Acts 3
Peter heals the crippled beggar and witnesses to onlookers
Discussion Questions
- Why don’t we see more of these miracles today (vv 1-10)?
- Peter and John are active in proclaiming the gospel. What about the other apostles?
- Could the author of Acts have written everything down, or only what he observed or was told about?
- Is the record of Peter’s speech a word for word account, or an accurate summary of his words?
Share your thoughts below, or tweet about it with the #boundlessbible hashtag. Don't forget this week's Children's Challenge!
Going Deeper from 'Words of Life'
‘I know who you are – the Holy one of God!’ (Mark 1:24).
I have always found this passage in Mark’s Gospel fascinating. Jesus was teaching in Capernaum on the Sabbath. The people seemed to be enthralled by all he had to say, for he spoke with such authority. Then a man came forward, possessed by an evil spirit – demons, who suddenly cried out through him:
‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?’ (v 24).
These demons not only recognised Jesus as a man from Nazareth but also identified him as the ‘Holy One’ – as referenced in our key verse for today. They acknowledged both his humanity and his divinity. Demons did that!
Yet so many people did not – and, especially now, do not – recognise or acknowledge Jesus as divine; as the Holy One of God. Jesus is holy. Without sin. The only perfect person to have ever walked upon the earth.
At Pentecost, Peter preached to all who had gathered – telling them that the Messiah had come in the person of Jesus. The ‘Holy One’ (Acts 2:27).
Then, a bit later – when Peter healed a crippled beggar – he told the astonished crowd:
‘You disowned the Holy and Righteous one and asked that a murderer be released to you’ (3:14).
After the people heard Peter referring to Jesus in this way, about 5,000 men (and no doubt the same number of women, along with many children) accepted Christ (Acts 4:4).
The Holy One requires that we also be a holy people – and all for Jesus.
Prayer
Make me holy and pure, O Lord, I pray!
Beverly Ivany