Acts 3: Peter Heals a Lame Man at the Temple

Short answer: Acts 3 tells how Peter and John heal a man lame from birth at the temple gate, and Peter then preaches to the astonished crowd about Jesus, calling them to repent. The chapter links the healing to faith in Jesus' name and to God's ancient promises to Israel.

What Acts 3 says

Peter and John go up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer. At the gate called Beautiful, a man lame from his mother's womb is carried daily to ask for gifts from those entering. He sees the two disciples and asks for help. Peter fixes his eyes on him, with John, and tells him to look at them. The man listens, expecting to receive something. But Peter has no silver or gold. What he has, he gives: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, he commands the man to get up and walk. He takes him by the right hand and raises him up. Immediately the man's feet and ankle bones receive strength. He leaps up, stands, and walks, entering the temple with them, walking, leaping, and praising God. The people see him and recognize him as the former beggar, and they are filled with wonder and amazement.

As the healed man holds on to Peter and John, the crowd runs together to them in Solomon's porch, greatly wondering. Peter sees the crowd and responds. He asks why they marvel and why they stare at him and John as though by their own power or godliness they had made the man walk. He directs their attention to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of their fathers, who has glorified his Servant Jesus. Peter charges the people with delivering up and denying Jesus in the presence of Pilate, even though Pilate had determined to release him. They denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer instead. They killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, and Peter says they are witnesses of this. By faith in Jesus' name, that name has made the man strong, and the faith that is through Jesus has given him perfect soundness in the presence of them all.

Peter then softens his tone, addressing them as brothers and acknowledging that they acted in ignorance, as did their rulers. But he declares that what God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that the Christ should suffer, has been fulfilled. Therefore he calls them to repent and turn again, so that their sins may be blotted out and times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. He speaks of God sending Christ Jesus, who was ordained for them before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets.

Peter grounds his appeal in Scripture. Moses said that the Lord God would raise up a prophet from among their brothers, like him, and that they must listen to him in all things. Every soul that will not listen to that prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people. All the prophets from Samuel and those who followed after also told of these days. Peter tells the people that they are the children of the prophets and of the covenant God made with their fathers, saying to Abraham that all the families of the earth will be blessed through his offspring. God, having raised up his servant Jesus, sent him to them first to bless them, turning each of them away from their wickedness.

Verses that carry the chapter

• “But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” (Acts 3:6)” (Acts 3:6) — Peter's declaration that he has no silver or gold but gives what he has in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth carries the chapter's central contrast between material poverty and spiritual power. It shows that the healing comes not from human resources but from the authority of Jesus' name.
• “and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, to which we are witnesses.” (Acts 3:15) — This verse names Jesus as the Prince of life and declares that God raised him from the dead, with the apostles as witnesses. It anchors the healing in the resurrection and identifies the gravity of the crowd's rejection.
• ““Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord,” (Acts 3:19) — The call to repent and turn again, with the promise that sins may be blotted out and times of refreshing may come from the Lord, is the chapter's direct appeal to the hearers. It moves from miracle to mercy.
• “God, having raised up his servant Jesus, sent him to you first to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your wickedness.”” (Acts 3:26) — This verse states that God raised up his servant Jesus and sent him first to bless them by turning each away from wickedness. It frames the entire event as God's initiative of blessing through the risen Jesus.

Gospel connection

Acts 3 connects the healing of a lame man to the wider biblical story of God's covenant promises and their fulfillment in Jesus. Peter identifies the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the one who glorified his Servant Jesus, whom the people delivered up and denied. The chapter does not treat the miracle as an isolated wonder but as a sign pointing to the risen Prince of life. Peter appeals to Moses and the prophets, showing that the suffering Christ and the call to repentance were announced long ago. The blessing promised to Abraham, that all families of the earth would be blessed through his offspring, is now extended first to Israel through Jesus, who turns people from their wickedness. The healing becomes a picture of the greater restoration God offers through the name of Jesus.

Application

This chapter asks the reader to consider where trust is placed. Peter had no silver or gold, yet he gave what he had, and the man was healed by faith in Jesus' name. The crowd is called to repent and turn again, not merely to marvel at a miracle. For a reader today, the passage invites a slower look at the difference between being amazed at God's work and actually turning from sin toward him. It also challenges any tendency to credit human power or godliness for what God does. The promise of refreshing is attached to repentance, and the blessing of God is described as turning people away from wickedness. That is concrete: it means naming sin honestly, receiving the forgiveness that comes through Jesus, and walking in the new strength he gives.

Biblical fidelity check

The chapter does not claim that Peter or John healed the man by their own power or godliness; Peter explicitly denies that in verse 12. It does not say the man had been lame for a short time or that he was healed gradually; it says he was lame from his mother's womb and was immediately strengthened. The text does not describe the man's inner thoughts after the healing, nor does it record any response from the temple authorities at this point. It does not state that all the people believed or repented; it says they were filled with wonder and amazement. The chapter does not explain how the times of refreshing or the restoration of all things will unfold, only that God has spoken of them through the prophets. It also does not claim that the crowd's ignorance excused their actions; Peter still calls them to repent.

Questions for study

1. Why does Peter draw attention away from himself and John in verses 12 and 16, and what does that reveal about the source of the healing?
2. How does Peter use the history of Israel, from Abraham to Moses to the prophets, to explain what happened at the temple gate?
3. What does Peter mean when he calls Jesus the Prince of life in verse 15, and how does that title relate to the man's healing?
4. In verses 19 and 20, what is promised to those who repent and turn again, and how does that promise connect to the healing the crowd just witnessed?
5. How does the chapter describe the blessing God sent through Jesus in verse 26, and what does it mean to be turned away from wickedness?

Keep reading

Related studies: Acts 10 Bible Study, Acts 11 Bible Study, Acts 12 Bible Study, Acts 13 Bible Study.

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FAQ

Why did Peter say he had no silver or gold?

Peter had no money to give the beggar, but he gave what he did have: the power to heal in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The healing showed that the man's greatest need was not financial but spiritual and physical restoration.

What did Peter mean by times of refreshing?

Peter promised that repentance and turning to God would bring times of refreshing from the Lord's presence. This refers to the relief and renewal that come from sins being blotted out and from God's favor.

Who is the prophet like Moses that Peter mentions?

Peter quotes Moses' promise that God would raise up a prophet from among the people, like Moses, and that everyone must listen to him. Peter applies this to Jesus, showing that the days spoken of by the prophets had arrived.