WE ARE HIS HANDS

 

“Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen,

My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!

I will put My Spirit upon Him,

And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.”  (Matt.12:18)

When vandals broke off the hands of the statue of Jesus at Christ the King Catholic Church in San Diego, the church did not replace the hands, but put an inscription below, “I HAVE NO HANDS BUT YOURS.”  A poem expresses that truth like this:

            Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work today;

            He has no feet but our feet to lead others in His way;

            Christ has no voice but our voice to tell others how He died;

And, He has no help but our help to lead them to His side.

That is the church—the Body of Christ.  We are His hands to do His work.  That which the Lord Jesus did in His human body during the days of His flesh is now our responsibility.

There is a COMMISSION.   “Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen…” (v.18a).  Jesus knew He was commissioned to seek and to save the lost (Lk.19:10).  Before He ascended back to Heaven, He gave us the same task, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (John 20:21b)

There are needed CREDENTIALS.  “My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!”  (v.18b)  Christ’s resume’ was impeccable.  His Employer’s evaluation was of excellence.  While we will not be perfect—or no one could serve—we must have integrity rather than hypocrisy, seeking to practice what we preach.

There is a CAPABILITY.  “I will put My Spirit upon Him…” (v.18c).  Although He was fully God, Christ lived as model man—in dependence on the Holy Spirit.  He told His disciples that they must tarry in Jerusalem until endued with power to perform their assignment.  Our capability for our mission is found in His might.

There is a COMMUNICATION.  “And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.”  (v.18d)  God is just—and would remain so—even while justifying sinners.  Christ would take our sins and give us His righteousness.   That is the good news we communicate!  The message will not be one of condemnation, but one of compassion.

“He will not quarrel nor cry out,

Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.  

A bruised reed He will not break,

And smoking flax He will not quench,

 Till He sends forth justice to victory;

And in His name Gentiles will trust.”  (v.19-21)

Are we harsh with sinners?  Jesus never was!  He was merciful, and we are to be—especially when we consider that we are in need of mercy too!  People are bruised, and easily broken, if we do not treat them tenderly.  Their hope is only a glowing wick that needs a gentle breath to reignite it or it will be extinguished in darkness forever!  May God use us to show Jesus to our world today!