Acts 3:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And all the people saw him walking and praising God,

NIV: When all the people saw him walking and praising God,

NASB: And all the people saw him walking and praising God;

CSB: All the people saw him walking and praising God,

NLT: All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God.

KJV: And all the people saw him walking and praising God:

NKJV: And all the people saw him walking and praising God.

This verse embodies the purpose Jesus gives for doing good works in public. The man in question has been healed through Peter (Act 3:1–8). In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says:

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:14–16).

The point of doing good works ought never to be to get attention for yourself (Matthew 6:1–4). Peter, John, and the other apostles have the task of bearing witness of Jesus "in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). The miracles they perform will help that cause. Miracles attract attention so the apostles can preach to people. And miracles validate the apostles as messengers of God. Finally, miracles bear witness that Jesus is a God of compassion and healing.

With the establishment of the canon of the New Testament, the occurrence of miracles declined. Today, God rarely chooses to heal directly as He did for the apostles. That doesn't mean that we are completely devoid of "signs" of Jesus' power. Jesus said that we prove to be His disciples if we bear much fruit (John 15:8). The fruit of the Spirit is not healing or tongues or other miracles; it is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22–23). These are characteristics of a believer who allows the Holy Spirit to work through her. In this day and age, they can be as miraculous—and rare—as a man, crippled from birth, suddenly leaping to his feet. And when such qualities catch someone's attention, we have an opportunity to bear witness to Jesus as the apostles did.

Acts 3:1–10 illustrates one of the ''wonders and signs'' the apostles performed after receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:43). The setting is completely mundane. As Jews, Peter and John go to the temple to pray and find a lame beggar they wish to help. As specially-empowered followers of Jesus, healing the man comes second nature. The act validates Peter's status as witness to Jesus (Acts 1:8), and he is ready with an explanation that ties the event to Jesus' call to repentance (Acts 3:11–26). This miracle, however, catches the attention of the Sanhedrin and starts the long road of church persecution (Acts 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.