no longer say, “Get up and walk!” 7 And grasping him by his right hand he lifted him up;§ This was an act of faith on Peter's part; if nothing happened the man would fall back down. immediately his feet and ankles were strengthened. 8 So jumping up he stood, and began to walk!* He had never learned to walk (lame from birth), so how could he just start walking, not to mention leaping? The miracle included his head, not just his limbs. And he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping† Don't you know he had a bouncing good time! and praising God. 9 Well all the people saw him walking and praising God; 10 and they recognized him—that he was the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, with a view to alms—and they were filled with wonder and amazement because of what had happened to him.
Peter preaches
11 Now as the lame man who had been healed held on‡ I assume that he was literally hanging on to them, perhaps their clothes—for whatever reason he did not want to be separated from them. Some 11% of the Greek manuscripts omit ‘the lame man who had been healed’ (as in NIV [the beggar], NASB, LB, TEV [the man], etc.). to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico, the one called ‘Solomon's’, really wondering. 12 So upon observing this Peter responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why are you marveling at this, or why are you staring at us as if we have made him walk by our own power or godliness?§ Well, what had happened was extraordinary, to say the least, and probably deserved a little staring. 13 The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up; and you repudiated Him to Pilate's face, when he was intending to release Him.* Comparing Matthew 27:11-26, Mark 15:2-19, Luke 23:3-25 and John 18:33-19:15 it becomes clear that Pilate wanted no part of killing Jesus and tried hard to release Him. But they not only repudiated Jesus, they repudiated their claim to the Messiah, saying, “We have no king but Caesar”. 14 Yes you repudiated the holy and righteous One, and you asked that a murderer be granted to you,† Peter does not mince words; he is emphatic about their guilt. 15 while you killed the Originator of the Life,‡ A curious expression! How could anyone kill the Originator of the Life? Well, it was certainly their intention to kill Jesus, and Peter declares their guilt, but Jesus gave up His own life, as John 10:17-18 makes clear. whom God raised from among the dead, to which we are witnesses. 16 Well His name, based on faith in His name,§ A name represents the person, so it was faith in Jesus that produced the healing; but Peter put his faith into action. made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith that is through Him* If the Lord Jesus is not the actual source of the faith, it is mediated through Him. has given him this wholeness in the presence of you all.
17 “So now, brothers, I know that you did it in ignorance, as also your rulers. 18 But the things that God foretold through the mouth of all His prophets, that the Messiah would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore, and turn around, so that your sins may be erased, in order that times of refreshing may come from the Lord's face† Although the Lord's return is still future, by His grace, and by walking in the Spirit, we have the privilege of experiencing our own little ‘times of refreshing’. 20 and that He may send Jesus, who had been ordained to be your Messiah,‡ That is what the Text says. There was God's side, ordaining, and there was their side, recognizing and receiving. If Jesus had been received as Messiah while He lived among them, presumably history would have been different. But now Jesus will only return when it is time to ‘restore all things’. But comparing the first clause of verse 19 with that of verse 20 it almost seems that Peter is saying that they could bring Jesus back right away. 21 whom Heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things,§ I take this to be a reference to the Messianic Kingdom, the Millennium. of which times* The relative pronoun here is ambiguous as to the antecedent, it could refer to ‘things’ or ‘times’, but verse 24 below makes clear that it is ‘times’. God spoke long ago by the mouth of all His holy prophets.
22 “For example, Moses said to the fathers:† Some 4% of the Greek manuscripts omit “to the fathers” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). ‘The Lord our‡ Instead of ‘our’, perhaps 40% of the Greek manuscripts read ‘your’. God will raise up for you a Prophet, like me, from among your brothers. You must listen to Him, in all that He may say to you. 23 It will be that every person who will not listen to that Prophet will be extirpated from among the people.’§ See Deuteronomy 18:15-19. Peter is saying that those who did not listen to Jesus are under the sentence of an early death, and quite possibly with spiritual implications.
24 “Yes and all the prophets, from Samuel on down,* Samuel was a prophet. as many as have spoken, have also foretold† I follow the best line of transmission in reading “foretold”, rather than ‘proclaimed’, albeit representing only 25% of the Greek manuscripts, at this point. these days. 25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘Yes, in your seed‡ “Seed” is singular. Paul runs with this in Galatians 3:16. all the families§ The reference is to patriarchal families, units much smaller than whole tribes or ethnic nations; God emphasizes the importance of the family, while Satan works to destroy it. of the earth will be blessed.’ 26 God, having raised up His Servant Jesus,* Perhaps 4% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “Jesus” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). As is often the case, the eclectic text weakens the statement. sent Him to you first,† Wait a minute! When did this ‘sending’ take place? It was after the resurrection, but Jesus never showed Himself to the people at large during the forty days. I take it that God is doing the ‘sending’ through the Apostles, who started their ministry in Jerusalem (‘to you first’). to bless you by turning each of you away from your iniquities.”‡ To be turned away from one's iniquities is a major blessing, because of the consequences of those iniquities, both now and later.

*3:1 If Luke is using Hebrew time, it was 3 p.m., if Roman, it was 9 a.m., both being Jewish times for prayer. But from 4:3 below, that says it was already evening, it appears that Luke uses Hebrew time here.

†3:1 But why did they go to the temple to pray? Since God had abandoned that temple, they might just as well have prayed at home.

‡3:6 Alack! Many churches now have silver and gold, but can no longer say, “Get up and walk!”

§3:7 This was an act of faith on Peter's part; if nothing happened the man would fall back down.

*3:8 He had never learned to walk (lame from birth), so how could he just start walking, not to mention leaping? The miracle included his head, not just his limbs.

†3:8 Don't you know he had a bouncing good time!

‡3:11 I assume that he was literally hanging on to them, perhaps their clothes—for whatever reason he did not want to be separated from them. Some 11% of the Greek manuscripts omit ‘the lame man who had been healed’ (as in NIV [the beggar], NASB, LB, TEV [the man], etc.).

§3:12 Well, what had happened was extraordinary, to say the least, and probably deserved a little staring.

*3:13 Comparing Matthew 27:11-26, Mark 15:2-19, Luke 23:3-25 and John 18:33-19:15 it becomes clear that Pilate wanted no part of killing Jesus and tried hard to release Him. But they not only repudiated Jesus, they repudiated their claim to the Messiah, saying, “We have no king but Caesar”.

†3:14 Peter does not mince words; he is emphatic about their guilt.

‡3:15 A curious expression! How could anyone kill the Originator of the Life? Well, it was certainly their intention to kill Jesus, and Peter declares their guilt, but Jesus gave up His own life, as John 10:17-18 makes clear.

§3:16 A name represents the person, so it was faith in Jesus that produced the healing; but Peter put his faith into action.

*3:16 If the Lord Jesus is not the actual source of the faith, it is mediated through Him.

†3:19 Although the Lord's return is still future, by His grace, and by walking in the Spirit, we have the privilege of experiencing our own little ‘times of refreshing’.

‡3:20 That is what the Text says. There was God's side, ordaining, and there was their side, recognizing and receiving. If Jesus had been received as Messiah while He lived among them, presumably history would have been different. But now Jesus will only return when it is time to ‘restore all things’. But comparing the first clause of verse 19 with that of verse 20 it almost seems that Peter is saying that they could bring Jesus back right away.

§3:21 I take this to be a reference to the Messianic Kingdom, the Millennium.

*3:21 The relative pronoun here is ambiguous as to the antecedent, it could refer to ‘things’ or ‘times’, but verse 24 below makes clear that it is ‘times’.

†3:22 Some 4% of the Greek manuscripts omit “to the fathers” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).

‡3:22 Instead of ‘our’, perhaps 40% of the Greek manuscripts read ‘your’.

§3:23 See Deuteronomy 18:15-19. Peter is saying that those who did not listen to Jesus are under the sentence of an early death, and quite possibly with spiritual implications.

*3:24 Samuel was a prophet.

†3:24 I follow the best line of transmission in reading “foretold”, rather than ‘proclaimed’, albeit representing only 25% of the Greek manuscripts, at this point.

‡3:25 “Seed” is singular. Paul runs with this in Galatians 3:16.

§3:25 The reference is to patriarchal families, units much smaller than whole tribes or ethnic nations; God emphasizes the importance of the family, while Satan works to destroy it.

*3:26 Perhaps 4% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “Jesus” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). As is often the case, the eclectic text weakens the statement.

†3:26 Wait a minute! When did this ‘sending’ take place? It was after the resurrection, but Jesus never showed Himself to the people at large during the forty days. I take it that God is doing the ‘sending’ through the Apostles, who started their ministry in Jerusalem (‘to you first’).

‡3:26 To be turned away from one's iniquities is a major blessing, because of the consequences of those iniquities, both now and later.

© 2016 Wilbur N. Pickering, ThM, PhD