The Apostle John explained at the end of his book that the reason he had talked so much about the supernatural things that Jesus did was “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). John identified believing as a critical component of being a follower of Christ and said that believing results in people having life, “in his (Jesus Christ’s) name.” Name is used “to imply authority, e.g., to come or to do something in or by the name of someone, meaning using his name as his messenger, envoy, representative; by his authority, with his sanction” (G3686).

After Jesus was resurrected, he told his disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of this age” (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus’ authority is what made it possible for his disciples to continue doing supernatural things even though he was not present with them. Jesus associated having his authority with the power of the Holy Spirit and told his disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Peter and John began exercising Jesus’ authority immediately after they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4). It says in Acts 3:1-7 that as they were going up to the temple to pray, they saw a man who had not been able to walk from birth. Peter took the man by the right hand and raised him to his feet, “and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God” (Acts 3:7-8). All the people who saw the man walking and praising God “were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him” (Acts 3:10).

The people were filled with wonder and amazement not because they saw the lame man get up and walk, but because Peter and John were followers of Jesus. The people of Israel had collectively rejected Jesus as their Messiah and thought that when Jesus died on the cross, that would be the last that they would hear of him, but Peter took it upon himself to set the record straight. Acts 3:11-16 states:

While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s. And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

Peter said faith in the name of Jesus had not only made it possible for the lame man to walk, but had also given him perfect health or wholeness (Acts 3:16). This meant that the man had been made perfectly sound in body; whatever had caused his disability was completely illuminated along with any other physical defects or diseases. It seems likely that at least part of the people’s wonder and amazement was due to the lame man’s physical appearance being transformed right before their very eyes.

Wonder and amazement are associated with the state of being out of one’s usual mind (G1611). In other parts of the New Testament, the Greek word ekstasis (ekˊ-stas-is) is translated as trance, “a state in which the soul is unconscious of present objects, being rapt into visions of distant or future things.” Ekstasis is also associated with strong emotions and is where the English word ecstasy comes from. The people’s wonder and amazement at the supernatural event that had taken place made them perfect targets for Peter’s gospel message (Acts 3:17-25). Peter encouraged the people of Israel to repent so that their sins could be blotted out (Acts 3:19) and told them God wanted to bless them by turning them from their wickedness (Acts 3:25). While Peter was speaking, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came and arrested Peter and John, but hearing the gospel had already turned many of the people back to God. Acts 3:3-4 tells us, “And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed and the number of the men came to about five thousand.”