Peter Gives a Beggar More than Alms

Acts 3

Peter and John were going up to the temple for the time of prayer at three in the afternoon. A man who was lame from birth was being carried the door of the temple which is called Beautiful. He was laid there every day to beg for alms from those who entered into the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple, he asked to receive alms. Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, “Look at us.” He gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth—walk!” Then he took him by the right hand and raised him up. Immediately his feet and his ankle bones received strength. He jumped up, stood upright, and began to walk. He entered the temple with them, walking, leaping, and praising God. All the people saw him walking and praising God, and they recognized him as the man who used to sit and beg for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. They were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Peter Addresses the Crowd Again

While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people ran, full of wonder, toward them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade.

When Peter saw this, he addressed the people, “Fellow Israelites, why do y’all marvel at this? Why do y’all stare at us, as though we made this man walk by our own power or godliness? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Jesus, whom y’all handed over and disowned before Pilate, after he had decided to set him free. But y’all disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be released to y’all. Y’all killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in his name, this man, whom y’all see and know, was made strong. His name and the faith that comes through him has given this man this complete health in front of all y’all.

“Now, siblings, I know that y’all acted in ignorance, just as y’all’s leaders did. But this is how God fulfilled what ʜᴇ announced beforehand through the mouth of all the prophets—that ʜɪꜱ Christ would suffer.

“Therefore, y’all must repent and turn back, so that your* sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the face of the Lord, and that ʜᴇ might send the Christ appointed for you—Jesus— whom heaven must receive until the time of the restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets. For Moses indeed said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for y’all a prophet like me from among your* brothers. Y’all must listen to everything he tells y’all. Every soul that will not listen to that prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people.’+Deut 18:18-19 Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel onward, every one who spoke accounted these days. Y’all are the children of the prophets and of the covenant God made with our ancestors, saying to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all the peoples of the earth will be blessed .’+Gen 22:4 God raised up his servant and sent him to y’all first to bless y’all by turning each of y’all from your* wicked ways.”