The Early Church · c. AD 30
Chapter 3
At the Beautiful Gate
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!”
For parents
Peter and John are arrested, kept under guard overnight and threatened by the rulers, and then let go without being punished (Acts 4:1–21). Peter speaks of how Jesus was handed over, crucified and killed (3:13–15; 4:10), and quotes Moses’ warning that anyone who will not listen to the prophet will be utterly destroyed (3:23).
It was three o’clock in the afternoon, the hour of prayer, and and were going up into the temple.
A man who had been lame from the day he was born, unable to walk, was being carried along. Every day people laid him at the temple door called , to beg for gifts from those who went into the temple.
When he saw Peter and John about to go in, he asked them for a gift. Peter, with John, fixed his eyes on him and said, “Look at us.” The man paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.
But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus of , get up and walk!”
Peter took the man by the right hand and raised him up, and right away strength came into the man’s feet and ankle bones. He sprang up, stood, and began to walk. He went with them into the temple, walking, leaping and praising God.
All the people saw him walking and praising God. They knew who he was: the man who used to sit begging for gifts at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. They were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
The man who had been healed kept holding on to Peter and John, and all the people came running together to them in , full of wonder.
When Peter saw this, he spoke to the people. “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this man? Why do you fix your eyes on us, as though we had made him walk with our own power or godliness?
“The God of , of and of , the God of our ancestors, has given glory to his Servant Jesus. You handed him over, and you denied him in front of , when Pilate had decided to let him go. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be set free for you.
“You killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, and we are witnesses to it. It is his name that has made this man strong, through faith in his name. You see this man, and you know him. Yes, the faith that is through him has made this man completely well, here in front of you all.
“Now, brothers and sisters, I know you did this in ignorance, and so did your rulers. But in this way God fulfilled the things he had announced through the mouths of all his : that Christ would suffer.
“So , and turn again, so that your sins may be wiped away. That way, times of refreshing may come from the Lord’s presence, and he may send Christ Jesus, who was appointed for you beforehand. Heaven must receive him until the times when all things are restored, which God spoke of long ago through the mouths of his holy prophets.
“ himself said to the ancestors, ‘The Lord God will raise up a prophet for you from among your own people, one like me. You are to listen to him in all things, whatever he says to you. Anyone who refuses to listen to that prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people.’
“Yes, and all the prophets from on, every one of them who has spoken, also told about these days. You are the children of the prophets, and of the which God made with our ancestors when he said to Abraham, ‘All the families of the earth will be blessed through your .’
“God raised up his servant Jesus, and he sent him to you first, to bless you, turning each one of you away from your wickedness.”
As Peter and John spoke to the people, the priests came up to them, with the and the . They were upset because the two of them were teaching the people, and in Jesus they were proclaiming the from the dead.
They arrested them and kept them under guard until the next day, because it was already evening.
But many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
In the morning the people’s rulers, and gathered together in . the was there, with , , Alexander, and all the high priest’s relatives.
They had Peter and John stand in the middle of them, and they asked, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?”
Then Peter, filled with the , said to them, “You rulers of the people and elders of Israel, if we are being questioned today about a good deed done to a crippled man, and about how this man was healed, then all of you, and all the people of Israel, should know this: it is in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and in him, that this man stands here in front of you, well and whole. You crucified Jesus, and God raised him from the dead.
“He is ‘the stone that you builders thought was worthless, which has become the .’ There is salvation in no one else, because no other name under heaven is given among people by which we must be saved!”
When the saw how bold Peter and John were, and understood that these were men without learning or training, they were amazed. They recognized that these two had been with Jesus. And when they saw the healed man standing with Peter and John, they could say nothing against it.
They ordered Peter and John to leave the council, and then they talked it over among themselves. “What should we do about these men?” they said. “Everyone who lives in Jerusalem can plainly see that a remarkable miracle has been done through them, and we can’t deny it. But to keep this from spreading any further among the people, let’s threaten them, so that from now on they don’t speak to anyone in this name.”
They called Peter and John back in and commanded them not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus at all.
But Peter and John answered them, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, because we can’t help telling the things we saw and heard.”
The council threatened them some more, and then let them go. Because of the people, they could find no way to punish them, since everyone was praising God for what had been done. The man who had been healed by this miracle was more than forty years old.
Once they were let go, Peter and John went back to their companions and reported all that the and the elders had said to them. When they heard it, they lifted up their voices to God with one mind and said, “Lord, you are God, who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them.
“Through the mouth of your servant , you said,
‘Why do the nations rage,and the peoples make useless plans?The kings of the earth take a stand,and the rulers plot togetheragainst the Lord and against his Christ.’
“Truly, and Pontius Pilate, with the and the people of Israel, were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They came together to do whatever your hand and your purpose had decided ahead of time would happen.
“Now, Lord, look at their threats. Let your servants speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and let signs and wonders happen through the name of your holy Servant Jesus.”
When they had finished praying, the place where they were gathered shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke God’s word boldly.
The whole crowd of those who believed were one in heart and soul. Not one of them said that anything he owned was his own. Instead, everything they had belonged to all of them.
With great power the told of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Great grace was on them all.
No one among them went without, because whoever owned fields or houses sold them and brought the money they got for them, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. Then it was handed out to each one, as much as anyone needed.
There was Joses, whom the apostles also called , a name that means Son of Encouragement. He was a , a man of by birth. He had a field, and he sold it, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.