Read or listen The Acts of the Apostles Chapter 3 online (ESV, Bible Gateway)

Sometimes it is helpful to read the Bible in larger units, even an entire book at a time. This way you can see wider connections between events. This is especially true for many books of the Old Testament. But understanding the larger picture is also beneficial for readers of the New Testament.

The third chapter of Acts is part of the process that resulted in the rejection of Christ by the Jews. Piece by piece, Luke tells how God's own people Israel turned their backs on the Messiah. The events of this chapter are set in the temple in Jerusalem.

The lame man is healed in the name of Jesus – Acts 3:1-10

In the previous chapter, Peter reminded the people on the first day of Pentecost that Jesus had performed miracles. Now Luke tells us that Jesus’ followers also performed miracles.

At the ninth hour (verse 1) - our clock would have shown 3 p.m. - Peter and John were going to pray in the temple in Jerusalem. The Jews had three services in the temple every day: the first immediately after sunrise - 6 a.m. - the second at the ninth hour - 3 p.m. - and the third at sunset - 6 p.m.

The fact that Peter and John were on their way to pray at the Jewish temple shows that at first there were no insurmountable differences between Christians and Jews. The Jews accepted the Christians and the Christians considered themselves the true Israel. Over time, the situation changed - and it is still the case today that Judaism and Christianity are mutually exclusive religions.

One must be careful not to read the Bible from today's perspective. One should be aware of the situation in which the events in the Bible actually took place. Sometimes the differences are small, sometimes so big that you misunderstand the Bible's story if you think that the conditions were similar to today. Various commentaries provide information about the history of Bible times.

It is not known for certain which gate of the temple in Jerusalem was called the "Beautiful Gate." It was apparently the so-called Nicanor Gate in the eastern wall, which led from the Court of the Gentiles to the Court of the Women. The gate was covered with bronze plates and was named after its donor, the wealthy Jew Nicanor of Alexandria, Egypt.

Which came first: Faith or healing?

At the Beautiful Gate there was also a beggar who had been lame from birth. Peter stated that he did not have the big money - which the beggar was expecting - but something more valuable. Peter promised the man health and helped him to stand, whereupon the man was healed. Someone may ask: did faith arise as a result of the healing, or was the man healed because of his faith?

Mark 3:1-6 tells how Jesus healed a man with a withered hand. That story is quite similar to this one. In both stories, we cannot determine which came first. Healing strengthened faith, but healing required faith. We cannot always define everything precisely, sometimes God’s actions remain a mystery to us.

Are such miraculous healings happening today? Many claim to have been miraculously healed, while others claim that everything can be explained by reason. There are even those who claim that miraculous healings are no longer needed because God has given us doctors and medicines.

The basic premise is that God is the Creator who can heal or not heal his creation. He can also choose the way in which it happens. We cannot deny God from performing miracles today. But we must remember that we should not only follow miracles, because strange things happen in other religions too. The important thing is that the healing or other miracles happen in the name of Jesus (verse 6).

So what was the thing that Peter promised the crippled man that was worth more than money? It was not health - which the man did receive - but faith in Jesus. Only faith in Jesus will endure the end of this age, everything else will remain here. Only faith has eternal value.

When talking to missionaries, you often hear that development cooperation is all too often like carrying water to a well: people don't change, that's why problems remain. Fortunately, there is also the kind of development cooperation that also changes people and their thinking. Mission work has been able to eliminate many harmful habits, but above all, it has been able to lead people to the path of heaven.

No miracles for miracles’ sake – Acts 3:11 - 26

Quite often one hears the claim: "If such and such a miracle would happen, then I would believe too!" However, these promises should be approached with caution. Miracles are very easily "explained away", and faith is not born, even if the required miracle does happen. In the story of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus stated that even the resurrection of the dead is not a sufficient miracle for an unbeliever (Luke 16:31).

When Luke describes the miracles performed by the apostles in the Acts of the Apostles, he does not do so only to tell how great works the apostles performed. Luke always wants to highlight the sermons associated with the miracles. The apostles won audiences with miracles, to whom they proclaimed the gospel. This was also the case this time.

Are we Christians of this time able to use the opportunities that open up before us to proclaim Jesus? Or are we even able to create such situations? Paul urged Timothy to come forward at an appropriate and inappropriate time - not in an appropriate and inappropriate manner (2 Tim 4:2). It is a great gift from God to have the courage to be a witness for God even in difficult situations.

The healing of the lame man drew a large crowd to Solomon’s Colonnade, which was near Nicanor’s Gate on the east side of the temple, in the Court of the Gentiles. Jesus had taught there when he visited Jerusalem (John 10:23) and it was the gathering place of the first Christians (Acts 5:12).

In his sermon, Peter again uses the Old Testament extensively, this time both to prove that Jesus was God's promised Messiah and to justify the call to conversion.

This time too, Peter does not remain silent about the unpleasant facts for the Jews: they had rejected the Savior sent by God and demanded that he be killed on the cross. To top it all off, they had exchanged Jesus for a murderer, Barabbas. But this they had done in ignorance, for they had not believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Sins committed in ignorance were forgiven, but they also had to be atoned for (Numbers 15:22-3, compare also Jesus’ words on the cross: Luke 23:34).

However, God had proved the Jews wrong: God raised Jesus from the dead. Now the Jews should reconsider what they would do with the resurrected Jesus (verse 13).

In verse 13, "his servant" is the Greek word "pais", which can be translated either "His Son" or "His servant". The phrase "Son of God" is familiar and used a lot in the New Testament. But there is also a justification for the translation "servant": Isaiah 53 speaks of the Lord's suffering servant. That chapter can be called the greatest Messianic prophecy in the entire Old Testament. So both translations are possible and both can be justified with the help of other passages in the Bible.

In verse 14, "Holy" is one of the titles used for Jesus. That word easily reminds us of a monk with a halo on his head. There is something right in that thought, because in fact, "holy" in the Bible means something that was completely set apart for God. So a holy life was a life completely given to God. A holy animal was given over to God, etc. Jesus is Holy because he fulfilled the will of his Father perfectly.