The Audience Luke Is Writing To
A man who had never walked is now leaping through the temple courts.
Naturally, a crowd comes running. The people stare at Peter and John, and they want an explanation.
Peter gives them one. However, he does not stop at explaining the miracle. He uses it to bring his listeners face to face with Jesus. Then he calls them to repent and return to God.
Luke records this second sermon for readers who faced a real temptation. Whenever God works through a person, others tend to admire the person. Consequently, the early churches needed to learn how a faithful servant handles attention.
In addition, many of Luke’s readers wrestled with a painful fact. The Jewish leaders, and much of the nation, had rejected the Messiah. So they asked whether God had finished with those who rejected His Son.
Peter’s message answers both concerns. First, he refuses the credit and points to Christ. Second, he tells the very people who disowned Jesus that God still invites them. If they repent and return, He will wipe away their sins.
Acts 3:11-26 NASB
While he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the portico named Solomon’s, completely astonished. But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why are you staring at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His Servant Jesus, the one whom you handed over and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses. 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. “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers also did. But the things which God previously announced by the mouths of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has fulfilled in this way. Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things, about which God spoke by the mouths of His holy prophets from ancient times. Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your countrymen; to Him you shall listen regarding everything He says to you. And it shall be that every soul that does not listen to that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken from Samuel and his successors onward, have also announced these days. It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God ordained with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ God raised up His Servant for you first, and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”
Key Focus of the Passage and Jesus’ Character
The focus is the glory of Jesus, the guilt of those who rejected Him, the mercy God still extends, the call to repent and return, and the promise of restoration.
Peter gives Jesus more titles in this sermon than in almost any other passage in Acts. Therefore, we see Him here as:
- the Servant whom God glorified,
- the Holy and Righteous One,
- the Prince of life whom death could not keep,
- the Christ who suffered as the prophets foretold,
- the Prophet like Moses whom everyone must hear,
- and the promised Offspring of Abraham who brings blessing to the world.
The People in the Interaction
- Peter
- John
- The healed man, who holds on to them
- The crowd in Solomon’s portico
- Abraham, Moses, Samuel, and the prophets, whom Peter cites
What Happened in the Scene
The healed man clings to Peter and John, and the astonished crowd runs to them in the portico of Solomon.
When Peter sees this, he speaks. First, he asks why the people stare at the apostles, as though their own power or godliness made the man walk. Instead, he says, the God of their fathers has glorified His Servant Jesus.
Next, he confronts them. They handed Jesus over and disowned Him before Pilate, even after Pilate decided to release Him. They asked for a murderer in His place. In fact, they killed:
“…the Prince of life…”
However, God raised Him from the dead, and the apostles saw it. Faith in His name has made this man strong.
Then Peter’s tone softens. He calls them brothers and says he knows they acted in ignorance. Moreover, God used their act to fulfill what the prophets said about the suffering of the Christ.
Therefore, he urges them to repent and return. If they do, God will wipe away their sins, send times of refreshing, and one day send Jesus again to restore all things.
Finally, Peter appeals to Scripture. Moses promised a Prophet whom the people must hear. All the prophets announced these days. And God promised Abraham that all families of the earth would be blessed through his offspring. Accordingly, God sent His Servant to them first, to bless them by turning them from their wicked ways.
A Crowd in Solomon’s Portico
Luke tells us exactly where the crowd gathered. The people ran together in the portico called Solomon’s.
This covered walkway ran along the eastern side of the temple courts. Teachers often met their students there. More importantly, Jesus Himself had walked in that same portico. During the Feast of Dedication, the leaders surrounded Him there and demanded to know whether He was the Christ. On that day, He told them that His sheep hear His voice, and they picked up stones to kill Him.
Now, only months later, His apostles stand in the same place. A healed man clings to them, and a crowd listens.
The setting carries a message. The leaders tried to silence Jesus in this portico. Nevertheless, His voice still sounds there through His witnesses.
“Why Do You Gaze at Us?”
Peter begins by correcting a mistake.
The people stare at him and John. They assume that these two men possess unusual power or exceptional holiness. So Peter asks why they look at the apostles as though their own power or piety had made the man walk.
This is a critical moment. Peter could have accepted the admiration. After all, the crowd offered it freely. Instead, he turns it away at once.
Every servant of God faces this test sooner or later. When God uses us, people may begin to look at us. Then we must choose. We can enjoy the attention, or we can redirect it.
Peter shows us the right response. He denies two things. First, he denies that he has power of his own. Second, he denies that his godliness earned the miracle. In other words, God did not act because Peter was strong or because Peter was good.
That truth protects us from pride when God works through us. It also protects us from despair when we feel weak. The work never depended on us.
The God of Our Fathers Has Glorified His Servant
Having turned the attention away from himself, Peter directs it to God.
He speaks of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of their fathers. By using these names, Peter makes an important point. He is not announcing a new religion. On the contrary, the God who made promises to the patriarchs has now acted to keep them.
Then Peter says what God has done. He has glorified His Servant Jesus.
The word “Servant” would have stirred the memory of anyone who knew Isaiah. The prophet described a Servant of the Lord who would be despised, pierced for the sins of others, and afterward exalted. Peter now identifies Him.
Therefore, the healing of one lame man points to something much larger. God has lifted up the One whom people cast down.
You Disowned the Holy and Righteous One
Next, Peter states the charge, and he states it plainly.
The people handed Jesus over. They disowned Him in the presence of Pilate, even though Pilate had decided to release Him. In addition, they asked for a murderer to be set free instead. We saw that scene when we studied Jesus before Pilate.
Peter sharpens the contrast with a title. They disowned:
“…the Holy and Righteous One…”
A pagan governor recognized that Jesus was innocent. Yet God’s own people rejected Him and chose a killer.
Notice one more detail. The word Peter uses for “disowned” is the same word the Gospels use for his own denial of Jesus. Peter stood in a courtyard and disowned his Lord three times. Now he tells the crowd that they did the same.
So Peter does not speak as a man who looks down on sinners. He speaks as a forgiven denier to people who need the same forgiveness.
You Killed the Prince of Life
Then Peter reaches the most striking phrase in the sermon.
They put to death the Prince of life.
The title can also be translated “Author” or “Originator.” Either way, the statement contains a staggering contradiction. The crowd killed the very Source of life. They preferred a man who took life, and they destroyed the One who gives it.
However, death could not have the final word over the Author of life. Peter immediately adds that God raised Him from the dead. Furthermore, he says, “we are witnesses.”
Once again, the Resurrection stands at the center. As in the sermon at Pentecost, Peter builds everything on it. The crowd made its decision about Jesus, and then God reversed it.
Consequently, the question before the listeners is no longer what they think of Jesus. The question is what they will do now that God has spoken.
Faith in His Name
Now Peter returns to the man standing beside him.
How did this man receive strength? Peter answers directly. The name of Jesus made him strong, on the basis of faith in that name.
Peter guards against a misunderstanding here. Someone might treat the name of Jesus as a magic formula. However, Peter joins the name to faith. The power does not lie in pronouncing certain syllables. Rather, it lies in the living Person whom the name represents, and people receive His help by trusting Him.
Notice also where the faith comes from. Peter says it comes “through Him.” In other words, even the faith that receives the gift traces back to Jesus.
Finally, Peter appeals to what the crowd can see. The healing took place in their presence. Therefore, they cannot dismiss his claims as theory. A man they have known for years stands before them, whole.
“You Acted in Ignorance”
At this point, the sermon turns from accusation to mercy.
Peter calls his listeners “brothers.” Then he says he knows they acted in ignorance, just as their rulers did.
This does not mean they were innocent. Peter has just held them responsible, and he will tell them to repent. Ignorance reduces guilt, but it does not remove it. Nevertheless, his words show real tenderness. He acknowledges that they did not understand whom they were rejecting.
In fact, Peter echoes his Lord. From the Cross, Jesus prayed that the Father would forgive those who crucified Him, because they did not know what they were doing. Now His apostle extends that same mercy.
In addition, Peter reminds them that God ruled over the whole event. All the prophets announced that the Christ would suffer, and God fulfilled their words through the very act of rejection. As we saw at Pentecost, human guilt and divine purpose stand side by side.
So the door remains open. Their worst sin did not defeat God’s plan. Instead, He used it to provide the sacrifice that could forgive them.
Repent and Return
Because of all this, Peter issues the call:
“Therefore repent and return…”
He uses two verbs, and each adds something.
To repent means to change one’s mind. The listeners must reverse their verdict on Jesus and on themselves. To return means to turn back toward God. Thus repentance involves both turning from and turning to.
Then Peter states the first result. God will wipe away their sins. The picture comes from writing. Ancient ink contained no acid, so it did not bite into the page. Consequently, a scribe could wipe a record away with a damp cloth and leave the surface clean.
That is how thoroughly God forgives. He does not merely cover the record or file it away. He erases it.
Remember who heard this promise. Peter offered it to people who had disowned the Holy and Righteous One. If God wipes that away, no repentant sinner needs to fear that his record is too long.
Times of Refreshing
Peter names a second result of repentance:
“…times of refreshing…”
This refreshing, he says, comes from the presence of the Lord.
The word suggests relief, like a cool breeze after oppressive heat or rest after hard labor. God does not only cancel the debt of those who return to Him. In addition, He revives them.
Many people carry a weariness that no vacation can cure. Guilt drains them. So does the effort of running from God. However, Peter says that refreshment flows from the Lord’s presence. Therefore, the way to find it is to come back to Him.
This promise holds for believers as well. When we have wandered, we do not recover joy by trying harder. We recover it by returning.
Until the Restoration of All Things
Peter then looks further ahead.
God will send Jesus, the Christ appointed for them. For now, heaven must receive Him until the period of the restoration of all things, which God announced through the prophets.
Here Peter answers a question from Acts 1. The disciples asked Jesus whether He was about to restore the kingdom to Israel. Jesus told them the timing was not theirs to know. Now Peter affirms that restoration will indeed come, at the time God has set.
So the sermon gives us the full sweep of Christian hope. Jesus suffered. God raised Him. Heaven has received Him. And one day He will return to make everything new.
Meanwhile, the call stands. People should repent and return now, because the same Jesus who offers forgiveness today will come as King.
A Prophet Like Moses
Peter supports his appeal from the Law.
Moses told Israel that God would raise up a Prophet like him from among their own people. Furthermore, Moses said they must listen to everything that Prophet tells them. Anyone who refused would be cut off.
Peter’s hearers honored Moses above nearly everyone. Therefore, his argument carried great force. Loyalty to Moses requires listening to Jesus. To reject Jesus is to disobey the very lawgiver they revered.
Then Peter widens the point. Samuel and all the prophets after him announced these days. The whole Old Testament leans forward toward Christ.
This remains true for us. We do not read the Bible rightly until we see where it leads.
Blessed by Being Turned
Finally, Peter reminds his listeners who they are.
They are the heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with Abraham. God promised Abraham that all the families of the earth would be blessed through his offspring. Accordingly, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to them first.
Notice two things in that closing sentence.
First, the word “first” implies that others will follow. Even here, in a sermon to Israel, the blessing reaches toward all nations.
Second, Peter defines the blessing. God sent Jesus to bless them by turning each of them from their wicked ways. We usually think of blessing as health, success, or comfort. Peter, however, names something better. The greatest gift God gives is a changed heart.
The Wisdom of Jesus in the Formation of the Church
In this series, we keep asking what each passage reveals about the wisdom of Jesus in forming His church. Peter’s second sermon shows us several principles.
He trains His servants to refuse glory. As a result, attention flows to Him and not to them.
He turns every opportunity toward the Gospel. A healing becomes a sermon.
He sends forgiven sinners to preach forgiveness. Peter confronts denial as a man who denied.
He joins truth with tenderness. Peter names the sin and then calls the sinners “brothers.”
He roots the church in the whole of Scripture. Abraham, Moses, Samuel, and the prophets all testify.
He gives His people a hope that reaches the end. Consequently, the church works toward the restoration of all things.
The Lesson for Us in 2026
1. Refuse the Credit
When God works through us, people may look at us. Therefore, we should point them to Him immediately.
2. Tell the Truth About Sin
Peter did not flatter his audience. However, he spoke as one who needed mercy himself.
3. Offer Mercy to the Guilty
God invited the very people who disowned His Son. Consequently, we should never write anyone off.
4. Repent and Return Quickly
Repentance is not a single event at the start of the Christian life. Instead, it becomes a way of life whenever we wander.
5. Seek Refreshment in the Lord’s Presence
Rest for the soul does not come from escape. It comes from returning to God.
6. Read All of Scripture in Light of Christ
Moses and the prophets pointed to Him. So should our reading of them.
Final Reflection
Two men stand in Solomon’s portico with a crowd staring at them.
A few minutes earlier, no one in the temple gave them a second look. Now, however, people regard them with awe. A man lame for forty years is holding on to them, and everyone wants to know how they did it.
What Peter does next tells us a great deal about him.
The Test of Success
We often think of hardship as the great test of character. Yet success tests us just as severely, and sometimes more.
Peter faced that test here. The crowd handed him admiration, and he could have kept it. Instead, he gave it away at once. He told them plainly that neither his power nor his godliness explained the miracle.
Peter had learned this the hard way. Once, he trusted his own courage and promised to die for Jesus. That same night, he discovered how little his strength was worth. As a result, he no longer had any illusions about himself.
Failure had done him good. It emptied him of the pride that would have ruined him in this moment.
Therefore, do not despise the seasons that humbled you. God may have used them to prepare you for a day when He intends to use you. A servant who knows his weakness can carry blessing safely.
The Kindness in the Rebuke
Now consider how Peter spoke to the crowd.
He did not soften the facts. He told them they disowned the Holy and Righteous One and killed the Prince of life. Nevertheless, in the next breath, he called them brothers and opened the door of mercy.
He could do both because he had stood where they stood. He had disowned Jesus too.
This is how God deals with us. He never pretends our sin is small. However, He exposes it in order to remove it. He names the debt so that He can wipe it away.
Perhaps you have avoided God because you fear what He will say about your past. If so, hear the whole sermon. The same voice that tells the truth about your sin also says, “Return.”
What Returning Brings
Finally, notice what Peter promised.
He did not promise the crowd an easier life. Instead, he promised three things. God would wipe away their sins. God would send times of refreshing from His presence. And God would one day send Jesus to restore all things.
In other words, repentance deals with the past, the present, and the future. It clears the record behind us. It revives the heart within us. Moreover, it places a certain hope ahead of us.
“Therefore repent and return…” — Acts 3:19 (NASB)
God sent His Servant to bless us by turning us, and no one who turns to Him finds the door closed.
So the question becomes:
Is there any place in my life where I am still facing away from God, and will I repent and return today so that He can wipe the record clean and refresh my soul?
