John Calvin Commentary Acts 3:9

"And all the people saw him walking and praising God:" — Acts 3:9 (ASV)

And all the people saw. He now begins to declare the fruit of the miracle, namely, that the cripple began to show his thankfulness by praising God, and that all the people were filled with great wonder. And here is a double fruit. For he who was healed acknowledges and sets forth the benefit of God; on the other hand, the people are moved, and the news spreads widely, so many come to see it. And whereas Luke says that they were filled with wonder, it only declares a preparation, which a fuller development eventually followed. For it was necessary that they should progress, because this wonder of theirs had served no purpose in itself, but rather made them astonished and amazed, instead of leading them from their own ways to God.

Therefore it was, so to speak, the foundation of the building that was to come, in that the people were touched with amazement. For if we pass over the works of God contemptuously or carelessly, we will never be able to profit by them. Furthermore, this passage teaches us what miracles accomplish by themselves in people; namely, that they produce a confused amazement. For although the Lord calls us directly to Himself, by plainly showing His goodness and power there, yet such is the weakness of our nature, that we stumble or faint midway, until we are helped by doctrine.

Let us, therefore, learn to consider the works of God reverently, so that wondering at them may prepare the way for doctrine. For when doctrine is cold and unprofitable to us, God justly punishes our unthankfulness by this means, because we have despised the glory of His works. Again, because we are not so perceptive that we can see enough in the works of God alone, let us learn to combine with them the help of doctrine. In short, the one ought not to be separated from the other. Experience sufficiently teaches us this. For this is how it came about that the world so wickedly abused miracles.

The Papists repeatedly confront us with miracles. Let us suppose that the miracles they boast of so much are true; yet they greatly err in this: they twist them to a wrong end, namely, to obscure the name of God and infect the pure truth of the gospel with their inventions.

For from where do so many superstitious worshipings of saints come, except only from the abuse of miracles? For when any miracle is performed, people must inevitably be moved. And because they are deaf when they should hear the Word, and do not pay attention to what God means, Satan craftily takes an opportunity for superstition from our amazement.

As, for example, I will acknowledge the power of God in a miracle. If it were performed by Peter, Satan will soon put this in my head and will say this: “Do you not see that this is a man of God? Therefore you owe him divine honor.”

The same thing would have happened to the Jews when they were amazed, if Peter’s sermon had not called them back to the right way. But in Popery, where no one called them back or reproved them, the absurd wonder of people easily gained the upper hand. Therefore, we must all the more seek for medicine from the Word, so that doctrine may direct us to the right end, being uplifted by the miracles.