Hands

When you look at a person's hands what do you see?

Hands can save, sooth, or destroy life.
The inner heart is revealed by hands that softly touch a fevered brow, or rearrange a pillow
in a sickroom.

Hands have a language of their own.
There is a sign language of the deaf.
The Indian tribes used a sign language to communicate with each other.


But beyond the sign language, hands are often very revealing.
Impressions come to us immediately as we grip hands with someone.
There is the token of friendship and fellowship offered in the extended hand.
Often we form an idea of an individual as we react to the grip of the handshake.




The look of someones hands can reveal suffering and pain that they are enduring.

Their hands can reveal that they may need help in dealing with their daily life and needs.

We are told that our hands,

besides our grip and gestures,

are distinctively our own.
There is no other quite like ours in all the earth --
our hand print as well as our fingerprints, is unique.

"May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon
us; Establish the work of our hands for us--
yes, establish the work of our hands."
Psalm 90:17)


As we look at Jesus,
more than anything else I think it is easiest to speak of the hands of Christ.

There is a special identity in the hands of Christ that makes him above and beyond all others that we could know.

We recognize in the work of his hands,
and in their nail prints,
the complete gospel.
We come to know something concerning the great heart,
the great mind, and the great sacrifice of our wondrous Savior.

More has been said concerning the hands of Christ
than any other portion of his physical body.



Jesus Depicted as a Healer


Christ's hands were healing hands.
He was always sympathetic:
teaching, healing, ministering.
The tender touch of his hands was the talk of the whole countryside.

There are three major professions as we know them:

• Medicine,
• law,
  
• and the ministry.

The lawyer is judged by the ethics of his conduct before the court.

The doctor takes his Hippocratic oath, and there are ethics to be followed in his practice of medicine.
But Jesus went everywhere, serving as judge, healer, teacher sent from God.
Whatever the hurt was, the compassionate Master touched it.

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went about doing good and healing, all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)


Sometimes we long for Christ's power of healing--
we cannot fully understand,
we cannot manage to touch,
we cannot seem to help.
Only in the spirit if Christ can each of us reach out,
in our walk of life, and give witness to Him.

Christ's nail scarred hands were proof of his purpose, his identity, and his deity.

He still holds out nail-scarred hands, as he did to Thomas, urging us to touch them and behold the evidence of his love that took him to the cross and his power that brought him out of the grave.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in: (Rev. 3:20)

What bars the door?
Indifference?
Or procrastination?
He knocks still, offering blessing and fellowship.
This is the promise of God himself.

He who stands at the door is the greatest guest you could ever have.


Knock at the Door

We are often disobedient and contrary people,
yet Jesus reaches out his hands and transforms us!

Won't you open the door to your heart
and let Jesus come in?
Mimi