BY WALT ALBRITTON
Soon after his resurrection, Jesus appeared in the Upper Room with his disciples. Two were missing — Judas, who had betrayed him, and Thomas, the skeptic.
When the other disciples told Thomas that they had seen the Lord, he expressed his doubt by saying, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” However, the testimony of the disciples must have been so strong that when they met with Jesus a week later, Thomas was with them.
John, in his gospel, offers a vivid description of what happened during the second meeting:
“Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’ Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God! Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’” (John 20:26-29).
I imagine Thomas was trembling when he heard that voice of all voices say, “Peace be with you!” Surely he was blushing when Jesus walked over to him, and showing his hands to Thomas, said, “Put your finger in my hands.”
I don’t think Thomas ever put his hands in Jesus’ side. Putting his fingers in Jesus’ hands was enough. After feeling the wound inflicted by the nails, Thomas must have fallen on his knees when he said, “My Lord and My God!”
In Matthew’s account of Jesus walking on water, in chapter 14 of the gospel, Peter dares to walk on the water after Jesus said, “Come.” But after a few steps he became afraid when he saw the wind, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” And Matthew writes: “Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.”
Later, when the soldiers were nailing Jesus to the cross, Peter was hiding but I believe he was close enough nearby that he heard the hammer driving the nails into the feet and the hands of Jesus. No doubt he winced and cried some more as he listened to the pounding of the nails into the hands of the man he had recognized as the Messiah.
After the resurrection of Jesus, Peter and the disciples were overwhelmed by fear and decided to go fishing. After fishing all night, they admitted they had caught nothing when a man on the shore called out to them, asking if they had caught any fish. John said, “I believe that is the Lord!” Peter jumped in the water and hurried to shore. There Jesus said to the disciples, “Come and have breakfast.” Peter’s heart must have been racing as he looked at Jesus, thinking in amazement, “He is not criticizing me for being a coward; with those hands that were nailed to the cross, he has cooked breakfast for us!”
Something glorious happened on the shore that morning. As Jesus looked beyond Peter’s sins, forgiving Peter for his wretched past and giving him his new assignment to “Feed My Sheep,” Peter took the hand of Jesus and said, “Yes, Lord.” That day he was transformed by the forgiving love of Jesus. In the years that followed, he became a marvelous leader of the early church.
Soon Peter would write two letters that are included in the New Testament. Under the inspiration of the living Christ, Peter would write these unforgettable words: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead….” Peter used his redeemed hands to write those inspiring letters to encourage his early Christian friends.
Hands! How precious they are. What a significant role they play in our lives. And though God is a spirit and not a human being, the Bible says he helps us with his hands. The prophet Isaiah knew God did not have hands like ours, but he heard God say these precious words to him:
“For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you” (41:13).
When despair has come upon me, many times I have heard God say to me what long ago he said to Isaiah:
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (41:10).
Almost everything we do involves the use of our hands. I met Dean in the first grade, but it would be 10 years before we began dating. Our first date was without a car; Dean and I walked from her house to the Fain Theater in downtown Wetumpka to watch Gene Autrey capture the bank robbers.
I wanted to hold Dean’s hand, but I was hesitant, afraid she would reject my offer. Finally, I got the courage to do it, and was relieved when she did not jerk her hand away. It was a signal of acceptance to me. Holding hands was the beginning of a relationship that was consummated in our marriage four years later. I had no idea how those hands of Dean would bless me for more than 68 years or how often I would see her hands busy in the service of Jesus.
In any church worth its salt, you can see many busy hands at work, serving Jesus and caring for others. Hands consecrated to Jesus are cooking meals, sewing prayer blankets, teaching children and young people, playing a piano or an organ, making dolls for abused children, embracing friends who are distressed, caressing those who are grieving, teaching and preaching the gospel, cleaning bathrooms, cutting grass, moving furniture, driving to nursing homes and hospitals – and the list goes on and on.
We sing wonderful songs about our Lord’s hands. One of my favorites is “He’s got the whole world in His hands,” a simple song with powerful theology. Another favorite that melts my heart every time I sing it begins with these stirring words: “Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, help me stand; I am tired, I am weak, I am worn; through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light; take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.“
When I think of the hands of Christ and how often he used them to heal the sick and make broken people aware of God’s love for them, I think of this inspiring poem:
The hands of Christ were very frail, for they were broken by a nail. But only those reach heaven at last whom these frail broken hands hold fast. – John Richard Moreland
We lived in Mobile years ago, serving Government Street Church. Our home was only a few blocks from one of the hospitals where I often visited patients. One day, when our son Steve was eight, he asked if he could go with me to the hospital. We walked together and at an intersection, I took his hand as we waited for the light to change. He looked up at me and said, “Dad, we like being together, don’t we.” His words melted me and remain etched in my memory bank.
As I near the end of my earthly journey, I wonder what Heaven will be like. There are many questions no one can answer. But the details don’t concern me, because Heaven will be where Jesus is, and being with Jesus will be all I need.
As I get closer to the day of my departure, I want to continue walking with Jesus, with him holding my hand and saying, “Walter, I like being with you. Come on, let’s go on in; my Father is waiting inside ready to welcome you Home.” And I hope the last words on my lips will be simply, “Thank you Jesus.”
Wherever you are on life’s journey, please make sure you are holding hands with Jesus, so He can help you stay on the Glory Highway, and so those frail, broken hands can hold you fast until the day you hear Jesus call your name and say to you, “I like being with you. Come on, let’s go in; my Father is waiting inside, ready to welcome you Home.” Now may be just the right time to fall on your knees and cry out to Jesus the words of Thomas, “My Lord and my God!”
My dear friend and brother, Cecil Spear, introduced me to this lovely prayer, which is a good one to pray right now:
Lord, let me take you by the hand,
let me feel your hand in mine.
Let me know the joy of walking in your strength
and not in mine. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
