Peter fixes his eyes on the man, as later Paul will do when a miracle is about to occur (13:9; 14:9), and asks for the same attention in return. At first Peter disappoints the beggar by declaring his lack of money. This serves only to heighten the value of the great gift he does offer: complete health. But it is in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth that it must be given. A name is an expression of a person's very essence. The power of the person is present and available in the name (Haenchen 1971:200). In the case of Jesus, the invocation of his name is a direct link between earth and heaven. It is not a magic formula but a simple recognition that if any salvation blessings are to come, they must arrive in and through the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus so commissioned his disciples (Lk 24:47) and the disciples so preached and ministered (Acts 2:38; 3:16; 4:10, 12, 30; compare the direct declaration "Jesus Christ heals you," 9:34).

Peter commands the man to walk (literally, continuous action—"be walking") and grabs him by the right hand to raise him up. "The power was Christ's but the hand was Peter's" (Stott 1990:91). So must the church ever act.