Acts 3 – A Bible Study about Healing and Redemption: The Miraculous Act of the Lame Beggar

In the third chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, Peter heals a lame beggar. When the crowds expresses surprise, Peter launches into a reminder of what Jesus was able to do and the fact that the people chose to have Jesus crucified despite his numerous miracles. After some fairly harsh statements, Peter calls the people to repent of their sins and choose to follow Jesus.

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The Healing of a Lame Beggar

In the first chapter of the Book of Acts, Jesus had promised the disciples that they would receive power from the Holy Spirit.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.
Acts 1:8 (WEB)

And quite impressive power they received! The second chapter of the book of Acts declares that the people were amazed by the miracles that the apostles were performing.

Fear came on every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
Acts 2:43 (WEB)

By the time that we get into the third chapter of Acts, Luke begins to describe the specific miracles that the disciples were performing. Being a doctor, it is no surprise that he starts with a miracle of healing.

¹Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.²A certain man who was lame from his mother’s womb was being carried, whom they laid daily at the door of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask gifts for the needy of those who entered into the temple. ³Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive gifts for the needy. ⁴Peter, fastening his eyes on him, with John, said, “Look at us.” ⁵He listened to them, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” ⁷He took him by the right hand and raised him up. Immediately his feet and his ankle bones received strength. ⁸Leaping up, he stood and began to walk. He entered with them into the temple, walking, leaping, and praising God. ⁹All the people saw him walking and praising God. ¹⁰They recognized him, that it was he who used to sit begging for gifts for the needy at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. They were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Acts 3:1-10 (WEB)

Discussion Question #1: Why do you think the lame beggar had to be asked to look at Peter and John?

I find it interesting that the lame beggar asks Peter and John for money, but doesn’t continue looking at them. When you go into the city, look at beggars who tend to sit in a place with high foot traffic; look at where their eyes go as they ask each person for money. Do they zero in on a single person and stay with them, or do they ask for money and then before they know the answer, quickly try to find their next target? My theory is that after a certain period of time, they are so used to rejection that their eyes keep moving on to the next possible source of help before waiting for an answer from the first person. How long does it take for a person to reach this level of hopelessness?

We should keep in mind that this man has been lame since birth. He was probably a burden to his parents as a child, and now that he is an adult, he has to ask people to carry him to the temple gates so that he has a chance of begging for enough food and money to survive another day. What a terrible life! At least he has people who are willing to position him in a place where he has a chance of survival through begging.

Discussion Question #2: What was the lame beggar’s response to being healed?

Upon being healed, this man doesn’t just walk to the temple, he leaps and bounds, praising God the entire time! Due to restrictions against the lame and blind, this would have been the first time in this man’s life that he would be permitted to enter the temple courts, and that is the first place he goes after being healed.

Discussion Question #3: Have you ever been given a gift far beyond anything you ever expected? What was your reaction? Have you ever seen someone receive a gift far beyond anything that person ever expected? What was that person’s reaction?

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.
James 1:17 (WEB)

Discussion Question #4: What gifts has God given you? Do you take them for granted, or are you truly thankful? If you are lacking thankfulness, what could induce you to change this pattern?

It is interesting to note that the man doesn’t sing the praises of Peter and John, but instead sings the praises of God. When a person gives us a gift far beyond what could ever be imagined, it is important to recognize that God probably had a hand in it. So often it is the temptation to think that we deserved the gift or that God had nothing to do with it, but we should always be reminded that all good things come from God.

The Zinger

Apparently having stopped his leaping about and praising God, the newly healed man is now clinging onto Peter and John in gratitude. At this point, the three of them have gained a following and Peter turns to the astonished crowd to address them.

¹¹As the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.

¹²When Peter saw it, he responded to the people, “You men of Israel, why do you marvel at this man? Why do you fasten your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him walk? ¹³The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up, and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had determined to release him. ¹⁴But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, ¹⁵and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, to which we are witnesses. ¹⁶By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which is through him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
Acts 3:11-16 (WEB)

Discussion Question #5: List the different topics that Peter raises to the astonished crowd.

I love this zinger. First, Peter gives the glory to God and reminds them that it isn’t men who can perform miraculous healings, but God. In particular, he tells them that faith in Jesus was the source of this healing. But Peter doesn’t stop there, he then goes on to remind the people that they chose to have a murderer released and Jesus executed.

Discussion Question #6: Put yourself in the shoes of the crowd. If you had attended Jesus’ trial, got swept away with the crowd, and demanded a murderer’s release and Jesus’s execution, how would you feel now as Peter starts his speech?

If I were in the crowd, I would have been shrinking back in shame. The people had seen Jesus perform these exact types of miracles over and over again. Everywhere Jesus shows up, we see goodness. Even when Jesus gets angry, it is on behalf of an injustice against either God or another man. This healing should have reminded the people that Jesus did not deserve to die and that many of the people there likely had a hand in his demise.

Acts 3:13-15 - A Bible Memory Verse — **Read:** Acts 3:13-15 – A Bible Memory Verse with Reflection Questions

The Olive Branch

Fortunately, Peter doesn’t leave them in shame and regret.

¹⁷“Now, brothers,^[a] I know that you did this in ignorance, as did also your rulers. ¹⁸But the things which God announced by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled.

¹⁹“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, ²⁰and that he may send Christ Jesus, who was ordained for you before, ²¹whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets. ²²For Moses indeed said to the fathers, ‘The Lord God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him in all things whatever he says to you. ²³It will be that every soul that will not listen to that prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ ²⁴Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who followed after, as many as have spoken, they also told of these days. ²⁵You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘All the families of the earth will be blessed through your offspring.’ ²⁶God, having raised up his servant Jesus, sent him to you first to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your wickedness.”
Acts 3:17-26 (WEB)

Discussion Question #7: How does Peter soften the blow of realization that the people put the promised Messiah to death? How did he ask them to respond? What were the reasons he gave?

First, Peter has already told them that what they did was wrong, but that it was an act of ignorance.

Second, Peter then goes into the idea that the Messiah who was prophesied about in the Old Testament is Jesus. While it is possible that the words in these verses were the only words that Peter spoke to the crowd, my guess is that he actually said a lot more, but that Luke only included a summary of the essentials:

Jesus is the Holy and Righteous One.
Jesus is the author of life.
Jesus is the promised Messiah.

I could see Peter going and pointing out specific scripture and showing how Jesus was the fulfillment of each prophesy and God himself. Either way, he said enough to make his point to them.

Third, Peter gives a call to action. He tells them to repent, turn to God, and be forgiven.

Fourth, Peter gives a warning of the consequences of failure to repent. Moses said that there would be a prophet that would come and that if the people did not listen, they would be cut off.

The people now have a choice: (1) they can believe in Jesus, be forgiven, turn from their evil ways, and gain the blessing of Abraham, or (2) they can deny Jesus and gain a curse.

Discussion Question #8: When have you done something wrong in ignorance? Who corrected you and what did they say? How did you respond? How do you think the crowd is going to respond to Peter?

We will see how the people respond in chapter 4!