Acts 4:9 is Peter’s question, put back to him by the religious authorities, about how a crippled man came to be healed. The verse does not explain the healing itself; it describes a courtroom-style hearing where Peter is asked to account for a kindness he has done. Peter speaks to the rulers, elders and leaders of Israel who had arrested him and John the day before.
If we are examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed…
Acts 4:9 (WEB)
What Acts 4:9 Means
The verse opens with “if we are examined today,” which tells you Peter and John are being formally questioned, not thanked. Their crime, in the eyes of the court, is that they did something good. The word “examined” is a legal term, and it places the apostles in the position of defendants before a council that holds real power over them.
The phrase “a good deed done to a crippled man” is the heart of the verse. Peter does not argue about whether the healing took place, because the man who had been lame from birth was standing in front of everyone (Acts 3:1-10). Instead, the question the council asks is “by what means,” and the whole chapter that follows answers that question.
What the verse does not promise is that doing good will always lead to approval. Here, good deeds bring arrest and interrogation. Acts 4:9 shows that faithfulness can invite scrutiny, and that the believer’s task is to be ready to explain what they have done and why.
The Context of Acts 4:9
Acts was written by Luke, who also wrote the Gospel that bears his name, and it was addressed to a man named Theophilus. Luke tells the story of how the message about Jesus spread from Jerusalem outward. Chapter 4 falls early in that story, just after the first public healing by Peter and John at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and it records the first clash between the apostles and the Jewish leadership.
Verses 6 and 7 name the high priest Annas, Caiaphas, and others of the priestly family, who are the men asking “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” Verse 8 tells us Peter speaks “filled with the Holy Spirit,” and verse 10 shows that his reply points to Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom they had crucified. Read alongside those lines, verse 9 becomes the opening move in a bold reply: the apostles are willing to be asked about their deed, and they will answer by naming Jesus.
Key Phrases in Acts 4:9
Acts 3:6
But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!”
(WEB)
This verse records Peter’s words to the lame man at the temple gate, which set in motion the healing that the council later questions. Reading it shows you the actual moment of the good deed and the name Peter invoked before the crowd.
1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with humility and fear…
(WEB)
Peter later writes to believers facing hostility and urges them to be ready to give a reason for their hope. It echoes the readiness to explain oneself that Peter shows before the council in Acts 4.
A Short Prayer From Acts 4:9
Lord, when people ask me why I do the good things I do, help me answer with honesty and without fear. Let my kindness point to you rather than to myself, and give me the courage Peter had to speak plainly even under pressure. When I am questioned, keep my heart steady and my words clear. Use my small acts of help to show others who you are. Amen.
