What is the meaning of Acts 3:5? So the man • Luke has just told us this man was “lame from birth” and daily laid at the Beautiful Gate (Acts 3:2). His entire life experience had trained him to look to human charity, not divine intervention. • The phrase reminds us that God’s work begins with real people in real need; Scripture never treats suffering as abstract (cf. John 9:1-3, where another man born blind becomes the stage for God’s glory). • By identifying him simply as “the man,” the text invites any reader who has an ingrained weakness—physical, emotional, or spiritual—to see himself in the narrative. gave them his attention • Attention is the first step of faith. Just as Hebrews 12:2 urges us to be “fixing our eyes on Jesus,” this man fixes his eyes on Peter and John, the appointed witnesses of Christ. • In Mark 10:49-50 the blind beggar Bartimaeus springs up when Jesus calls; the same attentive posture precedes his healing. • Giving attention also signals willingness to receive instruction. Proverbs 4:20 says, “My son, pay attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings”. God often uses human messengers, so honoring them honors Him (cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:13). expecting to receive something from them • Expectation is natural for a beggar, yet the Spirit is about to exceed it. Ephesians 3:20 celebrates the God “who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine”. • Peter immediately redirects the man’s hope: “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you” (Acts 3:6). God denies lesser gifts to supply the greater—healing and salvation. • The contrast between temporal alms and eternal blessing echoes Isaiah 55:1-3, where the Lord invites the thirsty to receive what money cannot buy. • Expectation itself is commended; James 1:6-7 warns that doubters “should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.” Faith-filled expectancy opens the door for God’s power. summary Acts 3:5 spotlights the readiness of a needy man, the focus of faith, and the hopeful expectancy that precedes God’s intervention. When we turn our full attention toward God’s servants and anticipate His provision, He often supplies far more than the limited relief we imagine—meeting our deepest need through the risen Christ. |
    |