The Hands of the Lord
“But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’ And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him." (Mt 14:30,31)
“When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’ Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried it stood still. And He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise.’”and and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” (Lk 7:13,14)
“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.” (Jn 13:3-5)
“When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” (Jn 20:20)
“And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.” (Luke 24:50-51)
“Strong is my Jesus’ hand” is the title of a well-known German hymn. Although it was written in 1825, the relevance of this statement has not changed. Today, we would like to look at some passages of Scripture that speak of the hands of the Lord.
- A helping hand: Matthew 14:30-31: “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’ And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” The Lord could certainly have intervened much earlier, for example by preventing the storm. He thought it was right to let Peter have this experience of faith - walking on water and sinking. Of course, the Lord did not stop there—He saved His disciple at the very last moment. Here, we think of Hebrews 4:16, where we read that we “may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need". "Help in time of need" could also be translated "timely help", and "timely" is the Lord's definition. It is beautiful to see that His hand is never too late to help us in our need.
- A compassionate hand: Luke 7:13-14: “When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’ Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried it stood still. And He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise.’” The Lord Jesus has two very important qualities that are necessary in order to truly comfort effectively: compassion and sympathy. This becomes clear when He lays His hand on the bier with the dead boy. He immerses Himself, so to speak, in the situation of misery and identifies with the widow's pain. Do you also have a “bier” on which your misery lies? The Lord lays His hand on it and identifies with it.
- A touching hand: Mark 1:41: “Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’” What the Lord Jesus does here, no one had dared to do before Him! No one in their right mind would touch a leper; the disease was too contagious. It was better to avoid these people. But the Lord has a special heart for the outcasts, the unloved, the marginalized, and the lower social classes (examples would be the despised Samaritan woman in John 4 or Zacchaeus in Luke 19). So, He also touches this sick man. We can learn two things: the Lord also cares for us when we are on the margins, and we can do the same with other outcasts.
- A washing hand: John 13:3-5: “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.” Although the entire universe is in the hands of the Lord, and He upholds everything, He is not “too good” to wash the dirty and sweaty feet of His disciples with these hands. What a humiliation, what a service of love. The Lord Jesus uses this situation to explain to them the ministry of feet washing, in which one must certainly deal with the “dirt” of one's fellow brothers and sisters. The Lord set an example for us. And: He also goes after us when our feet have become “dirty.”
- Pierced hands: John 20:20: “When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” If we have any doubts about the Lord's love for us, we need only look to Golgotha. There, He hangs while heavy nails support His body weight. Of course, we were not redeemed by these marks, and yet they prove impressively what value we have in the eyes of the Lord. What else could we do than to rejoice like the disciples?
- BlessingA blessing is something good, in the Old Testament, usually associated with possessions, prosperity, and health, and is usually pronounced over someone. In principle, the lesser is blessed by the... More hands: Luke 24:50-51: “And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.” The last image the disciples had of their Master was that of uplifted hands. Unlike Moses, whose arms quickly dropped again due to fatigue, the Lord's hands are raised to this very moment—to bless us. How wonderful: the Lord Jesus is working for us even now! We should never forget these uplifted hands.
After the people of Israel had passed through the Jordan, they were to erect a memorial (Joshua 4:21-24). Why? Well, by means of this memorial, “that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty” (Joshua 4:24). We too can erect a monument in our hearts, so to speak, as a lasting reminder of the mighty hands of the Lord Jesus in our lives.
