Acts 5:12-16 12Now, by the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. 13And none of the rest dared join them, but the people spoke highly of them. 14And many believers were being added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, so that as Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16And the multitudes also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, all of whom were healed.
Luke provides another summary after the stories of the generosity of Joseph and the selfishness of Ananias and Sapphira. The focus of this summary is on the signs and wonders done by the apostles. A certain awe accompanied the apostles. These were special people with a special anointing, and the others saw it. Luke has already given several examples of such miracles, including the healing of the lame man in 3:1-10. Other examples are given in verse 16 as those with various illnesses and those suffering from demon possession. These were the same challenges that Jesus healed in his ministry (Luke 6:18). Because the apostles had the Spirit of Christ in them, they were able to do the same things as he.
The place where the healings took place was in Solomon’s Portico, which was the same place Peter and John met the people after the lame man was healed in 3:11. This colonnade was located in the temple area and was believed to be remnants of Solomon’s temple. It was refurbished by Herod and had a collection of columns almost forty feet tall. It was an impressive sight. It was also the gathering place for rabbis and their students. The meaning of they all is vague, but likely included the apostles, other key leaders, and any people seeking to know about Jesus or be healed. The place had become an open-air church. Likewise, the rest of verse 13 is unclear, but it possibly could include other Christians. There was likely limited space for a constant large crowd, but the scene, as Luke describes it, seems an organized chaos, with people coming and going. It is unclear why none of the rest, whoever they were, did not join the apostles in this location. Was it too crowded? Were they afraid of the Jewish authorities? Dared (etolma) means to have courage, so fear seems to have been a motivation for staying away. Nevertheless, the apostles impressed people, who praised them for what was happening.
The new movement of Jesus followers was growing in number. The miracles were drawing people from all over Jerusalem. A great number of people brought their sick friends and family on mats, bed, cots, gurneys, or other carrying methods, which took some great effort, especially if they came from outside of Jerusalem. The temple was built on a hill in the city, so it took even more effort to get the sick to the apostles. When word got out about miracles happening, it gave hope to people, and they came looking for an answer to their problems. A little superstition arose about Peter’s shadow. It should be remembered that what healed people was their faith and not anything special in the apostles themselves, who were only instruments of God’s power. People had a respect for the apostles out of fear of what they heard and an awe for what they saw. Thus far in this chapter, the reader will be impressed by the power at work through the apostles, with Peter as the leader. The outcome of the ministry of miracles was that more people came to believe in Jesus. That should be the outcome of all miracles. Miracles have the goal of bringing people back to God and giving them hope for a new life.
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