Acts 3:1–10 Healing at the Beautiful Gate
Quick Summary
Acts 3:1–10 narrates the first healing performed by the apostles after Pentecost. Peter and John encounter a man who has been unable to walk from birth and heal him in the name of Jesus Christ. The miracle does more than restore physical movement. It publicly demonstrates the continuing power of the risen Jesus and redirects attention from human agents to divine action. This sign marks the transition in Acts from communal life to public witness.
Introduction
Luke moves quickly from summary to story. After describing the shared life of the early believers, Acts turns outward again, back into the public spaces of Jerusalem. Acts 3:1–10 is the first miracle account in the book following Pentecost, and Luke presents it as intentional rather than incidental.
Peter and John are not seeking an audience or a sign. They are going to pray. The encounter that follows shows how ordinary faithfulness becomes the setting for extraordinary witness. This healing establishes a pattern that will repeat throughout Acts. God acts publicly. Attention gathers. Explanation follows.
Verse by Verse Breakdown of Acts 3:1–10 and Commentary
Acts 3:1 — Going Up to the Temple
“One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon” (Acts 3:1).
Luke begins with ordinary faithfulness. Peter and John are not pursuing a healing ministry or scanning the city for opportunities to demonstrate power. They are going to pray. The rhythm of Israel’s worship continues even after Pentecost. The Spirit has not displaced prayer, Scripture, or shared religious life. It has deepened them.
The temple remains central at this point in Acts. Luke is careful to show continuity rather than rupture. The early church does not understand itself as abandoning Israel’s story but as living more fully inside it. Prayer at the appointed hour signals fidelity, not nostalgia. God’s new work does not require rejection of old patterns when those patterns remain oriented toward God.
The time of day matters. This is a public hour, when worshipers are arriving and departing. Luke is preparing the reader for a sign that will not be hidden or private. What follows will unfold under observation, interpretation, and scrutiny.
Acts 3:2 — A Man Unable to Walk
“And a man lame from birth was being carried in, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple” (Acts 3:2).
Luke slows down to describe the man in detail. His inability to walk is lifelong. This condition defines his social and economic existence. He is dependent on others not only for survival but for access to public space. His location at the gate places him at the threshold of worship without full participation in it.
The Beautiful Gate heightens the contrast. Luke is not being ironic for effect alone. Beauty and brokenness occupy the same space. The man’s daily presence makes visible the gap between religious devotion and lived restoration. He is close to holiness but remains outside its fullness.
This is not a chance encounter. The man is there daily. The community knows him. Luke is establishing recognition in advance so that the change that follows cannot be dismissed or minimized.
Acts 3:3 — Asking for Alms
“When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms” (Acts 3:3).
The request is modest and expected. The man asks for what he has always asked for. Need has shaped his imagination. He does not ask for healing because healing has never been available to him. Luke allows this realism to stand without judgment.
This moment exposes the difference between survival and restoration. Charity can sustain life without changing its trajectory. The man’s request is reasonable, but it is smaller than what God is about to do.
Acts 3:4 — Seeing and Being Seen
“Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, ‘Look at us’” (Acts 3:4).
The healing begins with attention. Peter refuses anonymity on both sides. He does not give alms without acknowledgment, and he does not perform a miracle without relationship. Mutual seeing interrupts the pattern of transactional exchange.
Luke emphasizes eye contact because it restores dignity before mobility. The man is no longer simply an object of need. He becomes a person addressed and engaged. Compassion precedes power, and recognition precedes restoration.
Acts 3:5 — Expectation
“And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them” (Acts 3:5).
Expectation is awakened, but it remains bounded by experience. The man anticipates assistance, not transformation. Luke highlights this gap to show that God’s action is not conditioned by human anticipation.
What the man expects is good. What he receives is greater. Luke invites the reader to notice how often divine generosity exceeds even faithful expectation.
Acts 3:6 — In the Name of Jesus Christ
“But Peter said, ‘I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk’” (Acts 3:6).
Peter names his lack without embarrassment. Authority in Acts does not depend on resources or institutional leverage. What Peter possesses is not transferable wealth but shared allegiance to Jesus Christ.
The invocation of Jesus’ name is central. This is not a formula or a display of personal power. The name represents presence, authority, and continuity with the risen Jesus. Luke makes clear that the healing is an extension of Jesus’ ministry, not a replacement for it.
Acts 3:7 — Strength Given
“And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong” (Acts 3:7).
The healing is tactile and immediate. Peter’s touch communicates solidarity rather than distance. Luke includes physical detail to underscore the completeness of restoration. This is not symbolic encouragement or psychosomatic change.
The language of being raised echoes resurrection vocabulary. Luke subtly links this healing to Easter itself. New life is not only proclaimed. It is enacted.
Acts 3:8 — Entering the Temple
“Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God” (Acts 3:8).
Movement replaces immobility in every sense. The man no longer waits at the gate. He enters the space that once marked exclusion. Healing restores access, not just function.
Praise accompanies movement because restoration naturally turns toward God. Luke presents worship as response rather than obligation. The man’s joy is embodied, visible, and communal.
Acts 3:9–10 — Public Witness
“All the people saw him walking and praising God, and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him” (Acts 3:9–10).
Recognition completes the sign. The community knows who he was. Memory becomes testimony. The miracle cannot be dismissed as exaggeration or misunderstanding.
Luke emphasizes public verification because interpretation will follow. The healing creates a question that demands explanation. Wonder opens the door for proclamation, which Peter will provide next.
This sign does not terminate in amazement. It initiates witness. The risen Jesus continues to act, and Jerusalem is forced to reckon with that reality.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Luke emphasize the temple setting?
The temple provides continuity with Israel’s worship while also serving as a public stage. The healing demonstrates that God’s work in Jesus extends into familiar religious spaces.
Why does Peter say he has no silver or gold?
Peter contrasts material charity with transformative power. The statement redirects attention from economic exchange to divine action.
Is the healing meant to prove the apostles’ authority?
Luke presents the miracle as evidence of Jesus’ continuing activity. Authority is derivative, not personal.
Why is the man’s condition described as lifelong?
The long duration underscores the completeness of the healing and removes doubt about its authenticity.
See Also
Works Consulted
Bruce, F. F. The Book of the Acts. New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988.
Johnson, Luke Timothy. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina Series. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1992.
Keener, Craig S. Acts: An Exegetical Commentary, Volume 1. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2012.
