What did Peter think about Jesus in Acts 3?
At that time, Peter understood Jesus to be the Messiah and the Son of God, proven by His miracles, but he did not yet understand what God would accomplish through Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. Peter saw Jesus as Messiah only for the nation of Israel.
Les explains that when we come to Peter and John in Acts chapter 3, they still have not grasped what God was going to accomplish through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. At that point, all they understand is that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, and that He had proved it by His miracles, but they viewed Him as being only for the nation of Israel. Les also notes that this does not mean God had blanked the Gentiles out of His thinking; rather, God would use the favored covenant nation to reach the pagan, idolatrous Gentiles at the appropriate time. Israel, however, was dragging its feet, so that time had not yet come. This fits the larger point from Deuteronomy 29:29 that the secret things belong unto the Lord our God.
More Questions
Why did the crowd gather to hear Peter in Acts 3?
In Acts 3, Peter preached to a large crowd of Jews who had gathered because of the miracle of the lame man's healing by Peter and John.
Was Peter still on covenant ground in Acts 3?
In Acts 3, Peter is still on covenant ground, something Les says he had missed for a long time.