Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 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?
12. when Peter saw it ] i.e. their wonder, as may be inferred from his opening words.
he answered ] Often used although no previous remark or question precedes. Cp. Act 5:8, where Peter is said to have answered Sapphira, though she had said nothing, as far as we are told, and where the Apostle’s words are a question.
why marvel ye at this?] Probably we should supply man, because the pronoun at the close of the verse is only the personal and not the demonstrative, and we should read “made him to walk,” and not as the A. V. “made this man to walk.”
look ye so earnestly ] The verb is rendered “to fasten the eyes on” in Act 3:4.
by our own power ] As he had done to the cripple, so also he makes it clear to the crowd that the name of Jesus is the power by which he has wrought.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
When Peter saw it – Saw the people assembling in such multitudes and wondering at the miracle.
He answered – The word answer, with us, implies that a question had been asked, or that some subject had been proposed for consideration. But the word is used in a different sense in the Bible. It is often used when no question was asked, but when an occasion was offered for remarks, or when an opportunity was presented to make a statement. It is the same as replying to a thing, or making a statement in regard to some subject, Dan 2:26; Act 5:8.
Ye men of Israel – Jews. Compare Act 2:14.
Why marvel ye at this? – The particular thing which he intended to reprove here was not that they wondered, for that was proper; but that they looked on himself and John as if they had been the authors of this healing. They ought to have understood it. The Jews were sufficiently acquainted with miracles to interpret them and to know whence they proceeded; and they ought not, therefore, to ascribe them to man, but to inquire why they had been performed by God.
Why look ye … – Why do ye fix the eyes with amazement on us, as though we could do this? Why not look at once to God?
By our own power – By any art of healing or by any medicine we had done this.
Or holiness – Piety. As if God had bestowed this on us on account of our personal and eminent piety. It may be remarked that here was ample opportunity for them to establish a reputation of their own. The people were disposed to pay them honor; they might at once have laid claim to vast authority over them; but they refused all such personal honor, and ascribed all to the Lord Jesus. Whatever success may attend the ministers of the gospel, or however much the world may be disposed to do them honor, they should disclaim all power in themselves, and ascribe it to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not by the talents or personal holiness of ministers, valuable as these are, that people are saved; it is only by the power of God, designed to honor his Son. See 2Co 3:5-6.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 12. As though by our own power] , Miraculous energy.
Or holiness] , Meaning religious attachment to the worship of God. Do not think that we have wrought this miracle by any power of our own; or that any supereminent piety in us should have induced God thus to honour us, by enabling us to work it. Instead of , holiness, the Syriac of Erpen, Armenian, Vulgate, and some copies of the Itala, have , power or authority; but the first appears to be the legitimate reading.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
He answered, for he said, an ordinary Hebraism, though no question was put unto him: thus the evangelist tells us that our Saviour answered and said, when there was no previous question spoken of, Mat 11:25. Nay, Jesus answered and said unto the fig tree, Mar 11:14; that is, he spake powerfully unto it.
Ye men of Israel; an ingratiating compellation, they ever valuing themselves and others on that account.
By our own power or holiness: holiness, were it never so real and great in men, cannot cause the least miracle, although it is itself, all things considered, a very great one.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12-16. why marvel at this?Formiracles are marvels only in relation to the limited powers of man.
as though by our own power orholiness we had made this man to walkNeither the might nor themerit of the cure are due to us, mere agents of Him whom we preach.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And when Peter saw it,…. That the people ran to them, and looked wistly upon them, and wondered at what was done:
he answered unto the people, ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? either at this man, who was cured of his lameness, or at the cure itself:
or why look ye so earnestly on us; suggesting, that they ought to look to God, and observe his divine power, and to the Lord Jesus Christ, whom they had crucified, whose apostles they were, and in whose name, and by whose power they had wrought this miracle; which shows that they were not self-seeking and vain glorious men, but discovers great sincerity and integrity, much love to Christ, and great regard to his honour, and to the glory of God:
as though by our own power and holiness we had made this man to walk? as if it was any natural power of theirs; or for any merit of theirs, because of their strict religion and piety; or “laudable conversation”, as the Arabic version; because they were mightier in themselves and holier than others, that they had such a faculty of curing lame persons; all which they utterly reject, and place it to a right account in the next verse. Instead of “holiness”, the Syriac version reads “authority”; and to the same, or like sense, the Vulgate Latin, which seems most agreeable.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
| Peter’s Address after Healing the Cripple. |
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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? 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. 14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; 15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. 16 And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. 17 And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. 18 But those things, which God before had showed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. 19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. 22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. 23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. 24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. 25 Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. 26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
We have here the sermon which Peter preached after he had cured the lame man. When Peter saw it. 1. When he saw the people got together in a crowd, he took that opportunity to preach Christ to them, especially the temple being the place of their concourse, and Solomon’s porch there: let them come and hear a more excellent wisdom than Solomon’s, for, behold, a greater than Solomon is here preached. 2. When he saw the people affected with the miracle, and filed with admiration, then he sowed the gospel seed in the ground which was thus broken up, and prepared to receive it. 3. When he saw the people ready to adore him and John, he stepped in immediately, and diverted their respect from them, that it might be directed to Christ only; to this he answered presently, as Paul and Barnabas at Lystra. See Act 14:14; Act 14:15. In the sermon,
I. He humbly disclaims the honour of the miracle as not due to them, who were only the ministers of Christ, or instruments in his hand for the doing of it. The doctrines they preached were not of their own invention, nor were the seals of it their own, but his whose the doctrines were. He addresses himself to them as men of Israel, men to whom pertained, not only the law and the promises, but the gospel and the performances, and who were nearly interested in the present dispensation. Two things he asks them:– 1. Why they were so surprised at the miracle itself: Why marvel you at this? It was indeed marvellous, and they justly wondered at it, but it was not more than what Christ had done many a time, and they had not duly regarded it, nor been affected with it. It was but a little before that Christ had raised Lazarus from the dead; and why should this then seem so strange? Note, Stupid people think that strange now which might have been familiar to them if it had not been their own fault. Christ had lately risen from the dead himself; why did they not marvel at this? why were they not convinced by this? 2. Why they gave so much of the praise of it to them, who were only the instruments of it: Why look you so earnestly on us? (1.) It was certain that they had made this man to walk, by which it appeared that the apostles not only were sent of God, but were sent to be blessings to the world, benefactors to mankind, and were sent to heal sick and distempered souls, that were spiritually lame and impotent, to set broken bones, and make them rejoice. (2.) Yet they did not do it by any power or holiness of their own. It was not done by any might of their own, any skill they had in physic or surgery, nor any virtue in their word: the power they did it by was wholly derived from Christ. Nor was it done by any merit of their own; the power which Christ gave them to do it they had not deserved: it was not by their own holiness; for, as they were weak things, so they were foolish things, that Christ chose to employ; Peter was a sinful man. What holiness had Judas? Yet he wrought miracles in Christ’s name. What holiness any of them had it was wrought in them, and they could not pretend to merit by it. (3.) It was the people’s fault that they attributed it to their power and holiness, and accordingly looked at them. Note, The instruments of God’s favour to us, though they must be respected, must not be idolized; we must take heed of reckoning that to be done by the instrument which God is the author of. (4.) It was the praise of Peter and John that they would not take the honour of this miracle to themselves, but carefully transmitted it to Christ. Useful men must see to it that they be very humble. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to thy name give glory. Every crown must be cast at the feet of Christ; not I, but the grace of God with me.
II. He preaches Christ to them; this was his business, that he might lead them into obedience to Christ.
1. He preaches Christ, as the true Messiah promised to the fathers (v. 13); for, (1.) He is Jesus the Son of God; though they had lately condemned Christ as a blasphemer for saying that he was the Son of God, yet Peter avows it: he is his Son Jesus; to him dear as a Son; to us, Jesus, a Saviour. (2.) God hath glorified him, in raising him up to be king, priest, and prophet, of his church; he glorified him in his life and in his death, as well as in his resurrection and ascension. (3.) He hath glorified him as the God of our fathers, whom he names with respect (for they were great names with the men of Israel, and justly), the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. God sent him into the world, pursuant to the promises made to those patriarchs, that in their seed the families of the earth should be blessed, and the covenant made with them, that God would be a God to them, and their seed. The apostles call the patriarchs their fathers, and God the God of those patriarchs from whom the Jews were descended, to intimate to them that they had no evil design upon the Jewish nation (that they should look upon them with a jealous eye), but had a value and concern for it, and were hereby well-wishers to it; and the gospel they preached was the revelation of the mind and will of the God of Abraham. See Act 26:7; Act 26:22; Luk 1:72; Luk 1:73.
2. He charges them flatly and plainly with the murder of this Jesus, as he had done before. (1.) “You delivered him up to your chief priests and elders, the representative body of the nation; and you of the common people were influenced by them to clamour against him, as if he had been a public grievance.” (2.) “You denied him, and you disowned him, would not have him then to be your king, could not look upon him as the Messiah, because he came not in external pomp and power; you denied him in the presence of Pilate, renounced all the expectations of your church, in the presence of the Roman governor, who justly laughed at you for it; you denied him against the face of Pilate” (so Dr. Hammond), “in defiance of his reasonings with you” (Pilate had determined to let him go, but the people opposed it, and overruled him). “You were worse than Pilate, for he would have released him, if you had let him follow his own judgment. You denied the Holy One and the Just, who had approved himself so, and all the malice of his persecutors could not disprove it.” The holiness and justice of the Lord Jesus, which are something more than his innocency, were a great aggravation of the sin of those that put him to death. (3.) “You desired a murderer to be released, and Christ crucified; as if Barabbas had deserved better at your hands than the Lord Jesus, than which a greater affront could not be put upon him.” (4.) You killed the prince of life. Observe the antithesis: “You preserved a murderer, a destroyer of life; and destroyed the Saviour, the author of life. You killed him who was sent to be to you the prince of life, and so not only forsook, but rebelled against your own mercies. You did an ungrateful thing, in taking away his life who would have been your life. You did a foolish thing to think you could conquer the prince of life, who has life in himself, and would soon resume the life he resigned.”
3. He attests his resurrection as before, ch. xi. 32. “You thought the prince of life might be deprived of his life, as any other prince might be deprived of his dignity and dominion, but you found yourselves mistaken, for God raised him from the dead; so that in putting him to death you fought against God, and were baffled. God raised him from the dead, and thereby ratified his demands, and confirmed his doctrine, and rolled away all the reproach of his sufferings, and for the truth of his resurrection we are all witnesses.“
4. He ascribes the cure of this impotent man to the power of Christ, (v. 16): His name, through faith in his name, in that discovery which he hath made of himself, has made this man strong. He repeats it again, The faith which is by him hath given him this soundness. Here, (1.) He appeals to themselves concerning the truth of the miracle; the man on whom it was wrought is one whom you see, and know, and have known; he was not acquainted with Peter and John before, so that there was no room to suspect a compact between them: “You know him to have been a cripple from a child. The miracle was wrought publicly, in the presence of you all; not in a corner, but in the gate of the temple; you saw in what manner it was done, so that there could be no juggle in it; you had liberty to examine it immediately, and may yet. The cure is complete; it is a perfect soundness; you see the man walks and leaps, as one that has no remainder either of weakness or pain.” (2.) He acquaints them with the power by which it was wrought. [1.] It is done by the name of Christ, not merely by naming it as a spell or charm, but it is done by us as professors and teachers of his name, by virtue of a commission and instructions we have received from him, and a power which he has invested us with, that name which Christ has above every name; his authority, his command has done it; as writs run in the king’s name, though it is an inferior officer that executes them. [2.] The power of Christ is fetched in through faith in his name, a confidence in him, a dependence on him, a believing application to him, and expectation from him, even that faith which is, di autou—by him, which is of his working; it is not of ourselves, it is the gift of Christ; and it is for his sake, that he may have the glory of it; for he is both the author and finisher of our faith. Dr. Lightfoot suggests that faith is twice named in this verse, because of the apostles’ faith in doing this miracle and the cripple’s faith in receiving it; but I suppose it relates chiefly, if not only, to the former. Those that wrought this miracle by faith derived power from Christ to work it, and therefore returned all the glory to him. By this true and just account of the miracle, Peter both confirmed the great gospel truth they were to preach to the world–that Jesus Christ is the fountain of all power and grace, and the great healer and Saviour–and recommended the great gospel duty of faith in him as the only way of receiving benefit by him. It explains likewise the great gospel mystery of our salvation by Christ; it is his name that justifies us, that glorious name of his, The Lord our righteousness; but we, in particular, are justified by that name, through faith in it, applying it to ourselves. Thus does Peter preach unto them Jesus, and him crucified, as a faithful friend of the bridegroom, to whose service and honour he devoted all his interest.
III. He encourages them to hope that, though they had been guilty of putting Christ to death, yet they might find mercy; he does all he can to convince them, yet is careful not to drive them to despair. The guilt was very great, but, 1. He mollifies their crime by a candid imputation of it to their ignorance. Perhaps he perceived by the countenance of his hearers that they were struck with great horror when he told them that they had killed the prince of life, and were ready either to sink down or to fly off, and therefore he saw it needful to mitigate the rigour of the charge by calling them brethren; and well might he call them so, for he had been himself a brother with them in this iniquity: he had denied the holy One and the Just, and sworn that he did not know him; he did it by surprise; “and, for your parts, I know that through ignorance you did it, as did also your rulers,” v. 17. This was the language of Peter’s charity, and teaches us to make the best of those whom we desire to make better. Peter had searched the wound to the bottom, and now he begins to think of healing it up, in order to which it is necessary to beget in them a good opinion of their physician; and could any thing be more winning than this? That which bears him out in it is that he has the example of his Master’s praying for his crucifiers, and pleading in their behalf that they knew not what they did. And it is said of the rulers that if they had known they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. See 1 Cor. ii. 8. Perhaps some of the rulers, and of the people, did therein rebel against the light and the convictions of their own consciences, and did it through malice; but the generality went down the stream, and did it through ignorance; as Paul persecuted the church, ignorantly, and in unbelief, 1 Tim. i. 13. 2. He mollifies the effects of their crime–the death of the prince of life; this sounds very dreadful, but it was according to the scriptures (v. 18), the predictions of which, though they did not necessitate their sin, yet did necessitate his sufferings; so he himself saith: Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer. You did it through ignorance may be taken in this sense: “You fulfilled the scripture, and did not know it; God, by your hands, hath fulfilled what he showed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer; this was his design in delivering him up to you, but you had views of your own, and were altogether ignorant of this design; you meant not so, neither did your heart think so. God was fulfilling the scripture when you were gratifying your own passions.” Observe, It was not only determined in the secret counsel of God, but declared to the world many ages before, by the mouth and pen of the prophets, that Christ should suffer, in order to the accomplishment of his undertaking; and it was God himself that showed it by them, who will see that his words be made good; what he showed he fulfilled, he so fulfilled as he had shown, punctually and exactly, without any variation. Now, though this is no extenuation at all of their sin in hating and persecuting Christ to the death (this still appears exceedingly sinful), yet it was an encouragement to them to repent, and hope for mercy upon their repentance; not only because in general God’s gracious designs were carried on by it (ant thus it agrees with the encouragement Joseph gave to his brethren, when they thought their offence against him almost unpardonable: Fear not, saith he, you thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good,Gen 50:15; Gen 50:20), but because in particular the death and sufferings of Christ were for the remission of sins, and the ground of that display of mercy for which he now encouraged them to hope.
IV. He exhorts them all to turn Christians, and assures them it would be unspeakably for their advantage to do so; it would be the making of them for ever. This is the application of his sermon.
1. He tells them what they must believe. (1.) They must believe that Jesus Christ is the promised see, that seed in which God had told Abraham all the kindreds of the earth should be blessed, v. 25. This refers to that promise made to Abraham (Gen. xii. 3), which promise was long ere it was fulfilled, but now at length had its accomplishment in this Jesus, who was of the seed of Abraham, according to the flesh, and in him all the families of the earth are blessed, and not the families of Israel only; all have some benefits by him, and some have all benefits. (2.) They must believe that Jesus Christ is a prophet, that prophet like unto Moses whom God had promised to raise up to them from among their brethren, v. 22. This refers to that promise, Deut. xviii. 18. Christ is a prophet, for by him God speaks unto us; in him all divine revelation centres, and by him it is handed to us; he is a prophet like unto Moses, a favourite of Heaven; more intimately acquainted with the divine counsel, and more familiarly conversed with, than any other prophet. He was a deliverer of his people out of bondage, and their guide through the wilderness, like Moses; a prince and a lawgiver, like Moses; the builder of the true tabernacle, as Moses was of the typical one. Moses was faithful as a servant, Christ as a Son. Moses was murmured against by Israel, defied by Pharaoh, yet God owned him, and ratified his commission. Moses was a pattern of meekness and patience, so is Christ. Moses died by the word of the Lord, so did Christ. There was no prophet like unto Moses (Num 12:6; Num 12:7; Deu 34:10), but a greater than Moses is here where Christ is. He is a prophet of God’s raising up, for he took not this honour of himself, but was called of God to it. He was raised up unto Israel in the first place. He executed this office in his own person among them only. They had the first offer of divine grace made to them; and therefore he was raised up from among them–of them, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, which, as it was a great honour done to them, so it was both an obligation upon them and an encouragement to them to embrace him. If he come to his own, one would think, they should receive him. The Old-Testament church was blessed with many prophets, with schools of prophets, for many ages with a constant succession of prophets (which is here taken notice of, from Samuel, and those that follow after, v. 24, for from Samuel the prophetic era commenced); but, these servants being abused, last of all God sent them his Son, who had been in his bosom. (3.) They must believe that times of refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord (v. 19), and that they will be the times of the restitution of all things, v. 21. There is a future state, another life after this; those times will come from the presence of the Lord, from his glorious appearance at that day, his coming at the end of time. The absence of the Lord occasions many of the securities of sinners and the distrusts of saints; but his presence is hastening on, which will for ever silence both. Behold, the Judge standeth before the door. The presence of the Lord will introduce, [1.] The restitution of all things (v. 21); the new heavens, and the new earth, which will be the product of the dissolution of all things (Rev. xxi. 1), the renovation of the whole creation, which is that which it grieves after, as its present burden under the sin of man is that which it groans under. Some understand this of a state on this side the end of time; but it is rather to be understood of that end of all things which God hath spoken of by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began; for this is that which Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of (Jude 14), and the temporal judgments which the other prophets foretold were typical of that which the apostle calls the eternal judgment. This is more clearly and plainly revealed in the New Testament than it had been before, and all that receive the gospel have an expectation of it. [2.] With this will come the times of refreshing (v. 19), of consolation to the Lord’s people, like a cool shade to those that have borne the burden and heat of the day. All Christians look for a rest that remains for the people of God, after the travails and toils of their present state, and, with the prospect of this, they are borne up under their present sufferings and carried on in their present services. The refreshing that then comes from the presence of the Lord will continue eternally in the presence of the Lord.
2. He tells them what they must do. (1.) They must repent, must bethink themselves of what they have done amiss, must return to their right mind, admit a second thought, and submit to the convictions of it; they must begin anew. Peter, who had himself denied Christ, repented, and he would have them to do so too. (2.) They must be converted, must face about, and direct both their faces and steps the contrary way to what they had been; they must return to the Lord their God, from whom they had revolted. It is not enough to repent of sin, but we must be converted from it, and not return to it again. They must not only exchange the profession of Judaism for that of Christianity, but the power and dominion of a carnal, worldly, sensual mind, for that of holy, heavenly, and divine principles and affections. (3.) They must hear Christ, the great prophet: “Him shall you hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. Attend his dictates, receive his doctrine, submit to his government. Hear him with a divine faith, as prophets should be heard, that come with a divine commission. Him shall you hear, and to him shall you subscribe with an implicit faith and obedience. Hear him in all things; let his laws govern all your actions, and his counsels determine all your submissions. Whenever he has a mouth to speak, you must have an ear to hear. Whatever he saith to you, though ever so displeasing to flesh and blood, bid it welcome.” Speak, Lord, for thy servant hears. A good reason is here given why we should be observant of, and obedient to, the word of Christ; for it is at our peril if we turn a deaf ear to his call and a stiff neck to his yoke (v. 23): Every soul that will not hear that prophet, and be directed by what he saith, shall be destroyed from among the people. The destruction of the city and nation, by war and famine, was threatened for slighting the prophets of the Old Testament; but the destruction of the soul, a spiritual and eternal destruction, is threatened for slighting Christ, this great prophet. Those that will not be advised by the Saviour can expect no other than to fall into the hands of the destroyer.
3. He tells them what they might expect.
(1.) That they should have the pardon of their sins; this is always spoken of as the great privilege of all those that embrace the gospel (v. 19): Repent, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out. This implies, [1.] That the remission of sin is the blotting of it out, as a cloud is blotted out by the beams of the sun (Isa. xliv. 22), as a debt is crossed and blotted out when it is remitted. It intimates that when God forgives sin he remembers it no more against the sinner; it is forgotten, as that which is blotted out; all the bitter things written against the sinner (Job xiii. 26) are wiped out as it were with a sponge; it is the cancelling of a bond, the vacating of a judgment. [2.] That we cannot expect our sins should be pardoned unless we repent of them, and turn from them to God. Though Christ has died to purchase the remission of sin, yet, that we may have the benefit of that purchase in the forgiveness of our sins, we must repent, and be converted: if no repentance, no remission. [3.] Hopes of the pardon of sin upon repentance should be a powerful inducement to us to repent. Repent, that your sins may be blotted out: and that repentance is evangelical which flows from an apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, and the hopes of pardon. This was the first and great argument, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. [4.] The most comfortable fruit of the forgiveness of our sins will be when the times of refreshing shall come; if our sins be forgiven us, we have now reason to be of good cheer; but the comfort will be complete when the pardon shall be allowed in open court, and our justification published before angels and men–when whom he has justified, them he glorifies, Rom. viii. 30. As now we are the sons of God (1 John iii. 2), so now we have our sins blotted out; but it doth not yet appear what are the blessed fruits of it, till the times of refreshing shall come. During these times of toil and conflict (doubts and fears within, troubles and dangers without) we cannot have that full satisfaction of our pardon, and in it, that we shall have when the refreshing times come, which shall wipe away all tears.
(2.) That they should have the comfort of Christ’s coming (Act 3:20; Act 3:21): “He shall send Jesus Christ, the same Jesus, the very same that before was preached unto you; for you must not expect another dispensation, another gospel, but the continuance and completion of this; you must not expect another prophet like unto Jesus, as Moses bade you expect another like unto him; for, though the heavens must receive him till the times of the restitution of all things; yet, if you repent and be converted, you shall find no want of him; some way or other he shall be seen of you.” [1.] We must not expect Christ’s personal presence with us in this world; for the heavens, which received him out of the sight of the disciples, must retain him till the end of time. To that seat of the blessed his bodily presence is confined, and will be to the end of time, the accomplishment of all things (so it may be read); and therefore those dishonour him, and deceive themselves, who dream of his corporal presence in the eucharist. It is agreeable to a state of trial and probation that the glorified Redeemer should be out of sight, because we must live by that faith in him which is the evidence of things not seen; because he must be believed on in the world, he must be received up into glory. Dr. Hammond reads it, Who must receive the heavens, that is, who must receive the glory and power of the upper world; he must reign till all be made subject to him,1Co 15:25; Psa 75:2. [2.] Yet it is promised that he shall be sent to all that repent and are converted (v. 20): “He shall send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you by his disciples, both before and since his resurrection, and is, and will be, all in all to them.” First, “You shall have his spiritual presence. He that is sent into the world shall be sent to you; you shall have the comfort of his being sent; he shall be sent among you in his gospel, which shall be his tabernacle, his chariot of war.” Secondly, “He shall send Jesus Christ to destroy Jerusalem, and the nation of unbelieving Jews, that are enemies to Christ and Christianity, and to deliver his ministers and people from them, and give them peace in the profession of the gospel, and that shall be a time of refreshing, in which you shall share.” Then had the churches rest; so Dr. Hammond. Thirdly, “The sending of Christ to judge the world, at the end of time, will be a blessing to you; you shall then lift up your heads with joy, knowing that your redemption draws nigh.” It seems to refer to this, for till then the heavens must receive him, v. 21. As God’s counsels from eternity, so his predictions from the beginning of time, had a reference to the transactions of the last day, when the mystery of God shall be finished, as he had declared to his servants the prophets, Rev. x. 7. The institution of all things in the church had an eye to the restitution of all things at the end of time.
4. He tells them what ground they had to expect these things, if they were converted to Christ. Though they had denied him, and put him to death, yet they might hope to find favour through him, upon the account of their being Israelites. For,
(1.) As Israelites, they had the monopoly of the grace of the Old Testament; they were, above any other, God’s favourite nation, and the favours God bestowed upon them were such as had a reference to the Messiah, and his kingdom: You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant. A double privilege. [1.] They were the children, that is, the disciples, of the prophets, as children at school; not sons of the prophets, in the sense that we read of such in the Old Testament, from Samuel and downward, who were, or are, trained up to be endued with the spirit of prophecy; but you are of that people from among whom prophets were raised up, and to whom prophets were sent. It is spoken of as a great favour to Israel that God raised up of their sons for prophets, Amos ii. 11. All the inspired writers, both of the Old and New Testament, were of the seed of Abraham; and it was their honour and advantage that unto them were committed the oracles of God, Rom. iii. 2. Their government was constituted by prophecy, that is, by divine revelation; and by it their affairs were for many ages very much managed. See Hos. xii. 13. By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved. Those of the latter ages of the church, when prophecy had ceased, might yet be fitly called the children of the prophets, because they heard, though they did not know, the voices of the prophets, which were read in their synagogues every sabbath day,Act 3:13; Act 3:27. Now this should quicken them to embrace Christ, and they might hope to be accepted of him; for their own prophets had foretold that this grace should be brought unto them at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Pet. i. 13), and therefore ought not to be neglected by them, nor should be denied to them. Those that are blessed with prophets and prophecy (as all are that have the scriptures) are concerned not to receive the grace of God therein in vain. We may apply it particularly to ministers’ children, who, if they plead their parentage effectually with themselves, as an inducement to be faithful and forward in religion, may comfortably plead it with God, and hope that the children of God’s servants shall continue. [2.] They were the children, that is, the heirs, of the covenant which God made with our Fathers, as children in the family. God’s covenant was made with Abraham and his seed, and they were that seed with whom the covenant was made, and on whom the blessings of the covenant were entailed: “The promise of the Messiah was made to you, and therefore if you forsake not your own mercies, and do not by an obstinate infidelity put a bar in your own door, you may hope it shall be made good to you.” That promise here mentioned, as the principal article of the covenant, In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed, though referring principally to Christ (Gal. iii. 16), yet may include the church also, which is his body, all believers, that are the spiritual seed of Abraham. All the kindreds of the earth were blessed in having a church for Christ among them; and those that were the seed of Abraham according to the flesh stood fairest for this privilege. If all the kindreds of the earth were to be blessed in Christ, much more that kindred, his kinsmen according to the flesh.
(2.) As Israelites, they had the first offer of the grace of the New Testament. Because they were the children of the prophets and the covenant, therefore to them the Redeemer was first sent, which was an encouragement to them to hope that if they did repent, and were converted, he should be yet further sent for their comfort (v. 20): He shall send Jesus Christ, for to you first he hath sent him, v. 26. Unto you first, you Jews, though not to you only, God, having raised up his Son Jesus, appointed and authorized him to be a prince and a Saviour, and, in confirmation of this, raised him from the dead, sent him to bless you, to make a tender of his blessing to you, especially that great blessing of turning every one of you from his iniquities; and therefore it concerns you to receive this blessing, and turn from your iniquities, and you may be encouraged to hope that you shall. [1.] We are here told whence Christ had his mission: God raised up his Son Jesus, and sent him. God raised him up when he constituted him a prophet, owned his by a voice from heaven, and filled him with his Spirit without measure, and then sent him; for to this end he raised him up, that he might be his commissioner to treat of peace. He sent him to bear witness of the truth, sent him to seek and save lost souls, sent him against his enemies, to conquer them. Some refer the raising of him up to the resurrection, which was the first step towards his exaltation; this was, as it were, the renewing of his commission; and though, having raised him up, he seemed presently to take him from us, yet he did really send him afresh to us in his gospel and Spirit. [2.] To whom he was sent: “Unto you first. You of the seed of Abraham, you that are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant, to you is the tender made of gospel grace.” The personal ministry of Christ, as that of the prophets, was confined to the Jews; he was not then sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and he forbade the disciples he then sent forth to go any further. After his resurrection, he was to be preached indeed to all nations, but they must begin at Jerusalem, Luke xxiv. 47. And, when they went to other nations, they first preached to the Jews they found therein. They were the first-born, and, as such, had the privilege of the first offer. So far were they from being excluded for their putting Christ to death, that, when he is risen, he is first sent to them, and they are primarily intended to have benefit by his death. [3.] On what errand he was sent: “He is sent to you first, to bless you; this is his primary errand, not to condemn you, as you deserve, but to justify you, if you will accept of the justification offered you, in the way wherein it is offered; but he that sends him first to bless you, if you refuse and reject that blessing, will send him to curse you with a curse,” Mal. iv. 6. Note, First, Christ’s errand into the world was to bless us, to bring a blessing with him, for the Sun of righteousness rose with healing under his wings; and, when he left the world, he left a blessing behind him for he was parted from the disciples as he blessed them, Luke xxiv. 51. He sent his Spirit to be the great blessing, the blessing of blessings, Isa. xliv. 3. It is by Christ that God sends blessings to us, and through him only we can expect to receive them. Secondly, The great blessing wherewith Christ came to bless us was the turning of us away from our iniquities, the saving of us from our sins (Matt. i. 21), to turn us from sin, that we may be qualified to receive all other blessings. Sin is that to which naturally we cleave; the design of divine grace is to turn us from it, nay, to turn us against it, that we may not only forsake it, but hate it. The gospel has a direct tendency to do this, not only as it requires us, every one of us, to turn from our iniquities, but as it promises us grace to enable us to do so. “Therefore, do your part; repent, and be converted, because Christ is ready to do his, in turning you from your iniquities, and so blessing you.”
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Answered (). First aorist middle indicative. The people looked their amazement and Peter answered that.
Ye men of Israel ( ). Covenant name and so conciliatory, the stock of Israel (Php 3:5).
At this man ( ). Probably so, though it could be “at this thing.”
Fasten you your eyes (). The very verb used about Peter in verse 4.
On us (). Dative case, emphatic proleptical position before .
On us why do ye fasten your eyes? As though (). H with the participle gives the alleged reason, not always the true one.
Power (). Instrumental case, causa effectiva.
Godliness (). Causa meritoria.
Had made (). Perfect active participle of .
To walk ( ). Articular infinitive in the genitive case of result, purpose easily shading off into result (ecbatic infinitive) as here as is true also of .
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
He answered. The question expressed in the people’s explanations of surprise.
Men of Israel. Lit., men, Israelites. An honorable and conciliatory form of address. The term Israelite gradually gave place to that of Jew; but Israel was the sacred name for the Jews, as the nation of the theocracy, the people under God ‘s covenant, and hence was for the Jew his especial badge and title of honor. “To be descendants of Abraham, this honor they must share with the Ishmaelites; of Abraham and Isaac, with the Edomites; but none except themselves were the seed of Jacob, such as in this name of Israelite they were declared to be. Nor was this all, but more gloriously still, their descent was herein traced up to him, not as he was Jacob, but as he was Israel, who, as a prince, had power with God and with men, and had prevailed” (Trench, “Synonyms “). So Paul, in enumerating to the Philippians his claims to have confidence in the flesh, says he was” of the stock of Israel. ” It is said that the modern Jews in the East still delight in this title.
Our own [] . See on ch. Act 1:7.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
Peter’s Second Sermon – at Solomon’s Porch Theme -Christ to Fulfill the Divine Covenants, V. 12-26
1) “And when Peter saw it,” (idon de ho Petros) “So when Peter recognized (perceived) what was happening,” manifest in physical form, by the masses who were rushing into the temple area of Solomon’s porch.
2) “He answered unto the people,” (apekrinato pros ton laon) “He responded to the people,” or answered their multiple inquiries, inquiries raised and heard throughout the amazed, wondering, inquiring multitudes. Peter was now ready to give a reason to every man that inquired of the hope in him, 1Pe 2:15.
3) “Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this?” (andres Israelitai ti thaumazete epi touto) “Men, Israelites, why do you all marvel upon what has happened to this man?” That the men of Israel marveled, were amazed, or astounded, was clear to all. For they were amazed at the mighty works and power of God thru the church, Act 2:12; Luk 9:43.
4) “Or why look ye so earnestly on us?” (he hemin ti atenizete) “Or why do you all gaze (at us),” stare or scrutinize us the apostles and witnesses of the Lord, thru His obedient and newly Holy Spirit empowered church company, Luk 24:49; Act 1:8.
5) “As though by our own power or holiness,” (hos idia dunamei he eusebeia) “As (if) by our own power (dynamics) or our own special piety,” our self-originating godliness. They did not take to themselves honor that belonged to God, as Herod later did, and was eaten of worms, (maggots) till he died, Act 12:20-24.
6) “We had made this man to walk?” (pepoiekosin tou peripatein auton) “We are having made him to walk and keep on walking around?” By the Spirit of might (mighty gift power from God) they did this and took not glory to themselves, Zec 4:6; 1Co 10:31.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
12. Men of Israel He beginneth his sermon with a reproving of the people. And yet doth he not simply reprove them because they wonder; for that was altogether profitable and worthy praise; but because they do wickedly ascribe unto men that praise which is due to the work of God. As if he should say, Ye do amiss, in that you stay in us, and stand gazing upon us, whereas you ought rather to look upon God and Christ. Therefore, this is to be amazed evilly, when as our minds do stay in men. And we must note that he condemneth the respect of men; as if, saith he, we by our own power and virtue had done this. Therefore there is an error and corruption in this, if we attribute that unto the godliness and power of men which is proper to God and Christ. And, as concerning power, no man will deny that it cometh of God; yet when they have confessed this in one word, they do not cease to take from God his right, to the end they may adorn the creatures with that which they take from him; as we see the Papists place the power of God in the saints; yea, they include his power in a stone or stock of wood, so soon as the image is consecrated to Barbara or Chrysogonus. But, notwithstanding, let us suppose that they do not offend in that former member; yet do they foolishly think that they have done their duty toward God, when as they leave him the power, and assign the miracles unto the godliness of saints. For why do they run unto them, when they will obtain either rain or fair weather, or be delivered from diseases, unless they do imagine that they have by their godliness deserved that God should grant them this right and privilege? This is, therefore, but a childish starting-hole, (180) when they confess that God is the author of the power; but they thank the godliness of saints for those benefits which they have received. Howsoever they color the matter, we must always know this, that Peter doth generally condemn those which do so look unto men in miracles, that they think that their holiness is the cause thereof. This is the first part of the sermon, wherein he reproveth superstition. And we must note his manner and order of teaching. For because men are inclined to nothing more than to fall from God unto the creatures, it is very expedient to prevent this vice in time. And if the people were forbidden to look unto the apostles, much more doth the Spirit draw us away from calling upon every petty saint.
(180) “ Effugium,” evasion or subterfuge.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(12) Why look ye so earnestly on us?The verb is the same as that in Act. 3:4. The pronoun stands emphatically at the beginning of the verseWhy is it on us that ye gaze?
As though by our own. . . . holiness. . . .Better, purity, or devotion. The words refer to what may be called the popular theory of miracles, that if a man were devout, i.e., a worshipper of God, God would hear him (Joh. 9:31). That theory might be true in itself generally, but the Apostle disclaims it in this special instance. No purity of his own would have availed, but for the Name, i.e., the power, of Jesus of Nazareth.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2. Peter’s Third Speech that in Solomon’s Porch , Act 3:12-26 .
Peter promptly avails himself, in this bold speech, (made perhaps from some elevated platform or position in the porch,) of the great excitement to base Christ upon this miracle. Do you ask what this miracle means? It declares that your Messiah, by whose power it was alone done, has come to you, even He whom you have slain, Act 3:13-18. The momentous inference is, that you must repent of your crime against him and submit yourselves to his divine authority, Act 3:19-26.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And when Peter saw it, he answered, saying to the people, “You men of Israel, why do you marvel at this man? or why do you fasten your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him to walk?” ’
Peter immediately turns the people’s gaze away from himself. ‘You men of Israel.’ The call is to all Israel to face up to Jesus. They had seen Him walking among them constantly doing such miracles. Why then were they marvelling? Rather they should be saying, ‘Jesus is still among us’. Why were they looking at Peter and John when they should be recognising Whose power and godliness had made this man walk? Their eyes were turned in the wrong direction.
How easily Peter and John could have basked in the admiration of the crowds. But they did not even think of that. Indeed their one concern was that the thoughts of the crowds were fixed in the wrong place. They wanted them to be fixed on the Name of Jesus.
‘Our own power or godliness.’ It was believed that men who were especially pious were sometimes able to perform miracles. The word for ‘power’ is dunamis, raw power revealed in action.
The words that follow reveal an interesting pattern. It is instructive to look at Peter’s speech here as a whole.
a The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up,
b You denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted unto you, and killed the Archegos (Author and Sustainer, one in authority who starts something and sees it through) of life, whom God raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.
c And by faith in his name has his name made this man strong, whom you behold and know, yes, the faith which is through him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
d And now, brethren, I know that in ignorance you did it, as did also your rulers.
d But the things which God foreshowed by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled.
c Repent you therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that so there may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ who has been appointed for you, even Jesus, whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, whereof God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets that have been from of old.
b Moses indeed said, A prophet shall the Lord God raise up unto you from among your brethren, like unto me. To him shall you hearken in all things whatsoever he shall speak unto you. And it shall be, that every soul that shall not hearken to that prophet, shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.
a Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and them that followed after, as many as have spoken, they also told of these days. You are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Servant, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.
It will be noted that in ‘a’ he begins and closes by turning their thoughts towards Abraham, and connects Him with the Servant. That he then in ‘b’ indicates that they have ignored God’s holy and righteous One while in the parallel they are not to refuse to listen to the words of God’s Prophet. In ‘c’ he points out that what is required is a response of faith in His name which makes whole and in the parallel calls for repentance to salvation. And in ‘d’ they did it in ignorance but in the parallel God foreshowed it by the mouth of His prophets.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Peter’s Second Proclamation to the People (3:12-26).
As in his first message Peter first refers back to the past, but this time it is to ‘the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob’, the ones who had received from God the promise of blessing (compare Act 3:25). He wants the people to know that they bring no new god. Jesus’ God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the One Who delivered His people from Egypt (Exo 3:6). Then he goes on to describe Jesus as the Servant of God referred to by Isaiah, Who had come and had been rejected by them (Isa 50:4-9) and had been slain (Isa 53:1-12), and refers to the Scriptures that have therefore now been fulfilled, declaring Him to be the Messiah, and calls on them to repent so that God may then give them the everlasting Kingly Rule of God through His Messiah Jesus. He finishes by confirming that Jesus is God’s great expected Prophet whom they must listen to, and His Servant Who can deliver them from sin. He wants it known that all that he is saying is in line with the teaching of the prophets.
But having stressed the central agreement of the content of the two speeches we must also recognise their essential differences. For the two messages take two different lines of argument and refer back to different Scriptures in order to prove different points. Unlike in Acts 2 there is here no attempt to prove the resurrection from Scripture. Rather the stress is on the fact of prophecies concerning Jesus’ suffering and those which promise the blessing of Abraham. Here His Messiahship is related to the Servant of God in Isaiah rather than to David who is unmentioned except by implication. However, the overall message is unquestionably the same, as we would expect if both were by Peter.
The change is apposite. In the first speech, in the light of the experience of Pentecost, the regal aspect came through. The King was on His throne. He was Lord and Messiah. But here in the light of man’s weakness and need, it is the Servant aspect that shines through, the idea of the One Who had come among men to serve. Each speech admirably fits its occasion.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Address of Peter in the Temple.
An emphatic application of the Law:
v. 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?
v. 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.
v. 14. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
v. 15. and killed the Prince of Life, whom God hath raised from the dead, whereof we are witnesses. In this account, as well as in that of the previous Chapter, one must marvel at the boldness of Peter. He who but a few weeks before had quailed before the scorn of a maid-servant and shamefully denied his Master, here speaks in the presence of a great multitude, in the Temple-hall itself, and throws the accusation of murder into the teeth of the Jews. Peter saw with dismay that the admiration of the people was directed toward John and himself. And so he proceeds at once to correct this false idea. The men of Jerusalem should not be filled with surprise and wonder, nor should they stare at them as though in their own power or on account of their own holiness they had caused the man to walk. Peter denies that he and John possessed either such a physical power as the people imagined, or such a worthy condition and ability of the soul. The admiration of the people should be directed to the real Author of the miracle, whose unworthy agents and servants the apostles but were. And in giving the glory to the heavenly Father and the exalted Christ alone, Peter brings out the guilt of the Jews all the more strongly. The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, of whom the Jews were wont boastfully to speak as the God of their fathers, had glorified His Child, His Son, in this miracle, for it was performed in the name, in the power, of Jesus Christ. In glaring contrast to this truth stood the fact that they had delivered Jesus into the power of the Roman governor, and had heaped shame and abuse upon Him. The Jews had blasphemously denied their Lord before Pilate; the heathen judge had been ready to give Him His liberty. The Holy and Just One, the only person that truly merited these attributes in all the wide world, the Jews had denied; they had demanded, with every form of cajolery and threat, that a murderous person be granted to them as a Passover boon, that Barabbas be released to them. The Jews had killed, murdered, Jesus; and He was the Prince of Life, the Author, the Source of life. Over against the entire behavior of the Jews, therefore, stands the manner of God’s witnessing for Jesus, whom He has raised from the dead, a fact to which all the apostles could bear most emphatic witness. Thus only the miracle could be explained.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Act 3:12 . ] he began to speak , as a reply to the astonishment and concourse of the people, which thereby practically expressed the wish for an explanation. See on Mat 11:25 . Observe the honourable address, . ., as in Act 2:22 , Act 5:35 , Act 13:16 , Act 21:28 .
;] The wonder of the people, namely, was unfounded, in so far as they regarded the healing as an effect of the . of the apostles themselves.
] is neuter; see Act 3:10 : at this . As to the , an , introducing the second question, observe that the course of thought without interrogation is as follows: Your astonishment is groundless, provided that you were reasonably entitled to regard us as the workers of this cure. The is accordingly: or else , if you think that you must wonder why, etc.
emphatically prefixed: is then correlative.
] “quasi sit praemium pietatis nostrae a Deo nobis concessum,” Heinrichs. In us lies neither the causa effectiva nor the causa meritoria .
. ] to be taken together: as if we had been at work, in order that he might walk . That this telic designation of that which was done is given with the genitive of the infinitive , is certainly to be traced to the frequent use of this form of expression in the LXX. (see Winer, p. 306 [E. T. 410]); but the conception of the aim is not on that account to be obliterated as the defining element of the expression, especially as even in classical writers this mode of conception is found, and presents itself in the expression . See, e.g. , Herod, 1. 117: , , v. 109, i. 209. Comp. , Krger on Thuc. i. 56. The is conceived as striving .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
Chapter 10
Prayer
Almighty God, we pray thee in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord to work thy wonders in our hearts, and to make us signs and tokens unto all the people. May the change in us be so great that all who have known us aforetime may marvel at the mighty power of thy grace. Enable us to live the heavenly life whilst we are yet upon earth; to speak thy Word; to answer all the intimations of thy purpose; and to respond in one continual answer of obedience to all thy holy will. We rejoice that we are thine in Christ. Thou hast caused us to undergo the vital change which makes us sons of God. We are no more strangers and foreigners; nor are we wandering prodigals, aliens, outcast. We are the children of the living God. We are part of the whole family in heaven and on earth. And this is of the Lord’s mercy, and not of our will. Thou hast recovered us from our fall. We stand in thy house with the light of heaven beaming upon our life because of thy goodness. We therefore praise thee in our song; we lift up our hearts joyously to bless the Lord for all his benefits towards us; and we take heart again, and will pursue our way to the end, confiding solely in thy grace and strength. Thou dost love us, every one. Thou hast sent thy Son to bless us. The Son of Man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. We therefore look unto him who is our salvation. We trust in his Cross; we look towards the mighty sacrifice which he rendered; and, because of the infiniteness of his love, we stand before thee this day, confident that thou wilt not forsake us, and sure of thine eternal regard.
We come with many wants, and yet all our necessities are one. If thou wilt grant us thy peace, then shall all our life be quiet. Our necessities shall be supplied; the sting of pain shall be taken out of our heart; and in our mouth there shall be a new and living song. Comfort us in all the way of the wilderness. The miles are long; the way is often dreary; all thy clouds sometimes gather over head, and look down upon us with infinite threatening, and we know not which way to take in the darkness. Speak comfortably to our hearts in such hours of gloom, and save us from the weakness and the bondage of despair. Surely we see thee all the day long. Thou dost shine in the morning dawn, and at eventide the stars glitter because of thy nearness; and between the rising of the sun and the going down of the same, is not thy providence a continual miracle? Thine hand is opened in bounteousness; thine eyes melt with pity; the outgoing of thine heart towards us is a continual redemption. We confess our sins, we mourn the hardness of our hearts. “Surely,” we have said, “our stubbornness is now subdued, and in tenderness and filial love we will walk before the Lord all the days of our life.” And behold, the enemy returns, the fire of hell is rekindled, and all our hopes are cast down. But thou delightest to forgive. The fulness of thy pardon is as the fulness of the sea. Thy mercy endureth for ever.
We pray to be fed with the bread of life. Lord, evermore give us this bread. So strengthen our minds by daily communications of truth, and so uphold our hearts by continual supplies of grace, that our walk may be steadfast before the Lord, that our spirit may show itself to be continually waiting upon God.
We pray always for one another; that the dumb may speak; that the deaf may hear; that all who are carried from thy fold may return because of recovered strength. Magnify thy grace in our experience; so destroy the power of the Enemy that we shall forget his existence, and so release us from all anxiety, and from all secondary attachments, as to bind us in constancy of love to the worship of thy name, and the study of thy word. Lift the burden from the back that is too weak to bear it. Touch with thine own fingers the tears which we dare not approach. Send into every heart some angel to speak of Jesus and the Resurrection. And, when the day shall close around us, and shall no longer be passing before us, but shall become a memory of the heart, may the recollection of this sacred day abide with us, a continual peace, and a continual inspiration. Amen.
Act 3:12-26
12. And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this [man]? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
13. The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers hath glorified his Son [servant: Isa 42:1 ] Jesus: whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined [had decided] to let him go.
14. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you.
15. And killed the Prince [the same word is rendered Author in Heb 12:2 ] of Life, whom God hath raised from the dead [better, raised once for all]; whereof we are witnesses.
16. And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness [completeness; the only place in the New Testament in which the word occurs] in the presence of you all.
17. And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did your rulers.
18. But those things, which God before had showed by the mouth of all [all is omitted by the east MSS.] his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
19. Repent [change your minds] ye therefore, and be converted [this word “converted” occurs eleven times in the Acts], that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
20. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you.
21. Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution [the only instance of the word] of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
22. For Moses truly [indeed] said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
23. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
24. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
25. Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
26. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
A Greater Miracle
THIS speech is a greater miracle than the cure of a lame man, in connection with which it was spoken. The great miracles are all wrought within. To heal a man with lame feet and weak ankle bones is a very small thing compared to the utterance of this eloquent and thrilling address. Compare Peter before the Resurrection with the Peter of this speech, and tell me what has happened. Surely a great cure has been wrought upon him. Who would have known the man again the ardent, impulsive, often-blundering Peter of the pre-resurrection period? Who could have thought that ever he would have dawned into such glory, and have broken forth into such fluent and noble eloquence? Up to this time all his sentences have been broken; his speech has rather been timid with the spirit of an enquirer; we have never found in him, except upon one occasion, the boldness of an inspired expositor. But now he takes the case in hand with masterly completeness and ease, and fearing no man, because not speaking the words of man, he explains the position and vindicates it at every point with sublime and telling effect.
Peter was no conjuror. In himself the miracle had first been wrought, therefore, to work a second miracle upon the lame man became a commonplace to apostolic power. You cannot work miracles, because you yourselves are not miracles. We are but mechanical reformers; we approach the whole case from the outside, and with many a lame suggestion we attempt to mend the world’s sad condition. We must be greater ourselves than any work which it is possible for ourselves to do. When we attain that superiority over our own efforts, when Peter is a greater miracle than Peter’s cure, we shall see lame men leap up on every side, and behold them walking, and hear their loud thrilling songs of thankfulness because of recovered hope and newly-given strength.
In this speech Peter vindicated his apostolic primacy. You might have asked questions concerning Peter’s superiority before, but after this speech every objection must be hushed. Its grandeur is so superlative, its strength is so massive, its simplicity is so frank, its mastery is so abounding, that when the grand voice ceases all men feel that the first place belongs to Simon Peter. Any primacy that is not based on merit must go down. For a time you may bolster up a man, you may preach him up, you may, in many ways, contribute to his transient primacy; but any superiority of position that is not based upon fundamental and vital merit falls before the testing touch of circumstances, and before the impartial test of time. So let this Book of God stand or fall. The priests cannot keep it up, though they be robed with white garments and crowned, and have staves and mitres in their hands. Parliaments and thrones cannot give the Bible its lasting primacy over human thought and human actions. If the inspiration be not in the Book itself you cannot communicate it; and if the inspiration really be in the Book itself you can never talk it down. By force you may quiet it for a time; but truth is eternal, it returns. Men leave it, supposing it to be dead, but it rises and reasserts its sovereignty.
Thus our position is a very independent one as regards the Bible, and as regards all the miracles which the Bible records. I do not receive the Bible because it is recommended to me by official authority. The Bible commends itself to me. It affrights me, it charms me; it appalls me by the outflashing of sudden light and unexpected glory, so that I run away from the dazzling revelation. Then it seeks me when I am weary, and lonely, and sad, and hopeless; and when all life has gathered itself into the image of a deep, grim grave. Then it talks to me as no other book can talk. So, as Peter’s primacy rests on Peter’s sovereign power of mind, and sovereign power of moral influence, so the primacy of the Bible over all other books rests upon what the Bible itself can do beyond all other books to give light and strength and hope to human life.
The danger is that we be not just to such men as Peter. We may take this speech as a mere matter of course. It is so that we take too many speeches. We hear an eloquent man drop sentence after sentence of singular beauty, and think that he does so simply as a matter of course. In every such sentence there is a drop of sacrificial blood. The sentences that move the world and live through all time are heart-drops. The foolish hearer may allow them to pass without recognition or appreciation, but those who have spent long time in the sanctuary of thought, and have often bowed themselves down at the altar with wonder, will recognize in such speeches as Peter’s the very grace and glory of Divine truth. Consider what this man was; how he had been brought up; how often he had stumbled and blundered; how the inspired writers never shrink from telling his mistakes and sins. Then see him, in the presence and hearing it may have been of the most learned men of his day, giving this exposition and no other. Do not go beyond the four walls of the case itself, and upon this speech you may risk your greatest and deepest commendation of Peter as a thinker, as a saint, as an apostle, as an expositor of heavenly mysteries. To such men the world owes all its higher wealth.
True eloquence is forced out of men. This speech was not a prepared oration. It was not something which he took from his secret place and read, as if the whole trick had been arranged the cure, and the wonder, and the eloquence. The sermon was as extemporaneous as was the event itself. This eloquence came out of the circumstances which had just transpired. The looking people make the eloquent preacher. All the people fastened their eyes upon Peter and John; and, as the lame man had drawn out of Peter spiritual power by his magnetic look, so the people drew out of Peter still higher power by their marvelling their sceptical yet gracious wonder. In reply to that wonder, see how Peter declines any merely public primacy based on purely personal considerations. Peter stood before the people, not in his personal capacity, but in his representative capacity. Said he, “This is not our doing.” “Whose doing is it?” “It is the Lord’s doing; and it is marvellous in our eyes.” And, with the infinite cunning of inspired wisdom, he magnified the occasion by attaching the miracle to the omnipotence of a God about whose existence the Jew had no doubt. Said he, “The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified His Son, Jesus.” The Apostles did not snatch at praise for themselves. The original leaders of Christian thought and sentiment did not leap upon pedestals which the people, in their idolatrous wonder and love, set up as temptations in their way. They maintained their royal supremacy, their all-dominating sovereignty, by operating in the presence of the people merely as the servants and instruments of God. We must return to that allegiance to the Divine name and throne. The books you have written were written by the finger of God, in so far as they are true, and wise, and useful. The lives you have lived you have lived by faith in the Son of God, in so far as they have been true, beneficent, and honorable. You must resent merely personal eulogium. Accept it as an encouragement in the meantime; lift the wondering eyes from yourself to God, and you shall have added power every day.
Not only does Peter decline the implied eulogium of the wondering look, he takes upon himself to cut the people to pieces. No great progress can be made in moral reform until our apostles slay us. Flattery will do nothing for us at most, will but mislead or bewilder us. We want knife work; we want to be pierced to the heart, told our sins one by one, and brought to the bar of judgment man by man, like so many hopeless and self-condemned criminals. Hear his speech in proof of what I have said. Speaking of Jesus Christ, he says, “Whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate…. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; and killed the Prince of Life.” That man must succeed in his ministry, or he must be killed! Such a speaker of such an address cannot occupy a middle position. A man who so assails his contemporaries must have a good cause with which to sustain his heart and renew his courage, or he will be borne down, and the heel of the insulted public shall bruise his head. When did the Apostles speak with bated breath and whispering humbleness? When did they try to make the best of the case by appeasing the spirit of the people, and by an endeavor to placate sensibilities which had been strongly excited? They never lowered the tone of their impeachment. Christ’s death was never less than a murder, and the men who had taken part in the Crucifixion were never treated as other than murderers. There is no euphemism here; there is no attempt here at the smoothing down of very harsh asperities. On the contrary, we have here the bitter, stern, tragical, truth, and that truth has to be repeated day by day, and age by age, until every man feels that he himself has been the murderer of Christ.
So we come back to a truth with which this message has made us familiar. We are not to put away the Crucifixion as an historical circumstance, nineteen or twenty centuries old. The Crucifixion takes place every day, and every day we nail the Son of God to the Cross. Realize this circumstance, let all its teaching sink deeply into our hearts, and there will go up the old cry of contrition and self-condemnation, and after it will come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord.
In the 17th verse the tone changes with wondrous skill. The Gospel is not an impeachment only it is an offer. Peter says, “I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers;” and he introduces this new phase of the subject with a word which united himself with the people he called those who heard him by the name of “brethren.” “And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.” Is that a novel suggestion on the part of Peter himself? Has he been considering how to extricate these people from the awfulness of their position? Nothing of the kind. This 17th verse repeats the very prayer of Christ Himself upon the Cross. When Jesus was dying he said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Peter, following along the same line of thought, says, “I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.” So he opens a great door of hope. The Church ought to be fertile in its invention of opportunities for the worst men to return. Sometimes the Church may suggest reflections which the self-condemned man dare not originate in his own heart. Drop a word of hope wherever you can. Tell the very worst man that the door of hope, if not wide open, is yet ajar, and that the very faintest touch of his fingers will cause it to fall back to the very wall. Learn from apostolic preaching the true range and power of apostolic eloquence. Nothing could be sterner than his words, and yet nothing could be more hopeful than the application of those words. In reality, Peter said to those who were about him, “Begin again. Leave your ignorance behind you. Now take a true view of the case, and under this newly-dawning light fall down before God and ask his pardon.”
Then comes the grand exhortation in which we find the keyword of apostolic preaching, and the secret of apostolic success, and that word is found at the beginning of the 19th verse, “Repent.” That is a word which the Church has lost. If now and again we use the word “repent,” we use it as a common word, and do not throw into it all the soul’s urgency. It has worked wonders in days of old. It is like the sword of which David said, “Give me that; there is none like it.” This word “repent” goes to the root and to the reality of the case. Who has repented? I do not ask who has been alarmed by threatened consequences, and who, in order to escape a penalty, denounced in emphatic language, has professed a change of habit and of purpose. My question is a deeper one. Who has felt heart-brokenness on account of sin? real, genuine contrition on account of spiritual offence against God? Have we not forgotten that old word “repent” in its original signification and uses. Has the Church become too dainty in her tongue to use such words? The word “repent” is a multitudinous word: it carries many other words with it. It is a challenge, an accusation, a threatening, a hope, a law, a gospel. Truly, this word is a polysyllable in its theological suggestions, and therefore ought to be often opened out and examined, and its infinite treasures ought to be well weighed and estimated by the Christian thinker.
There is another word in the 19th verse of as much importance as the word “repent;” that word is “therefore.” You would not suppose the word “therefore” was a very important one; yet I hold it to be as important as any other word in the whole text. It refers to the historical and logical argument upon which Christianity is founded. “Therefore” is a logical term. “Therefore” indicates the issue and effect of an argument. “Therefore” is a word which is not given first, but last; and it carries in itself the meaning and the force of all that has preceded. Peter then, having gone back to “the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers,” and having traced the history of the Crucifixion, and having explained the secret by which the lame man had been healed the secret of faith in the name of the Son of God and having pointed to the probable ignorance of those who had crucified the Saviour, and having shown that all this Christian idea was a fulfilment of words spoken by the mouth of all God’s prophets, he gathers himself up in this one supreme effort, and, with the masterliness of an inspired preacher he says, “Repent ye, therefore” for no sentimental reasons, but on historical grounds on the ground of the ancient dealings of God with his people, and because of the culmination of those dealings in the recovery of the man who is standing there, the living proof of an undisputed miracle.
Then, after his wont, Peter’s speech proceeds like a deep, broad river full of wisdom, full of thought, full of hope, full of sympathy, and he ends with these warm words, “Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you.” Apostolic preaching was tender; apostolic preaching touched the soul of the hearer, the wound of the spirit, with a most delicate hand. Apostolic preaching was religious preaching, spiritual preaching, personal preaching, direct preaching, and it kept itself to this one theme the turning away men from their iniquities. And because it did so it turned the world upside down. Preacher of the Living God, come back from all intellectual vagaries, romances, and dreamings, and stand to your one work of accusing men of sins, accusing yourself first and most deeply, and then revealing the living Son of God, who came with one purpose only, the purpose of blessing men not by giving them new ideas, not by giving them stolen comfort, not by tampering with their moral position, but by “turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” Blessing and iniquity never can co-exist in the same heart. The iniquity must go, then the blessing will come. The wickedness must depart, and then angels will hasten into the soul from which it has gone out. Let us know, believe, and say from time to time with frankest speech that no man can really be blessed who has not been turned from his iniquities. Ye cannot drink the cup of God and the cup of devils.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
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?
Ver. 12. Why look ye ] We are ready to pay our rent to a wrong landlord.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
12 . ] viz. to their expressions of astonishment implied in . See Mat 11:25 . never signifies ‘ made an address ,’ as Bloomf.; but always ‘answered:’ cf. ch. Act 5:8 , note. This second discourse of Peter may be thus divided: This is no work of ours, but of God, for the glorifying of Jesus , Act 3:12-13 : whom ye denied and killed, but God hath raised up , Act 3:13-15 : through whose name this man is made whole , Act 3:16 : ye did it in ignorance, but God thereby fulfilled His counsel , Act 3:17-18 . Exhortation to repent, that ye may be forgiven, and saved by this Jesus Christ at His coming , Act 3:19-21 ; whose times have been the subject of prophecy from the first , Act 3:21 . Citations to prove this , Act 3:22-24 ; its immediate application to the hearers, as Jews , Act 3:25-26 . There the discourse seems to be broken off, as ch. Act 4:1 relates.
] not, at this (event): but at this man , compare below, which would not be used at the first mention of one then present .
Their error was not the wonder itself, though even that would shew ignorance and weakness of faith, for it was truly no wonderful thing that had happened, viewed by a believer in Jesus, but their wondering at the Apostles , as if they had done it by their own power. ‘Ergo,’ says Calvin, ‘hoc est perperam obstupescere, quum in hominibus mentes nostr subsistunt.’
, power , such as magical craft , or any other supposed means of working miracles: meritorious efficacy with God, so as to have obtained this from Him on our own account . The distinction is important: ‘ holiness ,’ of the E. V., is not expressive of ., which bears in it the idea of operative, cultive piety, rather than of inherent character .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 3:12 . This address of St. Peter divides itself into two parts, 12 16, 17 26, and although it covers much of the same ground as in chap. 2, there is no need to regard it with Overbeck and Holtzmann as unhistorical: see Blass, in loco , and Feine; the latter points out that St. Peter would naturally, as in chap. 3, take the incident before him as his text, place it in its right light, and draw from it an appeal to repentance and conversion. But whilst we may grant the common and identical aim of the two discourses, to proclaim the Messiahship of Jesus before the Jews, none can fail to see that in chap. 3 the Messianic idea becomes richer and fuller. Jesus is the prophet greater than Moses: Jesus is the fulfilment of the Abrahamic covenant, through which the blessing of Abraham is to extend to all the earth, Mat 8:11 . And more than this: St. Peter has learnt to see in the despised Nazarene not only the suffering servant of Jehovah ( ), but in the servant the King, and in the seed of David the Prince of Life. And in the light of that revelation the future opens out more clearly before him, and he becomes the first prophet in the Messianic age the spiritual presence which the believers now enjoyed, and by which those mighty deeds are wrought, is only a foretaste of a more visible and glorious Presence, when the Messiah should return in His glory; and for that return repentance and remission of sins must prepare the way (see Briggs, Messiah of the Apostles , pp. 31, 32). On St. Peter’s discourses see additional note at end of chapter. : cf. Luk 13:14 ; Luk 14:3 , answered, i.e. , to their looks of astonishment and inquiry. The middle voice as here, which would be the classical usuage, is seldom found in the N.T., but generally the passive aorist, , and so in the LXX. “In Biblical Greek the middle voice is dying, in modern Greek it is dead,” Plummer. Thus in modern Greek, in the passive = to answer, Kennedy, Sources of N. T. Greek , p. 155, and Blass, Grammatik des N. G. , p. 44. : this use of the infinitive with the genitive of the article, instead of the simple infinitive with or without , to express a purpose, or result as here: “non de consilio sed de eventu” (Blass), may be illustrated from the LXX, Gen 37:18 , Gen 37:1 Chron. 44:6, Isa 5:6 . : “godliness,” R.V., as always elsewhere in A.V., i.e. , by our piety towards God, as always in the Bible, although may be used like the Latin pietas of piety towards parents or others, as well as of piety towards God. It is frequently used in the LXX of reverence towards God, , so too in Josephus, , cf. Pro 1:7 ; Pro 13:11 , Isa 11:2 , Wis 10:12 , and often in 4 Macc. In Trench, N. T. Synonyms , ii., p. 196, and Grimm-Thayer, sub v . In the N.T. the word is used, in addition to its use here, by St. Paul ten times in the Pastoral Epistles, and it is found no less than four times in 2 Peter, but nowhere else. St. Chrysostom, Hom. ix., comments: “Do you see how clear of all ambition he is, and how he repels the honour paid to him?” so too Joseph: Do not interpretations belong to God?
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Ye men of Israel. Literally Men, Israelites. See note on Act 1:11.
look ye so earnestly. Greek. atenizo, App-133.
on = to.
power. Greek. dunamis. App-172.
holiness = godliness. Compare App-137.
this man = him.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
12. ] viz. to their expressions of astonishment implied in . See Mat 11:25. never signifies made an address, as Bloomf.; but always answered: cf. ch. Act 5:8, note. This second discourse of Peter may be thus divided: This is no work of ours, but of God, for the glorifying of Jesus, Act 3:12-13 :-whom ye denied and killed, but God hath raised up, Act 3:13-15 :-through whose name this man is made whole, Act 3:16 :-ye did it in ignorance, but God thereby fulfilled His counsel, Act 3:17-18. Exhortation to repent, that ye may be forgiven, and saved by this Jesus Christ at His coming, Act 3:19-21; whose times have been the subject of prophecy from the first, Act 3:21. Citations to prove this, Act 3:22-24; its immediate application to the hearers, as Jews, Act 3:25-26. There the discourse seems to be broken off, as ch. Act 4:1 relates.
] not, at this (event): but at this man, compare below, which would not be used at the first mention of one then present.
Their error was not the wonder itself,-though even that would shew ignorance and weakness of faith, for it was truly no wonderful thing that had happened, viewed by a believer in Jesus,-but their wondering at the Apostles, as if they had done it by their own power. Ergo, says Calvin, hoc est perperam obstupescere, quum in hominibus mentes nostr subsistunt.
, power,-such as magical craft, or any other supposed means of working miracles: meritorious efficacy with God, so as to have obtained this from Him on our own account. The distinction is important:-holiness, of the E. V., is not expressive of ., which bears in it the idea of operative, cultive piety, rather than of inherent character.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Act 3:12. , answered) having again obtained an opportunity.- , why wonder ye?) They had good reason to wonder; but they ought to have recognised the Lord, from whom the benefit had come, and not to stop short and fasten their whole attention upon the mere work itself, or upon the Divine instruments by which it was accomplished.- ) Most frequently and are joined. Wherefore the Syriac and some MSS. of the Latin Vulg. have taken up virtute aut potestate, instead of virtute aut pietate: and furthermore some MSS. mentioned in Irenu[27], inasmuch as these two words seemed synonymous, have omitted et potestate, and power. The formation of the words in writing, and , piety and power, is also similar in appearance, especially in the contractions used in writing Latin.[28] These two, virtue and power, are usually looked to by men in the Divine instruments. Wherefore Peter puts away from himself the attribution of power, whether physical or meritorious, and ascribes the whole to God and Christ the Lord. So writes H. de Bukentop, lib. ii. de Vulgata, p. 285.
[27] renus (of Lyons, in Gaul: born about 130 A.D., and died about the end of the second century). The Editio Renati Massueti, Parisin, a. 1710.
[28] ABCDde Vulg. Amiat. (the oldest MS.) have .-E. and T.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Ye men: Act 2:22, Act 13:26, Rom 9:4, Rom 11:1
or: Act 10:25, Act 10:26, Act 14:11-15, Gen 40:8, Gen 41:16, Dan 2:28-30, Joh 3:27, Joh 3:28, Joh 7:18
as: 2Co 3:5
Reciprocal: Num 20:10 – we fetch 2Ki 2:14 – smote Dan 2:30 – this secret Mar 12:11 – General Mar 16:18 – they shall lay Luk 4:20 – And the Joh 1:16 – of his Joh 5:28 – Marvel Joh 11:43 – Lazarus Act 1:11 – why Act 3:4 – Look Act 9:34 – Jesus Christ Act 13:16 – Men Act 14:15 – We also 2Co 4:5 – we Gal 2:8 – he 1Jo 3:13 – Marvel not Rev 19:10 – for the
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2
Act 3:12. Peter was able to speak with inspiration, but ordinary reasoning would have brought the conclusion indicated here. The people could see the lame man holding fast to the apostles, and as they were greatly wondering, it was because they thought these men had caused the patient to be cured through some mysterious virtue of their own. It would have been easy for them to obtain a following from this multitude because of the frame of mind that possessed them. But Peter was the faithful apostle of Christ, and humbly told the crowd that it was not in them (the apostles) that the lame man had found his recovery.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Act 3:12. And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, etc. The wondering gaze of the throng in the temple-court seemed to ask, What mighty power is possessed by these men? What holy men must these be for God to have endowed them with these strange miraculous gifts? It was in answer to that inquiring, anxious look, more than to any direct question, that Peter replied with his second sermon (see Lange), which he opens with a startling question, Men of Israel, do you think we have done this great thing? Do you attribute this to our wondrous skill, or do you look upon this strange power as bestowed on us, as a reward for our piety and goodness?
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Act 3:12-16. And when Peter saw it When he saw a crowd of people collected together, and found that they were exceedingly affected with the miracle that had been wrought, he took that favourable opportunity to preach Christ unto them, especially as the temple was the place of their concourse; thus sowing the seed of the gospel in the ground that was broken up and prepared to receive it. Ye men of Israel To whom miracles surely are not, or at least ought not to be, strange things: having been wrought for you as a nation, in multiplied instances, from age to age, and many very evident and signal ones having, during the last three years, been performed before your eyes; why marvel ye at this As if it were a singular fact, the like of which you had never seen? Why do you wonder at what has now happened, when so much greater miracles have lately been performed among you? The fact was indeed marvellous, and they justly wondered at it, but it was no more than what Christ had done many a time. It was but a little before that Christ had raised Lazarus from the dead: nay, and he had lately risen from the dead himself; why did they not marvel at these facts, and why were they not convinced by them? Observe, reader, stupid and thoughtless people think that strange now which might have been very familiar to them, if they had not been wanting to themselves, and void of consideration. Or why look ye so earnestly on us With that astonishment which your looks express, as though by our own power we had effected this cure; or by our own holiness had deserved that God should perform it by us. The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, &c. This was wisely introduced here in the beginning of his discourse, that it might appear they taught no new religion, inconsistent with that of Moses, and were far from having the least design to divert their regards from the God of Israel; hath glorified his son Jesus Namely, by this miracle, as he also glorified him in his life and in his death, and especially in his resurrection and ascension; whom When God had given him to you, and when you ought to have received him as a most precious treasure, and to have preserved him with all your power; ye delivered up To the Romans as a criminal, and denied Greek, , renounced him; in the presence of Pilate Or, against the face of Pilate, as Dr. Hammond renders it; that is, in defiance of his reasonings with you; when he was determined to let him go To release him, being fully satisfied he was innocent of the things laid to his charge. But ye denied the Holy One Whom God had marked out as such; and the Just One Just even in the judgment of Pilate, declaring that you would not own him as your king, nor even be contented to admit his discharge, when it was offered and pressed upon you by the governor: and desired With outrageous clamour, one of the most infamous of mankind, a robber, and a murderer, to be granted unto you To be spared and released. And while you asked for the deliverance of so vile a wretch, you inhumanly and insolently killed the Prince of life Even him who had life in himself, and was appointed to be the Author of life, spiritual and eternal, and glory, to his followers. Observe the antithesis: You desired a destroyer of life to be released, and Christ the Lord and giver of life to be crucified, as if a murderer had deserved better at your hands than the Saviour! than which a greater affront could not have been put upon him. You did at once a wicked and foolish thing, in taking away his life, who would have been your life and Saviour, thus forsaking and rebelling against your own mercies; and in supposing you could conquer and extinguish in death the Prince of life, who, having life in himself, could soon resume the life he had resigned! Whom God raised As we know by the certain and repeated testimony of our own senses; and thereby amply vindicated him; whereof we are witnesses Constituted such by God, in order to the conviction and salvation of others. And his name He himself, his power and love; through faith in his name A confidence in him, a dependance on him, a believing application to him, and expectation of power to proceed from him; hath made this man strong Hath effected a perfect cure of his lameness. Dr. Lightfoot suggests, that faith is twice named in this verse, because of the apostles faith in working this miracle, and the cripples faith in receiving it. But it seems to relate chiefly, if not only, to the former: they that wrought this miracle by faith, derived power from Christ to work it, and, therefore, returned all the glory to him. By this true and just account of the miracle, Peter both confirmed the great gospel truth they were to preach to the world, that Jesus Christ is the fountain of all power and grace, and the great Healer and Saviour; and recommended the great gospel mystery of our salvation by Christ. It is his name that justifies us, that glorious name of his, the Lord our righteousness; but we, in particular, are justified by that name, through faith in it, applying it to ourselves. Thus doth Peter preach unto them Jesus and him crucified, being a faithful friend of the bridegroom, to whose service he devoted all his interest.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
See notes on verse 11
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
12. Meanwhile, Peter responded to the people: Israelitish men, why do ye gaze upon us as that by our power or holiness we have caused this man to run around? Remember that the Greek word here translated holiness is simply the noun form of the same word applied to the Jewish delegates who came from their synagogues in all the Gentile world to represent the God of Abraham at Pentecost. It is also applied to Cornelius and to Ananias, the good old local preacher in Damascus sent to comfort the penitent Saul of Tarsus.
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
Act 3:12-26. Speech of Peter.
Act 3:12-16. The Facts.The idea and arrangement of the speech closely resemble that of Act 2:14-36; it exhibits the style of controversy with the Jews. The hearers are addressed as men of Israel; appeal is made to their history and beliefs as such. The apostles have not performed the cure by any power of their own nor merited it by their piety; the cure is due to the new act of God which has taken place in the old religion. God is spoken of by an elaborate title (Exo 3:6, 1Ki 18:36, Mar 12:26); it was through Abraham and Isaac and Jacob that He declared His mercy to the Jewish race, and it is the same merciful God who has given glory (Joh 17:1) to His Servant (Isa 42:1; Isa 52:13, Mat 12:18, Act 4:27) and so caused a new stream of blessings to descend on the world (Act 2:33). The guilt of Christs death is charged, as in Act 2:23, against the Jews; Pilate would not of himself have sentenced Him to death (Luk 23:4; Luk 23:6 f., Luk 23:20-23). Holy and Righteousmurdererskilled the Prince of Lifewhom God raised from the deadis an effective series of terms; but the Resurrection is more adequately dealt with in Act 2:24 ff. It is what the apostles stand to witness. The cure is due to faith, but in the first place the faith of the apostles, whose faith in the name of Christ is its primary condition. It is the name that has effected the cure, through the apostles belief in its efficiency. The faith spoken of in Act 3:16 b may be the faith of the person cured, and be reminiscent of the phrases, Thy faith hath cured thee and Lord, I believe. Through him must mean that Christ is the inspirer of this faith as well as its rewarder. That is how the mans recovery has come about.
Act 3:17-26. The Appeal.Though Christs death is charged against the Jews the speaker is appealing to the Jews and must in some way approach them. They acted in ignorance; and God used their ignorance that the prediction made by all the prophets (on the all see Luk 24:25, Rev 1:2, etc.; it is Pauline doctrine) of Messiahs suffering might be fulfilled. If they will recognise that their blindness has proved the instrument of a higher good, they will the more readily listen to the appeal now made, i.e. repent and turn, to the obliteration of their sins. Baptism is not mentioned, nor is the suffering of Messiah said to be the means of the obliteration of sins; but His sufferings prove Him to be the person spoken of in the prophets; and the sin of ignorance is one which may be more readily forgiven. What will happen if the Jews repent is that their sins will no longer stand against them, and the Lord (here=God) will cause times of refreshing, i.e. relief after the pangs endured, to come to them; and He will send the Christ appointed for them, i.e. Jesus, who cannot appear as Christ but must remain in heaven till the times of restoration arrive (cf. Mat 19:28, Act 1:6, Mar 9:12), the full restoration, the details of which are predicted by the holy prophets from ancient times (so Luk 1:70). The Scripture proof begins with Moses (Act 3:22), most ancient of all; the quotation (Deu 18:15) appears also in the speech of Stephen (Act 7:37) and may be alluded to in Joh 1:21. Lev 23:29 is added to reinforce the call to repentance. Samuel is the father of the prophets (Heb 11:32); all of them had before their eyes the days of the speaker (1Co 10:11). The audience are the children of the prophets (Act 3:25), since the prophecies are addressed to them (cf. children of the kingdom, Mat 8:12), and of the covenant, which directly concerns them. Gen 22:18 is quoted also in Gal 3:8; cf. Gal 3:16; cf. Gal 3:29. The promise is not to the Jews only, but it is to them first (Act 2:39; Rom 1:16). They are the first to know the blessings God causes to descend through His Servant whom He has raised up.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
Verse 12
Nothing can be more striking than the change which the day of Pentecost seems to have produced upon the traits of character manifested by the apostles. It seems to have inspired them with new intelligence, as well as with new energy. The courage, the decision, the moral dignity, and power, that mark the position which Peter now assumes, and which henceforth seem to characterize the measures and demeanor of all the apostles, are strongly contrasted with the timidity, the indecision, and the perpetual misconceptions, which had marked their conduct and conversation before.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
3:12 {2} 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?
(2) Miracles are appointed to convince the unbelievers, and therefore they wickedly abuse the miracles who, standing amazed, either at the miracles themselves or at the instruments and means which is pleases God to use, take an occasion to establish idolatry and superstition by that which God has provided for the knowledge of his true worship, that is, Christianity.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Peter’s proclamation 3:12-16
"In his former address Peter had testified to the power and presence of the Spirit of God at work in a new way in the lives of men through Jesus. Now he proclaims the power and authority of the name of Jesus by which his disciples are enabled to continue his ministry on earth. In both speeches there is a call for repentance for the crime of crucifying the Messiah, but here Peter stresses the role of Jesus as the Suffering Servant of God and as the new Moses who must be obeyed." [Note: Neil, p. 84.]
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Luke recorded seven of Peter’s addresses in Acts (Act 1:16-22; Act 2:14-36; Act 3:12-26; Act 4:8-12: Act 10:34-43; Act 11:4-17; Act 15:7-11). [Note: For the rhetorical forms of the speeches in Acts, see Witherington’s commentary.] It is noteworthy that in these sermons Peter did not discuss abstract doctrines or reason about profound theological problems. He presented the person and work of Christ in simple terms.
Peter spoke to his audience as a fellow Jew. First, he denied that it was the power or good character of himself or John that was responsible for the healing. Rather it was the God of the patriarchs, the God of their fathers, who was responsible. He had performed this miracle through the apostles to glorify His Servant Jesus (cf. Act 2:22). It was God’s Servant Jesus whom Peter’s hearers had disowned and put to death preferring a murderer, Barabbas, to Him.
Peter called Jesus the Servant (Gr. paida) of the Lord, the subject of messianic prophecy (Isa 42:1; Isa 49:6-7; Isa 52:13; Isa 53:11; cf. Mar 10:45); the Holy One, a title of Messiah (Psa 16:10; Isa 31:1; cf. Mar 1:24; 1Jn 2:20); the Righteous One (Isa 53:11; Zec 9:9; cf. 1Jn 2:1); and the Prince (Author) of Life (Psalms 16; cf. Joh 1:1-18; Col 1:14-20; Heb 1:2-3; Heb 2:10; Heb 12:2).
Peter charged these Jews with four things, first, handing Jesus over to be killed. He then pointed out three inconsistencies in the Jews’ treatment of Jesus and contrasted their treatment of Him with God’s. They had condemned Him when Pilate was about to release Him (Act 3:13). They rejected the Holy and Righteous One out of preference for a murderer, Barabbas (Act 3:14; Luk 23:18-19). Furthermore they executed the Author of Life whom God raised from the dead, of which the apostles were witnesses (Act 3:15). Prince or (better here) Author of Life presents Jesus as the resurrected Messiah who gives life that overcomes death. [Note: Neil, p. 85.]