Jerusalem witness continues
Acts 3-4 follows Pentecost and remains in Jerusalem, where Peter and John join the Temple prayer service and speak publicly.
Audio companion
Listen to Acts 3 and 4
11:30
Hear both complete chapters in the Berean Standard Bible, followed by a brief reflection, response, and prayer.
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No Other Name
Welcome to Daily Scripture. Today's reading is Acts 3 and 4, and both complete chapters are included in this podcast. The episode notes include a same-translation starting link for reading along. One public healing leads to witness, opposition, prayer, and a shared life shaped by grace.
Context Lens
Acts 3 and 4 follow Pentecost and remain in Jerusalem. Peter and John go to the temple at the hour of prayer. The healing there leads to Peter's public speech, arrest, a council hearing, the believers' prayer, and a closing picture of their shared life.
Acts 3 and 4
Hear now Acts 3 and 4, complete and uninterrupted, from the Berean Standard Bible.
Scripture Reading
One afternoon Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those entering the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked directly at him, as did John. “Look at us!” said Peter. So the man gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” Taking him by the right hand, Peter helped him up, and at once the man’s feet and ankles were made strong. He sprang to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and leaping and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the man who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. While the man clung to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and ran to them in the walkway called Solomon’s Colonnade. And when Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why are you surprised by this? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus. You handed Him over and rejected Him before Pilate, even though he had decided to release Him. You rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the Author of life, but God raised Him from the dead, and we are witnesses of this fact. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know has been made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through Him that has given him this complete healing in your presence. And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But in this way God has fulfilled what He foretold through all the prophets, saying that His Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus, the Christ, who has been appointed for you. Heaven must take Him in until the time comes for the restoration of all things, which God announced long ago through His holy prophets. For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him in everything He tells you. Everyone who does not listen to Him will be completely cut off from among his people.’ Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have proclaimed these days. And you are sons of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers when He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.’ When God raised up His Servant, He sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.” While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, greatly disturbed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in custody until the next day. But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand. The next day the rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, along with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and many others from the high priest’s family. They had Peter and John brought in and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being examined today about a kind service to a man who was lame, to determine how he was healed, then let this be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. This Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing there with them, they had nothing to say in response. So they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. “What shall we do with these men?” they asked. “It is clear to everyone living in Jerusalem that a remarkable miracle has occurred through them, and we cannot deny it. But to keep this message from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in this name.” Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than God. For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” After further threats they let them go. They could not find a way to punish them, because all the people were glorifying God for what had happened. For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old. On their release, Peter and John returned to their own people and reported everything that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When the believers heard this, they lifted up their voices to God with one accord. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “You made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One.’ In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed. They carried out what Your hand and will had decided beforehand would happen. And now, Lord, consider their threats, and enable Your servants to speak Your word with complete boldness, as You stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. The multitude of believers was one in heart and soul. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they owned. With great power the apostles continued to give their testimony about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And abundant grace was upon them all. There were no needy ones among them, because those who owned lands or houses would sell their property, bring the proceeds from the sales, and lay them at the apostles’ feet for distribution to anyone as he had need. Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (meaning Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
The Sign Belongs to Jesus
That was Acts 3 and 4.
The Sign Belongs to Jesus
A man unable to walk from birth expects money at the temple gate. Instead, Peter commands him to rise in Jesus Christ's name. The man stands, walks, and praises God in public. Then Peter refuses the crowd's admiration. This did not come from the apostles' own power or devotion. The God of Israel glorified Jesus, the Holy and Righteous One whom people rejected, and brought him back from death. The healing is a real sign for this man, not a technique that guarantees the same outcome for every disabled person. Peter uses the sign to call his hearers toward the risen Jesus, repentance, forgiveness, and the restoration God has promised.
The Rejected Stone Stands
The leaders arrest Peter and John because they are teaching resurrection through Jesus. Yet the healed man stands beside them, visible evidence the council cannot erase. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Peter again names Jesus: crucified by people, raised by God, rejected by builders, and established as the cornerstone. Salvation is found in him alone. His name is not a verbal charm. It identifies the living Savior in whom God has acted. When the council orders silence, Peter and John refuse that specific command to suppress truthful witness. This scene does not grant careless defiance of every authority. It shows witnesses remaining faithful to their direct testimony about Jesus.
Threats Become Prayer
Released from the council, Peter and John return to the believers. The community turns first to God. They address the Sovereign Lord and Creator, then use Psalm 2 to name the opposition gathered against Jesus. Human hostility remains guilty, but it does not overturn God's purpose in the cross. They do not ask for revenge or immunity. They ask God to notice the threats, give his servants boldness, and extend his healing hand through Jesus' name. God answers through the Holy Spirit, and they continue to speak his word with courage.
Great Grace Takes Material Shape
The final scene joins resurrection testimony with shared life. God's great grace rests on the community. Believers hold possessions with open hands so that real needs can be met. Luke does not make forced dispossession a condition of grace. He shows grace loosening ownership for the sake of another person. Barnabas gives the summary a face by selling a field and placing the proceeds at the apostles' feet. Public witness to the risen Jesus and concrete care in ordinary community belong together.
Grace Before Response
Receive the good news before measuring your response. People rejected and crucified Jesus. God raised Jesus and made the rejected stone the cornerstone. Salvation rests in him. The Holy Spirit gives courage, and great grace forms a generous people. Begin there. Then speak about Jesus without self-display in one fitting conversation, and make one resource available to meet a concrete need. If truth-telling involves danger or abuse, seek wise help and safety rather than treating harm as a test of faith.
Prayer
Father, you raised your Son Jesus and made the rejected stone the cornerstone. Thank you that salvation, courage, and generosity begin with your grace. Keep us from taking credit for what belongs to you. Give us truthful courage without recklessness, compassion without coercion, and open hands toward real need. By your Holy Spirit, let our words and possessions bear witness to your saving work in Jesus. Amen.
Translation Credit
Today's Scripture reading was from the Berean Standard Bible. The Berean Standard Bible text is dedicated to the public domain. A same-translation starting link for reading Acts 3 and continuing into Acts 4 is included with this episode. The study companion uses the NLT Reading Edition as its controlling interpretive source. This audio narration was generated using AI voices from the reviewed episode transcript.
Audio narration may be generated using an AI voice from the reviewed episode transcript.
Begin with the complete text
Read the complete assigned passage
Open Acts 3-4 in the authorized NLT reader, then return for context, exposition, and response.
Read Acts 3 in Bible.com → Read Acts 4 in Bible.com →Historical and literary setting
Context Lens
One sign opens a widening conflict
The healing at the Temple leads to Peter’s speech, arrest, a council hearing, the believers’ prayer, and a summary of their shared life.
Temple leaders oppose resurrection teaching
Priests, the Temple guard, and Sadducees confront Peter and John because they teach resurrection through Jesus.
See timeline and full contextTimeline, writing setting, historical world, and biblical frame
Scripture
A focused passage excerpt
Acts 4:11-12
A focused excerpt
11For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’
12There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
Passage map
Hold the Thread
One healing sets off a chain of witness, resistance, prayer, and Spirit-formed generosity.
Acts 3:1-11
A man walks and praises God
Jesus’ name brings a public healing that cannot be hidden.
Acts 3:12-26
Peter turns attention to Jesus
Peter rejects personal credit and proclaims the rejected, risen Author of life.
Acts 4:1-22
The name is forbidden
The council sees the evidence but commands the witnesses to stop speaking about Jesus.
Acts 4:23-31
The church asks for boldness
The threatened community prays to the Sovereign Lord and is filled with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 4:32-37
Great grace meets real need
Resurrection witness and shared possessions take shape in one united community.
Return point: Every movement redirects attention from human power to the risen Jesus, then shows his Spirit forming courageous speech and material care.
Exposition
Read closely
Acts 3:1-26
The Sign Belongs to Jesus
The healed man becomes a public witness to God’s action. He expects money, but Peter gives what silver cannot provide: a command in the name of Jesus Christ. Strength comes to feet and ankles that had never carried him. He enters the Temple walking, leaping, and praising God. The story leaves no doubt about the bodily reality of this particular healing or about the praise it produces.
Peter refuses the credit. When the crowd stares at Peter and John, Peter denies that their own power or godliness made the man walk. The God of Israel has glorified his servant Jesus, the Holy and Righteous One whom people rejected and the Author of life whom God raised. The sign points beyond the apostles to the living authority of Jesus. Evidence
This healing is a sign, not a technique or a verdict on every disabled body. The man is not blamed for his condition, and Peter does not present a formula that guarantees identical healing on demand. Acts 3 reports what Jesus did for this man and uses it to identify the risen Messiah. Faith must never be weaponized against someone who remains disabled or needs medical care.
Peter moves from ignorance to a summons to hear Jesus. He acknowledges that the people and their leaders acted in ignorance, then calls them to repent and turn to God so sins may be wiped away and refreshment may come from the Lord. His citation begins with Moses’ promised prophet and warns against refusing God’s word now. The exact source behind the warning language in Acts 3:23 is debated, but Peter’s accessible point is clear: God sent Jesus to bless by turning people from sin. Evidence
The miracle does not magnify Peter. It bears witness to the risen Jesus, who gives life and calls people to turn to God.
Acts 4:1-22
The Rejected Stone Stands
Opposition cannot reverse the witness already given. The leaders arrest Peter and John because resurrection through Jesus is being taught, yet many hearers believe. The next day the council asks about power and name. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter answers by returning to the healed man standing before them and to Jesus whom they crucified and God raised.
The rejected Jesus is God’s cornerstone and only Savior. Peter applies Psalm 118 to the council’s rejection of Jesus. Human builders rejected the stone, but God established him. The declaration that salvation is found in no one else belongs to this resurrection testimony. Jesus’ name is not a verbal charm; it names the crucified and risen person in whom God has acted to heal and save. Evidence
The council sees evidence it cannot erase. It recognizes Peter and John as ordinary men who had been with Jesus, and it sees the healed man beside them. Unable to deny the sign, the council tries to stop its meaning from spreading by forbidding Jesus’ name. The witnesses answer that they cannot stop telling what they have seen and heard.
Their refusal is specific, not a blank check for defiance. Peter and John resist an order to suppress eyewitness testimony about Jesus. Acts 4 does not authorize reckless contempt for every authority, concealment of abuse, or remaining in avoidable danger. It shows witnesses discerning that obedience to God requires truthful speech about the risen Lord even when legitimate consequences may follow. Evidence
The council can threaten the witnesses, but it cannot make the healed man disappear or make the risen Jesus cease to be the cornerstone.
Acts 4:23-31
Threats Become Prayer
The released witnesses return to the believers, and the whole community turns first to God. They address him as Sovereign Lord and Creator. Their prayer begins neither with the council’s power nor with their own courage, but with the God who made all things and spoke through Scripture.
Psalm 2 gives them language for opposition without pretending that evil is good. They name Herod, Pilate, Gentiles, and Israel as gathered against God’s anointed servant Jesus. Human hostility remains guilty, yet it does not overthrow God’s purpose. The cross is therefore neither an accident nor an excuse for the people who carried it out. Evidence
They ask for bold witness, and God answers by the Holy Spirit. The believers ask God to notice the threats, give his servants boldness, and extend his healing hand through Jesus’ name. They do not demand revenge or promise themselves immunity. The place shakes, they are filled with the Holy Spirit, and they speak God’s word boldly.
Under threat, the church asks the Sovereign Lord not for self-importance but for Spirit-given freedom to keep speaking his word.
Acts 4:32-37
Great Grace Takes Material Shape
Resurrection testimony and shared life remain joined. The apostles testify powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing rests on the community. Luke then describes believers united in heart and mind. Their fellowship is not detached from the gospel they proclaim.
Grace loosens ownership for the sake of need. Those with land or houses sell property and entrust the proceeds for distribution. Luke’s emphasis is the result: there are no needy people among them. The scene does not make forced dispossession a condition of grace; it portrays possessions becoming available when another person lacks what is necessary. Evidence
Barnabas gives the summary a face. Joseph from Cyprus sells a field and brings the money to the apostles. The example prepares for the next chapter, where apparent generosity is exposed as deceit. Here, however, the closing note is simple: God’s blessing forms a people whose resurrection witness and concrete care belong together.
The name they proclaim in public also reshapes what they call their own in private.
The hinge
What holds the reading together
Across healing, proclamation, opposition, prayer, and shared life, Acts 3-4 directs every sign and every response away from human power to the risen Jesus, whose name alone saves and whose Spirit forms bold and generous witnesses.
Godward synthesis
Behold the Lord
Acts 3:12-26
The God of Israel glorifies the Author of life.
God raises the Jesus people rejected, works healing through his name, and sends him to bless by turning people from sin.
Acts 4:8-12
Jesus is the cornerstone and only Savior.
The crucified Jesus whom God raised is not displaced by human rejection. Salvation rests in the person God has given.
Acts 4:23-37
The Sovereign Lord gives his Spirit and great grace.
God hears threatened believers, fills them for bold witness, and forms a united people who make provision for need.
Gospel horizon: Acts 3-4 explicitly proclaims that people rejected and crucified Jesus, God raised him, and salvation is found in him alone. The risen Lord’s name brings healing and forgiveness, while the Holy Spirit forms witnesses whose courage and generosity follow God’s grace rather than earn it.
Ordinary life under God
In the Day-to-Day
Acts 4:32-37
In Acts 4:32-37, God’s great blessing rests on the community before possessions are opened to need. Receive grace before measuring your generosity. In a household, friendship, church, or caregiving circle, identify one real lack and make one fitting resource available today: money, food, transportation, time, attention, or a useful connection.
Response
Respond before God
Pray
Father, you raised your Son Jesus, made the rejected stone the cornerstone, and gave the Holy Spirit to your people. Keep me from seeking credit for what belongs to your grace. Give me truthful courage without recklessness, compassion without coercion, and open hands toward real need. Let my words and possessions bear witness to your saving work in Jesus.
Watch
Carry Acts 4:11-12 through the day. Notice the pull to trust reputation, resources, or personal force instead of the crucified and risen Jesus, and notice one real need that grace has put within reach.
Respond
Begin with what God has done: the rejected Jesus is risen, established, and saving. Speak his name without self-display in one fitting conversation, then make one resource you possess available to meet a concrete need. If truth-telling involves danger or abuse, seek wise help and safety rather than treating harm as a test of faith.
Optional reference layer
Go Deeper
Text and interpretation
Translation Difference
Acts 3:22-23 explicitly begins from Moses’ promise in Deuteronomy 18. The warning that follows resembles more than one Old Testament formulation, and scholars dispute its exact secondary source. The study therefore retains Peter’s clear summons to hear Jesus without making the source dispute carry the sermon’s conclusion.
Interpretive Fork
The healing, the apostles’ refusal, and the shared possessions each have a precise narrative setting. This study does not turn one sign into a guarantee on demand, one command to suppress Jesus’ witnesses into permission for general lawlessness, or voluntary provision for need into coerced dispossession. Those limits protect rather than weaken the passage’s witness.
Evidence notes for exposition
Text states
Supports Peter’s refusal of personal credit and the speech’s identification of Jesus through resurrection and scriptural titles.
Debated
Supports the explicit Deuteronomy 18 basis, the disputed secondary source of Acts 3:23, and the movement from prior ignorance to accountable hearing.
Text states
Supports Peter’s use of Psalm 118 to identify the rejected Jesus as cornerstone and his exclusive salvation declaration.
Strong inference
Supports limiting the apostles’ refusal to the council’s specific prohibition of truthful witness about Jesus.
Text states
Supports the believers’ explicit use of Psalm 2 to interpret opposition to Jesus and their present threats under God’s sovereign purpose.
Text states
Supports reading the closing summary as concrete, repeated provision for need within a united community rather than merely inward fellowship.
Focused Text Notes
A closer look
The Prophet like Moses Acts 3:22-23
Peter explicitly begins from Deuteronomy 18:15-19. Scholars debate whether the warning in verse 23 also draws from Leviticus 23:29, Numbers 15:30-31, or a broader scriptural formulation. The main path does not depend on settling that source dispute: Peter moves from acknowledged ignorance to the urgent responsibility of hearing Jesus now.
In No One Else Acts 4:12
Peter’s salvation claim follows the healing, Jesus’ resurrection, and the rejected-stone quotation. The language of a name refers to the person and authority of Jesus, not a sound formula. The verse makes an exclusive claim about the Savior God has given while the surrounding scene identifies him as the crucified and risen Jesus.
Old Testament Echo
Deuteronomy 18:15-19
Hear the prophet God raises up
Deuteronomy in context. Moses distinguishes the prophet God will raise from forbidden ways of seeking guidance. God will put his words in that prophet’s mouth, and the people are accountable to listen.
Peter’s use in Acts. Peter explicitly identifies Jesus with Moses’ promised prophet. After acknowledging prior ignorance, he presents hearing Jesus now as urgent covenant responsibility.
Preparation and accountability
Prepared by Ben
This independent formation resource uses an AI-assisted research and production workflow. AI supports research, organization, drafting, and mechanical checks. AI is not treated as a theological authority.
No independent theological review is claimed for this reading.
Revision 2026-08-29-r2 supersedes 2026-08-29: Adds the reviewed dual-voice BSB audio companion, accessible transcript, and synthetic-narration disclosure; the study text is unchanged.
Last revised 2026-08-29. How these studies are prepared · Report a correction
Sources
Sources and text notice
- Tyndale NLT source pack: Exact complete NLT Scripture, canonical verse sequence, official section headings, and observations directly stated in Acts 3-4
- Bible.com, Acts 3-4 NLT: Authorized public NLT reader route and attribution for Acts 3-4
- Eric J. Brewer, The Prophet like Moses and the Word of the Lord: Directly inspected analysis of Acts 3:22-23, its use of Deuteronomy 18, the disputed second source of the composite citation, and the movement from prior ignorance to accountable hearing
- Bible reading insights from how the Gospels and Acts link the apostles to Jesus: Directly inspected discussion of Peter proclaiming Jesus through Scripture in Acts 3:12-26, Acts 4:8-12, and the believers use of Psalm 2 in Acts 4:24-30
- Lawrence H. Schiffman, The Second Temple: Directly inspected historical overview of the Second Temple as Jerusalem worship center and the place of priestly and Sadducean activity
- Michael L. Satlow, Sadducees: Directly inspected cautious historical overview of Sadducean links with priesthood, political power, Scripture, and denial of resurrection
- Christopher R. Hutson, All Things in Common: Mutual Aid in Acts 2:42-47 and Acts 4:32-37: Directly inspected analysis of Acts 4:32-37 as a Lukan community summary, its ancient friendship language, and its concrete provision for need
- Metzger textual commentary excerpts on Acts 3-4: Directly inspected textual-critical summaries for Acts 3 and Acts 4, including variants across the healing, speeches, prayer, and community summary
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.