Peter and John were together when they healed a man who was begging at the temple gate called Beautiful. The man jumped up and followed them and then stayed there together with them.

A crowd, of course, formed around them as the people began to understand what had happened. Peter and John had performed a miracle by God’s power, an obvious and true miracle that showed how God was with them and confirmed the words that they were speaking.

Peter spoke to the crowd and called them to repentance. He explained that the Messiah was sent to them, but they had killed him. Peter was pointed and direct, but unrelenting in his message. He said that they must repent and turn away from their sins, away from their wickedness toward God, and he would forgive them.

In fact, Peter says, the prophets had foreseen these days. They told about those days and that time, speaking of the fact that God had planned to bless all people, through them, through the seed Abraham:

Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on 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.

Acts 3:24-26

This blessing that God had given to Abraham, the blessing of knowing God and being his people, was the same blessing that God had made official through the covenant that he made with Abraham. Now, God had given the Jewish people, the offspring of Abraham, the opportunity to extend that blessing to all peoples on the earth. Through them had come the Messiah. Through them all people would have the opportunity to know God and be blessed by him, and the Jewish people could experience that same blessing, if only they would repent and turn from their wicked ways.

Even today, the blessing is continuing to be extended to all nations. Through the Jewish people came the Messiah, Jesus Christ himself. However, the story continues with us today. If we will repent of our wickedness, turning away from our sins and turn toward God, he will forgive us. Even more, through us will also come the message of hope in Christ that the nations can also experience this same blessing.

The passing down of this blessing from God has come through the Jewish people, but now that it has arrived to us, it also is passed through us. God’s plan is that all peoples can know him, but he has chosen to also use each of us as his instrument to make his plan known to all people. The prophets also spoke and foretold of these days, the days that all people would know Christ. Now it is to us to believe and both take hold of the blessing that has been extended to us as well as pass it to others so that all people may know and experience the same.