Introductory remarks:
The Holy Spirit has come, and as we noted in the last chapter, He has baptized every believer, at the moment they receive Christ as their Savior, into union with Christ Jesus. In this chapter He is still at work with Peter healing the lame man; Peter preaches another powerful sermon, as he was filled with the Holy Spirit, with amazing results. This chapter may be outlined as follows: the lame man healed at the gate of the temple vv. 1-10; Peter's speech in Solomon's Portico vv. 11-26.
The Lame Man Healed at the Gate of the Temple
Verse 1, "Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour."
LGT "And Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth."
"The Jewish day began at 6 am and ended at 6 pm. For devout Jews, there were three times for prayer - morning, noon and evening. They agreed that prayer was effective wherever it was offered, but they felt that it was doubly precious when offered in the Temple courts. It is very interesting that the apostles kept up the custom in which they had been trained. It was the hour of prayer, and Peter and John were going into the Temple to observe it. A new faith had come to them, but they did not use that as an excuse to break the old law" (William Barclay). I like what Barclay says here, except he leaves out a most important issue; church Doctrine had not yet been given by the Holy Spirit, so this is the only form of worship they knew; they had not yet been taught that law and grace do not mix.
Verse 2, "And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple."
LGT "And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was being carried, whom they placed daily at the door of the temple, the one called Beautiful, who began to ask alms from those going into the temple."
"This man had been born lame. He was brought every day and was put there at the gate of the temple. What a contrast he was to the gate, which is called Beautiful. Here was a beautiful gate, and here was a man who was marred. Man can make beautiful things, but man cannot improve himself. Of course, man can do some trimming on the outside. He can cut his hair, have his fingernails manicured, take a bath now and then, and use some deodorant, but man can never change that old nature which he has. This is the contrast we have here - a beautiful gate of the temple and a man lame from his mother's womb. He was there to beg for alms. This was the way he lived, of course" (McGee).
William Barclay notes:
"In the middle east, it was the custom for beggars to sit at the entrance to a temple or a shrine. Such a place was considered the best of all positions because, when people are on their way to worship God, they are disposed to be generous to others. W. H. Davies, the tramp poet, tells how one of his vagrant friends told him that, whenever he came into a new town, he looked for a church spire with a cross on the top and began to beg in that area. Love of other people and love of God must always go hand in hand."
Verse 3, "Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms."
LGT "Who seeing Peter and John, being about to enter into the temple, began to ask to receive alms."
This lame beggar began to ask of Peter and John alms as he did anyone entering through the beautiful gate.
Verse 4, "And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, look on us."
LGT "And Peter together with John, looking attentively upon him said, Look on us."
Peter looking attentively upon the beggar invited him to look upon them. This attentive look by Peter was certain to get the Holy Spirit moving.
Verse 5, "And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them."
LGT "And he gave notice to them, expecting to receive something from them."
"He took Peter's invitation with expectation of receiving a large gift" (Robertson).
Verse 6, "Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have I give thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk."
LGT "But Peter said, Silver and gold there is not to me, but what I have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene [rise up] and walk around."
The first part of this verse Peter declares that he has no money to give; this is in obedience to Christ's command to the apostles not to take money with them when they go out into the world to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, that He would provide for them. Peter uses the authority of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, and tells the lame man to rise up and walk around. Jesus said that He would provide the needed power that they should be able to heal this man, and that is precisely what Peter claims, the authority in that wonderful name.
Verses 7, 8, "And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God."
LGT "And having taken him by the right hand, he raised him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones were straightened, and leaping up he stood and walked around, and entered together with them into the temple, walking and leaping and praising God."
Luke, being a physician, gives details that would otherwise be left un-said, that is, his ankle bones being straightened; this describes the man as having ankles so bent out of shape that he was unable to use his feet for walking. As soon as Peter grasped his right hand, the lame man leaped to his feet and began walking around. This man immediately leaped to his feet, and without having to learn to walk, as any baby must do, began walking around; this was adding to the miraculous scene of healing; he began following Peter and John into the temple, still leaping for joy, and praising God; Peter had healed in the name of Jesus the Nazarene, and this lame man thanked the proper source of the healing, that is, praising God.
Verses 9, 10, "And all the people saw him walking and praising God: and they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him."
LGT "And all the people saw him walking around and praising God: and they recognized him, that he was the one who for alms [was] sitting at the beautiful gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened to him."
The people in the temple recognized the lame beggar, who was leaping and praising God, and they were filled with wonder and amazement. What a beautiful scene this is; I say is, because we should be as amazed at reading the Word's record of the event, just as much as if we were among the people who physically witnessed the miracle. We became indifferent to these particular miracles because we have read about them so often; however, I believe we should stop a moment, and praise God along with this beggar, for we are all basket cases saved by His marvelous grace. How often do we take God's marvelous Grace for granted? Because our salvation is settled for eternity, we often forget how His Grace is still at work in our lives; we have no patience when problems arise in our lives; we realize that God will work everything out in His own time, but we want results now; remember, All things work together for good, to those who love God, and are the called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28).
Peter's Speech in Solomon's Portico
Verse 11, "And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering."
LGT "And the lame [man] who had been healed, as he held Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch called Solomon's, greatly amazed."
The lame man who had just been healed clung to Peter and John, wanting to become their disciple. The people ran together to meet them in Solomon's porch; this would present a perfect opportunity for Peter's next sermon.
Verse 12, "And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? Or why ye look so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man walk?"
LGT "And seeing [it] Peter answered to the people, Men, Israelites, why do ye wonder at this, or why look intently as of our own power or piety [we] had made him to walk?"
Peter's preaching is still addressed exclusively to Jews; the Gospel has not yet gone out to 'all the world'. Peter asks them why they stand there looking at this man walking around as though we did this by our own power. This sermon of Peter's is much the same as that of chapter II. The Messianic hope is stressed; Peter uses the incident of the healing as a lead into his message, and then emphasizes repentance and conversion. The hope that Christ is coming again was deliberately lost among the Jews, and is to this day; the Jews today are still looking for the Messiah's first advent.
Verse 13, "The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go."
LGT "The God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His servant Jesus, whom ye delivered up, and denied in the presence of Pilate, he having adjudged to release [Him]:"
Peter begins this sermon by quoting from Isa. 42:1; 53:13 and Exo. 3:6; 5:30. Peter reminds these gathered Jews that Pilate had wanted to let Jesus go free, but that they insisted on crucifying Him. This same Jesus whom they denied as their Messiah, God has glorified and has seated Him at His right hand.
Verse 14, "But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;"
LGT "But ye denied the Holy One and Righteous One, and requested a man, a murderer, to be granted to you,"
Peter reminds them of their choice of Barabbas, the murderer, in the place of releasing Christ, the Righteous One of God.
Verse 15, "And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses."
LGT "But the Author of life ye killed, whom God raised up from among [the] dead ones, whereof we are witnesses."
Three most important facts are brought out here by Peter; 1) Jesus was the Author of Life (cf. John 1:1-18) 2) God has raised Him from among the dead ones, and 3) Peter includes the 120 originally gathered in the inclusive "we" as witnesses of the Resurrection and Ascension. You all demanded a murderer in the place of the Author of life.
Verse 16, "And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all."
LGT "And by faith in His name, this [Man] whom ye behold and know, His name is made strong, and the faith which [is] by Him, He gave to him this complete soundness before you all."
Peter says here that by faith in His name, which he used in healing the lame man, is able to heal them also. They all witnessed Peter healing the lame man, whom they all knew as the beggar at the Beautiful gate of the temple; now by this name they needed to trust, that is, Jesus the Nazarene. Peter's faith in Jesus healed the cripple, and this same faith can heal all men.
Verse 17, "And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers."
LGT "And now, brethren, I know that in ignorance you acted, as also your rulers:"
"The guilt of the rulers was greater than that of the people, but even for their crime St. Peter finds a palliation (moderate the intensity) in the fact that they did not recognize the Messiah, although he does not hold them guiltless for shutting their eyes to His holiness and innocence" (TEGT).
Verse 18, "But those things, which God before had showed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled."
LGT "But what God had before announced through the mouth of all the prophets, [that] the Christ Himself should suffer, He fulfilled thus."
Everything Peter was preaching was that if they repented they would be forgiven, for there is only one thing God cannot and will not forgive, and that is rejecting His Son as Savior.
Barnes notes:
"If it be asked why Peter insisted on this if he did not mean that it should be regarded as an excuse for their sin, I reply, that it was his design to prove that Jesus was the Messiah, and having proved this, he could assure them that there was mercy. Not that they had not been guilty; not that they deserved favor; but that the fact that the Messiah had come was an argument which proved that any sinner might obtain mercy, as he immediately proceeds to show them."
Verse 19, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;"
LGT "Repent therefore and turn again for the blotting out of your sins,"
The last phrase in this verse is added to verse 20 in the Greek text. Peter is asking them to change their minds, that is, repent, so that their sins may be blotted out. This entire verse is a very good definition of repentance; that of it being simply a change of mind, and not changing a way of life; the changing of the life comes after salvation, and some men change, and others do not; changing the life is connected with discipleship and not relationship; when a person accepts Christ he or she immediately becomes a child of God; after he or she is converted, they will make a choice of either following the Lord as His disciple, or not, and this will be decided at the Bema Seat of Christ, that is, either receiving a reward or suffering loss of reward.
Verses 20, 21 "And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began."
LGT "So that may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and [that] He may send Him who was before proclaimed to you, Jesus Christ, whom it is necessary heaven indeed receive until times of restoration of all things, of which God spoke through [the] mouth of all His holy prophets, from of old."
Peter begins by saying that if they would repent, that is, change their minds about the Messiah, they would experience complete rest now, and also when Christ returns to judge the nations and set up His Millennial reign; the nation Israel has not yet turned to Christ, but they will in the future dispensation. Jesus said while He was on the earth: Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matt. 11:28). The Restoration of all things is reference to this period. I believe the three tenses of Salvation are expressed in this verse. 1) The past, they have been saved from the penalty sin. 2) The present, they are now being saved from the power of sin. 3) The future, they will be saved from the presence of sin.
The restoration of all things, which God spoke through the prophets, does not mean that the entire world will eventually be saved; it has reference only to the nation Israel; the One Thousand Year Reign of Christ will be that restoration to Israel.
Verses 22, 23, "For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people."
LGT "Moses indeed said, [the] Lord your God will raise up a Prophet to you, from among your brethren, like me: Him shall you all hear in all things whatsoever He may say to you. And it shall be [that] every soul which may not hear that Prophet shall be destroyed from among the people."
Peter is quoting from Deuteronomy 18:15-19 in this verse. Moses was foretelling of the coming of Christ, whom the Jews did not receive, but crucified. "The idea which Peter expressed here was, that the Jews had exposed themselves to the severest punishment in rejecting and crucifying the Lord Jesus, and that they should, therefore, repent of this great sin, and seek mercy. The same remark is applicable still to men. The Scriptures abundantly declare the truth, that if sinners will not hear the Lord Jesus, they shall be destroyed" (Barnes)
McGee adds:
"The nation of Israel was on the verge of a great judgment. In A.D. 70 Titus, the Roman general, came with his army and destroyed the city. It is estimated that over a million people perished, and the rest were sold into slavery throughout the Roman Empire. Judgment did come upon the people."
Verse 24, "Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days."
LGT "And indeed all the prophets from Samuel and the ones who follow after, as many as spoke also, announced these days."
Samuel was the prophet who started the school for prophets; he was the first president of a Theological Seminary. "Moreover the reference to Samuel is made because of Nathan's prediction, the fundamental prophecy respecting the seed of David (2 Sam. 7:12 ff.), in which it is foretold that mercy shall not be taken away even in the midst of punishment" (TEGT). The prophets from Moses to Samuel to as many as spoke also, announced these days; that is, all the prophets predicted what has taken place concerning Jesus of Nazareth; and these prophecies have been fulfilled by Him to the letter; this is internal evidence that Jesus is who he said He is, He is the God Man who came to save sinners.
Verse 25, "Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blest."
LGT "You are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenants which God covenanted with our fathers, saying to Abraham, And in your seed shall be blessed all the families of the earth."
The covenant that God had covenanted with Abraham was an unconditional covenant; that means that it cannot, nor will it ever be broken or withdrawn; this covenant is Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee; and I will make thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thy name shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:1-3). There are those who teach that this has been fulfilled and that it no longer applies to the nations of the earth; if this is the case this covenant would not be unconditional; woe to the nation that does not honor God's covenant with Abraham. I believe that history has shown that any nation that has persecuted the Jews, even of the Diaspora, have paid a great price; a good example is that of Germany. The Palestinian and the Arab nations are making great threats against the Jews, and it will be interesting to see how God will deal with these nations; let us continue to pray that America continues to be the Jews ally.
Verse 26, "Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away from every one of you from his iniquities."
LGT "To you first God, having raised up His Servant, sent Him, blessing you in the turning each one from your wickedness."
During this age of grace God is dealing with the church, but He has not forgotten His chosen people; many think that God is through with them, especially the 'filthy Arab' that believe they are the ones who are to receive the promise of Abraham; I don't think so. The Word of God is inherent and infallible; God is immutable and so is His Word; you cannot separate God from His Word.
McGee adds:
"This is a transition period. They were given their final chance to accept the Messiah. Because they turned down their opportunity to accept the Messiah, later Paul will come on the scene as the apostle to the Gentiles. What might have happened if they had turned to God is merely speculation. They did not turn to Him. God is never surprised by what man does, and He still works things out according to His plan and purpose."
Barnes notes:
"The design of Peter in these remarks was to show them that the Messiah had come, and that now they might look for happiness, pardon, and mercy through Him. As the Jews might, so may all; and as Jesus, while living, sought to turn away men from their sins, so he does still, and still designs to bless all nations by the gospel which He had Himself preached, and to establish which He died. All may therefore come and be blessed; and all may rejoice in the prospect that these blessing will yet be bestowed on all the kindreds of the earth. May the happy day soon come!"
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