Acts (Part 23) – Acts 3:11-13

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Acts (Part 23) – Acts 3:11-13

Acts 3:11 – 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.

1. And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John,
   1. The lame man held Peter and John.
   2. He clave unto them like some of Paul’s converts did (Act 17:34).
   3. He esteemed them very highly in love for their work’s sake (1Th 5:13).
2. all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.
   1. Solomon’s porch was part of the temple which was named after Solomon because he built the original temple (1Ki 6:2-3; 1Ki 7:12-14, 19, 21; 1Ch 28:9-11).
      1. The porch was 20 cubits (30ft) long, 10 cubits (15ft) wide (1Ki 6:3), and 120 cubits (180ft) high (2Ch 3:4).
      2. The Jews gathered at Solomon’s porch (Joh 10:23).
      3. The Christians in the Jerusalem church assembled in Solomon’s porch as well (Act 5:12).
   2. The people ran together to Peter and John with great bewilderment and curiosity.

Act 3:12 – 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?

1. The people were amazed because they thought that Peter and John healed the man by their own power.
2. A similar thing happened to Paul and Barnabas (Act 14:8-18).
3. Peter diverts the attention from himself and gives the glory to Jesus Christ for the man’s healing (Act 3:16).
   1. It was not by the power and holiness of Peter and John that the man was healed, but by the power and holiness of Jesus Christ.
   2. This healing was a fulfillment of the promise of Christ that His followers would lay hands on the sick and they would recover (Mar 16:17-18).
   3. They would do so because the Lord was working with them (Mar 16:20).
4. Peter was showing us an example of being clothed with humility (1Pe 5:5-6).

Act 3:13 – 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.

1. The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers,
   1. Jehovah, the only true God, is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Gen 28:13; Exo 3:6).
   2. Jehovah not only was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but He still is their God (Mar 12:26-27).
   3. He is the God of the fathers of the nation of Israel (Deut 26:7-8; Act 22:14).
2. hath glorified his Son Jesus;
   1. God gloried Jesus several different times.
      1. God the Father glorified Jesus in the eyes of the people by the miracles He did (Joh 11:4).
      2. God the Father glorified Jesus on the mount of transfiguration (2Pe 1:17).
      3. God glorified Jesus after He suffered and died for our sins (Joh 12:23; Joh 13:31-32; 1Pe 1:21).
      4. God will glorify Jesus in His saints when He returns (2Th 1:10-12).
   2. The NIV, NKJV, and other modern English bible versions replace “Son” with “servant” in this verse.
      1. A servant is inferior to a son (Joh 8:35; Heb 3:3, 5-6).
      2. The modern bible versions degrade Jesus Christ.
   3. whom ye delivered up,
      1. The Jews (the leadership and the people) delivered up Jesus to Pilate to be crucified (Mar 15:1).
      2. Jesus came to deliver His people from their sins (Mat 1:21), and some of those people delivered Him up to be crucified.
   4. and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
      1. The Jews denied Jesus when Pilate offered to release Him (Mar 15:9-14).
      2. Pilate was determined to let Jesus go, but they would have none of it (Mat 27:19-25; Joh 18:29-31, 39-40; Joh 19:4, 6, 12).