WEDNESDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF EASTER

They were filled with amazement and astonishment at what had happened to him.

Today’s first reading takes place not long after Pentecost. The Jewish believers had begun to share their possessions, break bread together, and meet in the Temple to listen to the apostles’ teaching. So they likely saw and knew the man who sat beside the Temple gate, and he probably knew them. Perhaps that’s why he asked Peter and John for alms: If they shared their goods with one another, he thought, perhaps they might be generous with me. What a surprise when Peter gave the man not money but a miraculous healing! Able to walk for the first time, he strode into the Temple, jumping for joy and praising God.

This man’s healing changed his life physically and spiritually. He could freely enter the Temple and worship the God who had healed him. Even more, his healing changed the lives of the people who knew him. They had seen him for years begging by the gate, and suddenly he stood physically whole, proclaiming that God had healed him! Just as the disciples’ witness of generosity had sparked hope in him, his witness of transformation opened the hearts of the bystanders to listen to Peter’s teaching. And because of what they had seen and heard, they came to believe that salvation and healing were available to them through Jesus (Acts 4:4).

Not everyone can preach like Peter. Certainly the healed man’s only reported words were the praises of God. But by his joy, he led many people to Jesus that day. They not only were amazed at his healing, but they also put their faith in the resurrection and joined the community of believers, despite seeing Peter and John put in custody (Acts 4:3-5). The change in this unlikely evangelist gave visible testimony to the power of God to change even lifelong conditions!

Don’t underestimate the power of the testimony of your life. You can witness to the life-changing power of Jesus by living in the freedom God has given you. You can bring hope and open the door for someone to meet Jesus!

“Thank you, Jesus, for changing my life!”

Acts 3:1-10
Psalm 105:1-4, 6-9
Luke 24:13-35