Acts 3:11

Acts 3:11 says, And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering.  The lame man who was healed held onto Peter and John in a grateful embrace I believe.  The people all wondered about what had happened, even though they had seen it with their own eyes.  Too often when people see a miracle, they still don’t want to believe it.  As we follow Him today, how far does our faith take us and do we question miracles when we see them?  Verse twelve adds, And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?  When someone who has been known to be lame since birth gets up leaping and walking and praising God, people tend to notice.  That was true with the lame man Peter had brought healing to.  As the man and those around him rushed to Peter and John, Peter asked them why they marveled.  It is human nature to marvel at things we don't understand, but the Christian nature should be to simply praise God.  Peter was also quick to point out that John and he had not done the healing.  They didn't say bring us your sick and we will heal them.  They didn't seek a reward.  Peter simply continued to preach the Gospel.  He told those there that the God of their fathers through His Son that they had rejected was the One Who had healed the man.  Verse thirteen continues, The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.  Peter reminded them that they chose for Christ to be crucified when Pilate would have set Him free, even though God had glorified Jesus as His only begotten Son.  Too often, people choose the evil things of the world over Jesus Christ.  The man was healed to bring glory to God.  It benefited the man greatly, but God was to be glorified.  Those gathered around benefited as they saw the reality of God's power and grace, but God was to be glorified.  We today benefit from knowing that God has always been and always will be at work in the world, but God is to be glorified.  Verse fourteen states, But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;  Peter said they denied the Holy One and demanded that a murderer be set free.  People are still choosing others over Jesus Christ today, even though they are all guilty of sin.  Verse fifteen adds, And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.  We cannot just blame the Jews of that day for the death of Jesus because He died for the sins of every individual, so we all stand guilty. Verse sixteen continues, And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.  Peter said it was by faith in the resurrected Lord that the man was able to walk.  No matter how bad off we are spiritually, if we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we will be saved.