Acts 3:11–26 Peter Speaks to the Onlookers
Quick Summary
Acts 3:11–26 records Peter’s second major sermon in Acts, delivered in Solomon’s Portico after the healing at the Beautiful Gate. Peter interprets the miracle not as a display of apostolic power but as evidence of God’s action through the risen Jesus. He names human responsibility in Jesus’ death, proclaims resurrection as God’s reversal, and calls the crowd to repentance so that times of refreshing may come. This sermon deepens Luke’s theology of witness, repentance, and restoration.
Introduction
The healing at the Beautiful Gate creates movement, joy, and amazement, but Luke does not allow wonder to linger without meaning. Acts 3:11–26 shows what happens when a public sign demands public interpretation. The crowd gathers, not in hostility but in astonishment, and Peter steps into the space opened by the miracle.
This sermon differs in tone from Pentecost. Peter is not explaining an event of sound and fire. He is interpreting embodied restoration. A man once known for immobility now walks and praises God, and the people want to know how this happened. Peter answers by redirecting attention away from himself and toward the God who raised Jesus.
Luke presents this speech as an act of pastoral clarity. Peter affirms the people’s faithfulness, confronts their misunderstanding, and invites them into repentance that leads not to shame but to renewal. The sermon reveals how the church speaks when confronted with curiosity rather than accusation.
Verse by Verse Breakdown of Acts 3:11–26 and Commentary
Acts 3:11 — Amazement and Gathering
“While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s Portico, utterly astonished” (Acts 3:11).
Luke begins with attachment. The healed man clings to Peter and John, not out of dependency but recognition. Relationship has replaced isolation. His restored body seeks proximity to those through whom restoration came.
The crowd’s response is physical and communal. They run together. Amazement draws people into shared space. Solomon’s Portico, a public and recognizable location, becomes the setting for interpretation. Luke is intentional. This is not a private conversation but a public reckoning.
Acts 3:12 — Redirecting Attention
“When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, ‘You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk?’” (Acts 3:12).
Peter immediately resists misdirected awe. The miracle tempts the crowd to fixate on human agents. Peter interrupts that impulse. Wonder must be reoriented or it becomes distortion.
The reference to power and piety is deliberate. Peter names both spiritual charisma and moral achievement as inadequate explanations. Luke emphasizes that neither religious devotion nor personal holiness produces resurrection life. God alone acts.
Acts 3:13 — The God of the Fathers
“The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his servant Jesus” (Acts 3:13).
Peter anchors the moment in Israel’s story. He invokes the covenantal name of God to establish continuity. The healing does not signal a new deity or a foreign power. It reveals faithfulness to long-standing promise.
Jesus is named as God’s servant, echoing Isaiah’s language. Luke allows servant imagery to frame Jesus’ glorification. Honor comes through suffering, not dominance.
Acts 3:13–15 — Human Judgment and Divine Reversal
“Whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate… you rejected the Holy and Righteous One… and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead” (Acts 3:13–15).
Peter names responsibility without cruelty. The language is direct but not vindictive. Luke holds human judgment and divine reversal together. What humans rejected, God vindicated.
The title “Author of life” sharpens the irony. The one through whom life comes was put to death. Resurrection becomes not only reversal but revelation of truth.
Acts 3:16 — Faith and the Name
“And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong” (Acts 3:16).
Peter returns to the healed man, grounding theology in visible transformation. Faith is not abstract belief but trust directed toward Jesus’ name. The name signifies presence and authority.
Luke is careful to clarify that faith is not a possession of the man alone. It is faith mediated through witness and proclamation. Healing emerges within community.
Acts 3:17 — Ignorance and Grace
“And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers” (Acts 3:17).
Peter shifts tone. Accusation gives way to pastoral recognition. Ignorance does not excuse wrongdoing, but it opens space for repentance rather than despair.
Luke presents repentance as response to newly revealed truth. Once clarity arrives, responsibility follows.
Acts 3:18 — Fulfillment of Scripture
“In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer” (Acts 3:18).
Suffering is not failure. It belongs within God’s redemptive purpose. Peter situates Jesus’ death within the prophetic imagination of Israel.
Luke emphasizes fulfillment to show that resurrection faith does not abandon Scripture but deepens its meaning.
Acts 3:19 — Repentance and Refreshing
“Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).
Repentance is framed as turning rather than self-condemnation. The promise that follows is striking. Forgiveness leads to refreshment, not burden.
Luke introduces language of renewal and restoration. God’s intention is not merely pardon but revitalized life.
Acts 3:20–21 — Restoration of All Things
“And that he may send the Messiah appointed for you… whom heaven must receive until the time of universal restoration” (Acts 3:20–21).
Peter expands the horizon. The resurrection points forward as well as backward. Restoration is cosmic in scope.
Luke resists premature closure. The story is still unfolding, and the church lives between fulfillment and completion.
Acts 3:22–23 — Moses and Prophetic Warning
“Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people’” (Acts 3:22).
Peter draws on Deuteronomy to frame Jesus as the anticipated prophet. Listening becomes the decisive response.
Warning accompanies promise. Refusal to listen carries consequence because it rejects life-giving truth.
Acts 3:24–25 — Children of the Covenant
“You are the descendants of the prophets and of the covenant that God gave to your ancestors” (Acts 3:24–25).
Peter closes by affirming identity. The crowd is not outside God’s promise. They stand within it.
Luke presents repentance not as abandonment of heritage but as faithful participation in it.
Acts 3:26 — Blessing Through Turning
“When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways” (Acts 3:26).
Blessing is defined as transformation. God’s gift is not affirmation without change but restoration through turning.
The sermon ends not with threat but invitation. The risen Jesus remains oriented toward blessing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Peter deny personal credit for the miracle?
Peter redirects attention to prevent misunderstanding. Luke emphasizes that healing flows from God’s action through Jesus, not apostolic power.
What does “times of refreshing” mean?
The phrase points to renewal that follows repentance. Luke frames forgiveness as leading to restored vitality rather than mere relief from guilt.
Why does Peter stress ignorance rather than malice?
Ignorance opens space for repentance. Luke presents God’s grace as responsive to newly recognized truth.
What is meant by “restoration of all things”?
The phrase describes God’s long-term purpose to renew creation. Acts holds present healing and future restoration together.
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.
