| Text | Observations |
| AC 3:11 And while he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the so-called portico of Solomon, full of amazement. [12] But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? | Peter's message begins with him disavowing any personal credit for the healing of the man. |
| AC 3:13 "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered up, and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. [14] "But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, [15] but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses. [16] "And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all. | Yet, Peter cannot simply attribute the healing to Jesus without summarizing the critical elements of Jesus' life: Jesus was rejected by the Jews and handed over to Pilate for execution, but God raised him from the dead, and Peter and John are witnesses of it. |
| AC 3:17 "And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. [18] "But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ should suffer, He has thus fulfilled. | They acted in ignorance by carrying out all the had been written about the rejection of the Christ. |
| AC 3:19 "Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; [20] and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, | Without a question as in the previous incident, he tells them to repent and return (to God, presumably) that their sins may be wiped out and times of refreshing may come. |
| AC 3:21 whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. [22] "Moses said, `THE LORD GOD SHALL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED in everything He says to you. [23] `And it shall be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.' [24] "And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days. | A final result of this repentance is somewhat enigmatic: repentance will led to the second return of Jesus from the Lord. This second coming will come after the "period of restoration" in accordance with the word of the prophets. In addition, the prophets have testified that those who do not heed the "prophet like Moses" will be destroyed from among the people. |
| AC 3:25 "It is you who are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, `AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.' [26] "For you first, God raised up His Servant, and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways." | In conclusion, he says that as sons of Abraham they have
the first opportunity to receive God's blessing by having Jesus turn them
from their wicked ways.
(interesting description of the Jews-- what exactly was meant by "wicked ways?") (Also, in saying "First" their appears to be a foreshadowing of future Gentile ministry) |
| AC 4:1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees, came upon them, [2] being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. [3] And they laid hands on them, and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. | This sermon appears to end rather abruptly with the temple
guard arresting Peter and John as it was already evening. This event
seems to have taken several hours, since it commenced at about 3 in the
afternoon).
|
| AC 4:4 But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. | Yet Luke records that many who heard the message believed
and the number of men increased to 5000.
Note: though they "believed," it doesn't say they repented-- even though that's what Peter told them to do, 3:19. From this we might infer that Luke's summaries aren't always intended to be comprehensive theological statements. |
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