NLT Illustrated Study Bible - Book of Acts - Flipbook - Page 15
A cts 3 : 2 2
1971
2:47
Acts 4:4; 6:7
Rom 14:18
p so-zo-(4982)
Acts
4:12
3:1
Acts 10:3, 9, 30
3:2
Acts 14:8
3:4
Acts 13:9; 14:9
3:6
Acts 4:10
3:8
John 5:14
3:9
Acts 4:16, 21
3:10
John 9:8
3:11
John 10:23
Acts 5:12
3:13
*Exod 3:6, 15
Matt 22:32
Acts 5:30; 7:32
3:15
Acts 2:24; 5:30
3:17
Luke 23:34
Acts 13:27
1 Tim 1:13
3:18
Pss 22; 41:9; 69:4, 21
Isa 50:6; 53:411
Zech 12:10; 13:7
Luke 24:27, 44, 46
3:19
Acts 2:38; 26:20
3:21
Luke 1:70
3:22
*Deut 18:15, 18
John 1:2021;
7:4041, 52
their meals with great joy and generos
ity*—47 all the while praising God and enjoy
ing the goodwill of all the people. And each
day the Lord added to their fellowship those
who were being p saved.
The First Clash with Judaism (3:1–4:31)
Peter Heals a Crippled Beggar
Peter and John went to the Temple
one afternoon to take part in the three
o’clock prayer service. 2 As they approached
the Temple, a man lame from birth was being
carried in. Each day he was put beside the
Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful
Gate, so he could beg from the people going
into the Temple. 3 When he saw Peter and
John about to enter, he asked them for some
money.
4 Peter and John looked at him intently,
and Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 The lame man
looked at them eagerly, expecting some
money. 6 But Peter said, “I don’t have any sil
ver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I
have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Naza
rene,* get up and* walk!”
7 Then Peter took the lame man by the
right hand and helped him up. And as he
did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly
healed and strengthened. 8 He jumped up,
stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then,
walking, leaping, and praising God, he went
into the Temple with them.
9 All the people saw him walking and
heard him praising God. 10 When they real
ized he was the lame beggar they had seen
so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were ab
solutely astounded! 11 They all rushed out in
3
amazement to Solomon’s Colonnade, where
the man was holding tightly to Peter and
John.
Peter Preaches in the Temple
12 Peter saw his opportunity and addressed
the crowd. “People of Israel,” he said, “what
is so surprising about this? And why stare at
us as though we had made this man walk by
our own power or godliness? 13 For it is the
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God
of all our ancestors—who has brought glory
to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the
same Jesus whom you handed over and re
jected before Pilate, despite Pilate’s decision
to release him. 14 You rejected this holy, righ
teous one and instead demanded the release
of a murderer. 15 You killed the author of life,
but God raised him from the dead. And we
are witnesses of this fact!
16 “Through faith in the name of Jesus, this
man was healed—and you know how crip
pled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has
healed him before your very eyes.
17 “Friends,* I realize that what you and
your leaders did to Jesus was done in igno
rance. 18 But God was fulfilling what all the
prophets had foretold about the Messiah—
that he must suffer these things. 19 Now
repent of your sins and turn to God, so that
your sins may be wiped away. 20 Then times
of refreshment will come from the presence
of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus,
your appointed Messiah. 21 For he must re
main in heaven until the time for the final
restoration of all things, as God promised
long ago through his holy prophets. 22 Moses
2:46 Or and sincere hearts. 3:6a Or Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 3:6b Some manuscripts do not include get up and.
3:17 Greek Brothers.
3:111 Jesus’ promise that his disciples
would do even greater works than he
had done (John 14:12; see Mark 16:20)
was fulfilled in the signs, wonders, and
mighty works of the apostles (Acts 2:43;
5:12; 8:48). Here, Peter clearly exercised
the power to heal in the name of Jesus
Christ the Nazarene (3:6, 16). The cure
was instant and undeniable (3:8), result
ing in the man’s praising God (3:89; cp.
2:47; 16:25; Luke 2:20; 17:1518; 18:43;
19:37; 24:53). This is the first of many
demonstrations of divine power given to
disciples in Acts (Acts 4:2431; 5:12; 6:8;
8:6; 9:3342; 28:8).
3:6 The name of Jesus represents his
identity and power to heal (see Mark
9:3839).
3:1011 The Beautiful Gate was prob
ably the Nicanor Gate, built of Corin
thian bronze and located on the east
side of the Temple (see Josephus, War
5.5.3). It was adorned in a costly man
ner, with richer and thicker plates of
PROPHETS OF ISRAEL
silver and gold upon its panels than
other gates. • Solomon’s Colonnade was
a portico on the east side of the Temple
(see Josephus, War 5.5.13; Antiquities
20.9.7).
3:1226 The evangelistic speeches in the
book of Acts focus on Jesus, the cruci
fied and risen Lord. They call people
to repentance and faith in Jesus as the
promised Messiah and the divinely
appointed Judge (2:38; 3:19; 11:18;
17:30; 26:20). They also offer the same
Good News for the people of Israel and
the Gentile world—“there is peace with
God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of
all” (10:36).
3:15 It was unfathomable to the Jew
ish mind that the author of life, God
himself, could be killed. They didn’t rec
ognize Jesus as Messiah (cp. 13:27; Luke
23:34), and they did not realize that
the Messiah would be divine (see John
1:118; cp. Dan 7:1314).
GOSPELS & ACTS
3:17 Friends: Literally Brothers, which
was a common way to address one
another (13:15, 26, 38; Gen 27:29; Lev
10:6; 25:46; Num 20:3; Deut 1:28;
24:7; Josh 22:34; 2 Sam 2:26; Ezek
11:15). • in ignorance: Cp. Acts 17:30;
1 Tim 1:1214. The Christian message
challenges this ignorance and calls all
people to respond in faith and repen
tance (Acts 2:38).
3:19 The Good News of forgiveness is
more fully explained elsewhere (see
5:3032; 10:3643; 13:2638; Luke
24:2527, 4547).
3:2021 The message of Good News
offers refreshment (see Matt 11:2829).
The second coming of Christ will be one
of those times of refreshment from God,
when he will again send . . . Jesus to his
people.
3:22 Jesus fulfills the ancient promise of
a Prophet like Moses (see Deut 18:15, 18;
cp. John 6:14; 7:40).
L E T T E R S O F PAU L
OTHER LET TERS
