Act 3:11-13 “And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering. And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.”
Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer. They were going in at the gate called Beautiful. There they encountered a man lame from his birth sitting at the gate and begging alms. This man received more than he ever expected that day.
Rather than receiving silver and gold, he heard Peter speak by the authority of Jesus. That word of authority enabled him to stand on feet that had never borne his weight before. Instead of simply sitting at the gate, he could not go into the temple. He went walking and leaping and praising God.
The Lord still uses men to speak with His authority to His people today. We experience the wondrous power of His word in our lives. We find ourselves no longer sitting at the gate and watching others go in. By His great grace we can enter His temple with praise and worship in our hearts and on our lips.
Have you ever been moved by the preaching of the gospel and found yourself embracing the man that God used to preach to you with tears of rejoicing flowing from your eyes? I imagine this is the scene described here as this lame man “held” Peter and John. Those who were witnesses to both his affliction and the miracle done in his life ran together. They were left in amazement.
Peter looked at this group of people and asked them a question: “Why marvel ye at this?” It is likely that many of these people had been going into the temple for years. They had heard the word of God pointing them to the Messiah. Their prophets had foretold His coming and all that He would accomplish.
Still, they marveled at this display of His mighty power. Rather than praising God alongside the man that was healed, they were looking to Peter and John. Instead of giving into the carnal nature (which enjoys being the center of attention), Peter rebuked that congregation. He again pointed them to Jesus, just as he had done with the man who was lame.
Jesus prayed to the Father at one point and asked that the Father would glorify Him with the glory He had before the world was (John 17:5). Here Peter declares that they are witnesses to the answer to this prayer: “The God of our fathers has glorified His son Jesus.” This is the same Jesus that they had denied in that day and that men still deny today.
We are blessed by God if we can see that He has glorified His son Jesus. He has done this despite man’s denial. He still works miracles in our lives today by the authority of the name of Jesus. This is his promise to us, so why should we marvel at this?
May God strengthen us to be faithful witnesses to the glory that He has given His son Jesus!
