Acts 3:6-10
 
Acts 3:6 (KJB)
Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
 
This man was about to receive something greater than gold or silver. Sometimes we pray to God for something and we set our sights and limits low, and to teach us a lesson, God may answer the prayer above and beyond what we may ask or think. (Eph 3:20 KJV) Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, This lame man was about to find that out. Instead of Peter handing this man a few shekels, he says to him, “in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” Remember the term “in the name” means that it carries with it all the power and authority of the Godhead and Heaven itself. Then Peter states something interesting which may have been a test for the lame man. Peter includes the phrase “of Nazareth.” Remember the reaction of Nathanael? (John 1:46 KJV) And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. He asked Philip if any good thing could come out of Nazareth? Nazareth was a place which did not have a good reputation and if the lame man was present while Jesus was there, he would have heard about Nazareth. Here Peter confronts him with the fact of Nazareth and if the man would have taken the same attitude Nathanael did, he would have missed out on a great blessing.
 
After stating that, Peter gives two commands to the lame man. The first command was, rise up. (John 12:1 KJV) Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. It is the same word found in John 12:1 describing Jesus having raised Lazarus from the dead. So Peter is literally commanding this lame man to rise up in the manner Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. The lame man is dead in body and had to be carried but now his physical body is being resurrected from inability to function to being able to function. Then the second command is “walk.” When Lazarus was raised from the dead, he came out of the tomb and they took the grave clothes off of him and he was able to walk away from the tomb. This man was commanded to rise, to stand on his feet, and not only stand, but to walk, just as Lazarus did.
 
Acts 3:7 (KJB)
And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
 
Peter then took him by the right hand and lifted him. When he did that his feet and ankles had received strength to maintain his body weight. Peter was also exercising faith because he held the man’s hand and he had faith to know that the man would be healed and not fall back to the ground. The words “received strength” are in the passive voice which means that the man was the recipient of the miracle that was being performed from an outside source. That outside source was the Lord Jesus Christ and not Peter. The people who were there would have known about Jesus and this lame man would have definitely heard about Him, especially since he would have been there on Pentecost and heard Peter’s sermon and heard the different languages being spoken by the Apostles and the other followers of Christ. This may be why he allowed himself to be lifted by Peter, because his faith was already aroused by what he had heard and witnessed in the past few days.
 
Acts 3:8 (KJB)
And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
 
Leaping - Jumped up or sprung up
Leaping - Jump or spring
 
This man did not just stand up slowly, instead from the place where he sat, he had leapt up from the position he was in. That is the first word “leap” stating that he had jumped up from where he was. The second “leaping” was the fact that he was walking with a jump or spring in his step because he was just healed from over 40 years of being a cripple. The first thing that this man did was to enter into the temple and commune with God because as a crippled man, he would not have been able to do that. He was now joyful that he was able to go to the temple and join with the other believers in praising the Lord Jesus Christ for healing him but he was also praising God as he was walking and leaping because of the joy which flowed from him. There may even be a possibility here that the man became saved at this time. This is just an aside. Since the man could now walk and went into the temple to pray with the others, I wonder how those who walked right by him or scorned him over the years were feeling? Now they had to face the one they wouldn’t face. This is a good lesson for all of us. Never treat another badly because you never know in what capacity you will meet them again?
 
Acts 3:9 (KJB)
And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
 
This man was so grateful for God healing him that he had walked through the court of the temple and while he walked, he continually praised God for the miracle that he received. At this point the man was being a tremendous testimony because of what God had done for him. He did not find the gate with the least amount of people but he wanted everyone to know what had happened to him. The word walking carries with it the meaning of “walk around or go about.” It refers to the perimeter, that is, he walked the entire grounds of the court, in all directions.
 
Acts 3:10 (KJB)
And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.
 
Knew - Knew exactly, recognized, or acknowledge
Filled - Completely filled
Wonder - Astonishment
Amazement - Amazed as in a trance
 
There was no question in the mind of all the people in attendance as to who this was. They knew exactly that this was the beggar who sat at the gate of the Temple. They would all have seen him at one time or another since he was there for many years. The people that saw him now, saw him walking and leaping praising God and they were not only filled a little bit with wonder and amazement, but they were completely filled with them, because they knew that this man was a crippled beggar and his body was probably deformed where the handicap was but now he has the ability to walk and leap because he was totally healed. They were not just giving casual glances in his direction, the passage states that the people were actually astonished at what they saw and the way they observed this man, was as if they were in a trance as their eyes were fixed upon him. There was no mistaken this man for someone else. This man was showing everyone that God had performed a miracle in his body in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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