What does Acts 3:11 mean?

A lame man, healed by Peter (Acts 3:1–8), follows Peter and John away from "the Beautiful Gate" and toward Solomon's Portico. A portico is a walkway with a roof held up by columns. In the case of the porticos around the edge of the Temple Mount, the exterior sides are solid walls while the columns face inward. Solomon's portico is on the east side of the mount, facing the temple; the larger portico on the south is called the Royal Portico. The porticos seem to be a regular place for teachers to instruct their students and passers-by. The apostles teach and heal there before the persecution begins (Acts 5:12–16).

The crowd of people knows the man (Acts 3:10). They know he was unable to walk and that he regularly begged in the temple area. It's unclear if they want to know how the healing miracle happened or if they want healing of their own. Peter and John learned early on from Jesus that the primary purpose of miracles is to draw attention to and validate the message of God (Mark 1:38; Acts 1:8). They will heal more—at this very spot—but right now, Peter needs to clarify whose power it was that really healed this man. He needs to explain that this same power provides spiritual healing for those who want it.