Healing and Repentance / Acts Bible Study (Part 8) / Chapter 3

David Hathaway

“Why are you so amazed at this? Why do you look on us, as if by our own power or holiness we made this man walk? The God of our fathers has glorified His Son Jesus! – Jesus whom you delivered up and whom you rejected when Pilate was determined to release Him. You denied the Holy One, you killed the Prince of Life whom God has raised from the dead – of which we are witnesses! It’s His Name, through faith in His Name that has made this man – whom you know – strong and given him perfect healing in front of you all. It is faith given him by Jesus that has created this miracle!”

Peter and John are trying to turn attention away from themselves: “It’s not us! We did not work the miracle! It’s the Name of Jesus, through faith in believing who Jesus is, that created the miracle.” When I pray with the sick, I teach the people that I am not a healer, I’m not a miracle-worker. Jesus is the Healer. I’m all the time turning attention away from myself, because people get the idea that I’m some kind of ‘miracle-worker’, someone special, some ‘holy man’. I’m not. And just as Peter and John had to turn the attention of the people to Jesus, I always try to make it quite clear that it’s Jesus and faith in Him that works the miracle, not us. He’s the Healer, and the miracles are the evidence that He is alive, and He’s the Son of God with Power!

For this reason, Peter uses this healing as a strong opportunity to preach the Gospel: “Jesus – whom you denied – is the Prince of Life – and we are witnesses of the miracle of His Resurrection. It is faith in this that has made the miracle.” But Peter excuses their ignorance in v17ff, “I understand your ignorance and that of your spiritual rulers, but if you had understood what God foretold through all the prophets that Christ would suffer, you would have known that Jesus is the fulfilment of your Jewish prophecy! Repent and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out!” Conversion is ‘change’. It’s not just ‘believing’, it’s ‘changing’! A complete change! You can change a car and make it float! You can take wood and change it into furniture! Repentance must be accompanied by a change, so that sin is blotted out and you can receive God’s blessing in your life, ‘refreshing from the Presence of the Lord’!