Peter Heals the Lame Man at the Temple Gate

Peter and John heal a man lame from birth at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple. Peter declares 'Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ, walk.' The man leaps and praises God.

The first apostolic miracle demonstrates that the power of Jesus continues through His followers. It leads to Peter's second great sermon.

Key Verses

Background

Following the day of Pentecost, the early Jerusalem community was characterized by devoted fellowship, prayer, and a sense of awe as wonders and signs multiplied through the apostles (Acts 2:43). Peter and John continued to observe the Jewish hours of prayer, maintaining their practice of Temple attendance. At three in the afternoon — the hour of the evening sacrifice — they were heading into the Temple complex when they encountered the lame man at the gate. This man had been disabled from birth and was carried daily to the gate called Beautiful to beg alms from worshipers entering the sanctuary. He had likely seen Jesus pass during the preceding years; what he had received from those encounters, if anything, Luke does not say. On this day, he looked to Peter and John for money.

The Event

Peter fastened his gaze on the man and said, "Look at us!" — demanding genuine attention, not the habitual glance of a beggar monitoring passersby. He then made one of the most memorable declarations in the book of Acts: "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!" (Acts 3:6). He seized the man by the right hand and pulled him up. Instantly, the man's feet and ankles became strong. He entered the Temple with Peter and John, walking, leaping, and praising God. The crowd recognized him as the well-known beggar and was filled with wonder and astonishment. Peter addressed the gathering in Solomon's Colonnade, declaring that the healing was not by apostolic power but by faith in the name of Jesus — the one whom they had handed over to death but whom God had raised. He called them to repentance so that their sins might be wiped away.

Theological Significance

This healing is the first apostolic miracle recorded in Acts and functions as a demonstration that the power of the risen Jesus was not confined to his physical presence but continued through those who acted in his name. The specific location — the Beautiful Gate of the Temple — connects the miracle to the heart of Israel's worship, implying that the renewal brought by Jesus operates precisely where covenant life had been centered. Peter's explicit attribution of the healing to "faith in his name" (Acts 3:16) underscores that the apostles were not independent miracle workers but agents of the exalted Christ. The subsequent sermon became Peter's second major proclamation, resulting in the community growing to about five thousand men (Acts 4:4). The miracle also provoked the first organized opposition from the Sanhedrin, setting in motion the pattern of proclamation, response, and persecution that structures the entire narrative of Acts.