Acts 3:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

NIV: 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.

NASB: And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.

CSB: By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. So the faith that comes through Jesus has given him this perfect health in front of all of you.

NLT: Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed — and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

As Peter and John go to the temple to pray, they come upon a beggar who has been lame from birth. Instead of alms, Peter gives him the gift of healing (Acts 3:1–8). A crowd swarms around them as they leave the gate and settle in Solomon's Portico (Acts 3:9–11). Peter takes advantage of the attention and shows the connection between the man's healing and the people's need for Jesus.

Often, a person's faith was key to their healing. Jesus told the woman with an issue of blood, "Daughter, your faith has made you well" (Mark 5:34). But, sometimes, that faith wasn't necessary. That's certainly true for those who were raised from the dead like Lazarus (John 11:38–44) and Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:35–43). There's no reason to think Peter's mother-in-law knew what Jesus was up to (Mark 1:29–31). In this case, it appears that the faith is that of Peter. That's consistent with Mark 9:14–29. Jesus, Peter, John, and James descend the mountain after the transfiguration to find the other disciples in a struggle with a demon who has captured a little boy. Jesus doesn't condemn the boy's faith but the disciples' (Mark 9:19). Still, some will say that the man reacted to Peter's use of Jesus' name by having the faith to take Peter's hand and stand (Acts 3:6–7).

"Faith in his name" doesn't mean that Peter used the spoken words "Jesus Christ of Nazareth" as a magical spell. In the culture, one's "name" was one's reputation and character. Jesus' name includes the idea of His sovereignty, power, and authority. The healing was possible because of faith in Jesus, Himself.

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.