Acts 3:11-4:4
While he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the so-called portico of Solomon, full of amazement. 12 But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, "Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? 13 " The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. 14 "But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses. 16 "And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.
17 "And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. 18 "But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19 "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; 20 and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, 21 whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. 22 "Moses said, 'THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you. 23' And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.' 24 "And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days. 25 "It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, 'AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.' 26 "For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways."
As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, 2 being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
NASU
Acts 3:11-4:4 Exposition
While he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the so-called portico of Solomon, full of amazement.
The demonstration of the power of Christ in the healing of this man was so amazing to the people that they could not help but be drawn to the place where the Apostles were to see what was happening. Likewise when God is visible at work in us it will draw people to us with questions about the work we are doing and the reason for our work. Will we have an answer for them or will we take some credit for ourselves which is not ours to give?
12 But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, "Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk?
The apostles reply with a ready answer and return the credit for this miracle to God deflecting all glory from themselves.
13 " The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him.
They wish to make it known that this is no new deity or power that they are proclaiming but the very same God which the people were assembled at the temple to worship which their fore bearers had worshiped as well. They proclaim Jesus, holding the people to account for their rejection of Him yet lifting him up as well as the glorified “servant” of God. Their sin is aggravated by the fact that not only did they reject Jesus but rejected Him when the unrighteous Roman governor would have released him as innocent.
14 "But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
By calling Jesus “the Holy and Righteous One” the Apostle makes it clear that this “servant” is in fact God, since who else can truly be called holy or righteous. The aggravation of their sin is increased by showing their choice by contrast of a “murderer” over the Holy and Righteous One.
15 but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.
The contrasts continue as the people are described as having killed the Prince of “life” yet as the Prince of Life he was in fact raised from death something they asserted was not hearsay but truly as Apostles, they were eyewitnesses (the credential of an apostle as described in Acts 1 whereby Matthias was identified to replace Judas) The same God who may raise the dead is quite by comparison, capable of healing a man, even one crippled from birth.
16 "And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.
Faith is not here simply belief. There are many things we believe that lead to little or no action. These beliefs might even be called faith since we choose to accept the information as true even without seeking evidence beyond the story itself. Yet the faith described here is not belief but trust; trust in the Name of Jesus as powerful enough to change things in the natural world. We perhaps should examine what we have come to expect by “faith” in Jesus' name. Is it more than just a hope of heaven someday or does it make a difference in our world now? Is the difficult or even seemingly impossible possible through faith in Jesus name? Surely he does not ask everything we ask when we ask according to our desires only, but when we pray his will, in His name we can expect prayers answered.
17 "And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also.
This is not an excuse for them but an announcement for the benefit that they might receive the blessing that is to come in the next sentence, that is, the demonstration of the truth that their sin accomplished Gods will to make effective the offer of repentance which the Apostle will soon make.
18 "But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.
Their ignorance and rejection of Christ allowed the prophesied promise of Christ's suffering for the forgiveness of sins to occur. This is why we mus be able to extend God's message of repentance and the forgiveness which follows even to those who have wronged us. For how can we know that some purpose of God was not accomplished in the evil intent of those we need to forgive.
19 "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;
The future that God has in store for us when we repent, are forgiven and live in God's will, is described as “times of refreshing.. from the presence of the Lord.” This is no mere human attitude adjustment, but a true peace with God and one another that comes through the Holy Spirit.
20 and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you,
Those who repented would also receive Christ, both through the internal revelation of His person and the truth of His resurrection, and through the hope for His return when all things are restored as God had established prior to the fall. Notice, he is “the Christ appointed for you”. The invitation is personal and we must respond if we are to experience the blessing of being in Christ. We will not know the benefit of forgiveness, new life, reconciliation, a life that is pleasing to God, fellowship, and hope for eternal life, without a personal response to the offer of Christ.
21 whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.
Again, he has ascended to heaven, to remain there until that time of restoration. The hope of the church for all time has been that day when Christ shall return. The “last days” or “Revelation” events are not to inspire fear in us but are the promise of the completion of our salvation.
22 "Moses said, 'THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you.
Jesus is proclaimed as the one promised not just in later prophets but even by Moses himself and like mose, one who would deliver to them the very words and will of God. We ignore the Word's and Will of God at our own peril as the verse to follow tells.
23' And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.'
The threat which they are under who reject Christ is not some minor misfortune but dreadful and endless loss of what God has promised to his people. This would be an especially horrible prospect for those Jews who heard it as their hope was always tied to their place among the people of God, that is the nation of Israel. To lose this was to lose everything and to make all that they as a people had suffered for generations for nothing.
24 "And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days.
There is no shortage of prophetic predictions of the work of the Messiah. And if Christ has fulfilled these things then how can he be rejected?
25 "It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, 'AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.'
They are not being asked to reject the God of their fathers or the covenant on which they had hoped and to embrace something new. Instead they are being asked to embrace the fulfillment of the same covenant and so receive the blessing as promised. Their tradition was preserved in remaining in the stream of God's will and ongoing work.
26 "For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways."
Here might be a hint that the same promise will come to the gentiles since it says “you first.” The work of Christ is to begin with our turning from our own way to God's way, from wickedness to God's will. Being turned itself is a blessing from God since God could have just as well chosen not to send Christ and leave us dead in our sins and continuing to our destruction in wickedness. Notice that any want of following Christ is ”wicked” not merely certain grievous or appalling sins. Therefore we are all called to turn to Christ not merely the intensely evil.
4:1 As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them,
Here tradition stands in the face of truth and the hope they should have sought is rejected and its messengers are abused as often happens. The priests who had a stake in retaining the worship as it was, the captain of the temple guard who sought to keep order, and the Sadducees who rejected out of hand the possibility of any resurrection, all stood in opposition to this message of repentance and hope.
2 being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
It would seem that the problem was that they were both gaining a following and that they were proclaiming a notion that they rejected that disturbed this group. Do our preconceived notions of fairness, our dislike for an individual , our love for our own agenda, or anything else, lead us to reject what God is saying to us in his Word? Will we be moved to change or to resist?
3 And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening.
The leaders' choice was to reject the truth and to imprison the Apostles.
4 But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
Even though the leaders rejected the message and the Apostles, the church grew as many more came to faith. The truth is that regardless of what is done by some in rejecting the Gospel, those who are called by the Spirit will turn to Christ and will believe. It is the duty of the church to proclaim the gospel everywhere and to all, even when it brings personal risk. The result will always be the conversion to Christ of those who will believe.
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