In Acts 3:1-11, Peter and John heal a man lame from birth at the temple gate in Jesus’ name; he walks, leaps, and praises God, drawing a amazed crowd Luke records the moment so that readers may see the risen Lord’s ongoing work and respond with faith and courage. Listen to the text: “Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. A certain man who was lame from his mother’s womb was being carried, whom they laid daily at the door of the temple which is called…”
The man asked for coins; God gave him strength. Peter offers what he has—Jesus’ name—and weakness becomes worship. Public praise turns a beggar into a living sign of the risen Christ. Miracles in Acts are signs of the risen Jesus’ authority and compassion. They open ears for the word and confirm that His name still saves and heals. Wonder is meant to lead to faith, not to spectacle for its own sake.
At the temple, Peter and John heal a lame man in Jesus’ name and call Israel to repent and receive times of refreshing from the Lord. This passage belongs in that movement: Acts 3:1-11 is not an isolated episode but a step in Luke’s portrait of Spirit-driven mission. Acts shows the risen Jesus continuing His work by the Holy Spirit through witnesses—from Jerusalem toward the ends of the earth.
A pastoral word for today: Thank God for His power, and point people beyond the wonder to the Savior’s name.
Notice also the human responses Luke includes—faith, fear, jealousy, joy, or stubborn unbelief. These reactions are mirrors. We may find ourselves in the praying church, the trembling seeker, the opposing council, or the welcoming household. Acts is narrative theology: our response to the risen Jesus is the point.