Sunday, May 11, 2008

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 by Gabriel Max
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 by Tobey
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

8 comments:

Mike Golch said...

thank you for this powerful post.I'm glad you had this up.Blessings,and I hope that you had a great Mother's day.

Unknown said...

Mimi
This post and the pictures were so touching. I hope you had a lovely Mother's day. Lisa~

Brit. (lille meg) said...

Very good! Thank you for this wonderful post!
Have a blessed day!

Tracy said...

This is a beautiful post mimi. Loved not only the pictures, but also the message. I hope you had a wonderful Mothers day.

blessings.

Melissa said...

a beautiful post - I could barely get past this powerful comment one that had never crossed my mind before...

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

Jodi said...

The transforming touch of Christ ... beautiful post.

Mary said...

Mimi,

This is awesome and, as Mike said, so powerful.

Years ago I was leaving an apartment and the landlord asked me to show prospective tenants through. A middle aged man came who was wearing reflective sunglasses. As I was showing him through the house, I looked at his hands and knew instantly that he was my long lost cousin. Hands are unique and are one thing that stick in my mind.

If all hands could be like Christ's wouldn't this be a different world with gentleness and love in every touch.

Blessings,
Mary

Ruthie said...

A beautiful post. I love the photo of the hands of the generations.
Thanks.