Acts 3:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.

NIV: But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer.

NASB: But the things which God previously announced by the mouths of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has fulfilled in this way.

CSB: In this way God fulfilled what he had predicted through all the prophets—that his Messiah would suffer.

NLT: But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah — that he must suffer these things.

KJV: But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.

NKJV: But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.

Peter has been talking about the responsibility of his Jewish audience in Jesus' crucifixion. Details of that crucifixion are scattered all over the Old Testament:

In Psalm 22:16, "dogs" encompass the victim and evildoers "pierce" his hands and feet. "Dog" was a derogatory term for a Gentile; it was the Roman governor Pilate who ordered Jesus' death and the Roman guards who saw it done (Matthew 27:26–31).
In Psalm 41:9, David talks about a close friend who lifted his heel against him. Of course, it was Judas who betrayed Jesus (Mark 14:10).
The "Suffering Servant" passage (Isaiah 52:13–53:12) has many prophecies about Jesus. Isaiah 53:7 talks about His silence in the face of affliction. It is true that Jesus answered questions (Mark 14:62; John 18:20–23, 34–37) but He never spoke in His own defense.
The words that Jesus spoke on the cross (Matthew 27:46) were originally found in Psalm 22:1.
David also prophesied the insults Jesus received on the cross (Matthew 27:41–43) in Psalm 22:7–8, including the very specific, "He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him."
Psalm 22 also predicts that Jesus' clothes will be divided by lots (Psalm 22:18), which the soldiers did (John 19:23).

Some critics claim that when Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John wrote their Gospels, they twisted details in their accounts to match Old Testament prophecy. But Matthew, Mark, and Luke wrote within thirty years of Jesus' crucifixion. If they included any discrepancies, or points not widely accepted by Christians at that time, there were plenty of eye-witnesses still alive who would have contradicted their stories. Truly, God gave David and the other prophets specific things to include in their writing. Those details were given so it can be clear to us that Jesus is the Messiah, just as it was to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–35).

Acts 3:11–26 transcribes the sermon Peter gives at the temple. While Peter and John enter the temple to pray, Peter heals a lame beggar who has asked for alms. The man is healed and leaps up, praising God (Acts 3:1–10). When this catches the crowd's attention, Peter explains that the healing power did not come from them but from Jesus of Nazareth whom the Jews killed. The results are mixed; the Jesus-followers gain unwanted attention from the Jewish officials (Acts 4:1–3), but five thousand men plus women find faith in Jesus (Acts 4:4).

Acts 3 is comprised of two sections: the healing of a lame man and the explanation of that healing. First, a man who has been lame his whole life approaches Peter and John to beg from them at the temple. When Peter heals him in Jesus' name, a crowd gathers around. Peter gives witness to Jesus (Acts 1:8) and tells the crowd that Jesus' authority and power healed this man. Looking back as modern readers, we see how, as the man's body symbolically ''repented,'' or turned away, from its broken form into freedom of movement, so the people can repent from their broken thoughts, actions, and beliefs, and find freedom from sin.

Acts 3 contains the second major speech of Jesus' followers. In Acts 1, Jesus ascended into heaven. In Acts 2, His followers received the Holy Spirit and gave such witness to Him that three thousand people believed in Him. Here, Peter explains that Jesus' power and authority have healed a lame man, and Jesus can heal sinful hearts, as well. This moment will bring the fledgling church to the attention of the Sanhedrin: the Jewish ruling court. There, Peter and John will set the example for all Jesus-followers. Jesus told them to be His witness (Acts 1:8); nothing a human authority can say will stop them.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.