Acts 3:9

3:1-11 The apostles and the first believers attended the temple worship at the hours of prayer. Peter and John seem to have been led by a Divine direction, to work a miracle on a man above forty years old, who had been a cripple from his birth. Peter, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, bade him rise up and walk. Thus, if we would attempt to good purpose the healing of men's souls, we must go forth in the name and power of Jesus Christ, calling on helpless sinners to arise and walk in the way of holiness, by faith in Him. How sweet the thought to our souls, that in respect to all the crippled faculties of our fallen nature, the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth can make us whole! With what holy joy and rapture shall we tread the holy courts, when God the Spirit causes us to enter therein by his strength!

And all the people,.... That were in the temple, saw him walking; who before lay on a couch, or on the ground, and was so lame, that he was obliged to be carried; and praising God; for this miraculous cure. The Arabic version renders it, "saw him walking to praise God": that is, entering into the temple with the apostles, in order to offer up the sacrifice of praise to God there.

Acts 3:9-11 . And all the people — Who were there present; saw him walking — In the court of the temple; and heard him praising God — In this uncommon ecstasy of delight; and they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate, &c. — He had sat there so long, that they all knew him; and for that reason he was chosen to be a vessel of mercy. Now they were not so perverse as to make any doubt whether he was the same man that had sat begging, as the Pharisees had questioned concerning the blind man that Christ cured, John 9:18 ; for they saw him walking and praising God, and probably took notice of a change in his mind, for he was now as loud in praising God, as he had used to be in begging relief. And they were filled with wonder and amazement — Greek, θαμβους και εκστασεως , with astonishment and ecstasy; they felt emotions, resembling those of the person healed; at that which had happened to him — At the miracle wrought for him. It is worth observing here, that this effect appears to have been produced by the late effusion of the Spirit; the people, at least those in Jerusalem, were more affected with the miracles which the apostles wrought, than they had been with those of the same kind that had been performed by Christ himself.

And as the lame man held Peter and John — Full of gratitude for the great blessing he had received through their instrumentality; and while he walked on between them, sometimes, probably, taking hold of them by the hand; and sometimes embracing them as his great benefactors; all the people — In the neighbouring parts; ran together unto them — Some only to gratify their curiosity with the sight of men that had such power; others, perhaps, with a desire to hear them preach, concluding that the doctrine must needs be of divine origin, which had thus a divine confirmation: in the porch that is called Solomon’s — A spacious and celebrated portico of the temple. See note on John 10:23 . Hither the people flocked to see this great sight.

9 . a vision appeared ] So also to Ananias ( Acts 9:10 ). Cp. also Acts 10:3 ; Acts 10:17 ; Acts 10:19 , Acts 11:5 , Acts 12:9 , Acts 18:9 . This was a part of the fulfilment of the prophecy of Joel about which St Peter spake on the day of Pentecost ( Acts 2:17 ). a man of Macedonia ] The words which he spake made clear his nationality.

And all the people ... - The people who had been accustomed to see him sit in a public place. And they knew ... - In this they could not be deceived; they had seen him a long time, and now they saw the same man expressing his praise to God for complete recovery. The particulars in this miracle are the following, and they are as far as possible from any appearance of imposture: 1. The man had been afficated from a child. This was known to all the people. At this time he was 40 years of age, Acts 4:22. 2. He was not an impostor. If he had pretended lameness, it is wonderful that he had not been detected before, and not have been suffered to occupy a place thus in the temple. 3. The apostles had no agency in placing him there. They had not seen him before. There was manifestly no collusion or agreement with him to attempt to impose on the people. 4. The man himself was convinced of the miracle, and did not doubt that the power by which he had been healed was of God. 5. The people were convinced of the same thing. They saw the effects; they had known him well; they had had every opportunity to know that he was diseased, and they were now satisfied that he was restored. There was no possibility of deception in the case. It was not merely the friends of Jesus that saw this; not those who had an interest in the miracle, but those who had been his enemies, and who had just before been engaged in putting him to death.

Let this miracle be compared, in these particulars, with those pretended miracles which have been affirmed to have been performed in defense of other systems of religion, and it will be seen at once that in these there is every appearance of sincerity, honesty, and truth; in them, every mark of deception, fraud, and imposition. (See Paley's "Evidences of Christianity," proposition ii. chapter ii.)