Seeing Jesus - Hands (1)

	"Now there were certain Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast; John 12:21-22 records, "these therefore came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and {began to} ask him, saying, 'Sir, we wish to see Jesus.'"
	Can you think of any desire which is more noble than this one?  We spend so much time, effort and money trying to see things of little importance.  We program our VCRs so we won't miss seeing a program.  Some people stand in line overnight to buy tickets to see a singer.  But how great is our desire to see Jesus?
	"And many were gathered together," we read in Mark 2:2-4, "so that there was no longer room, even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them.  And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men.  And being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying."
	Now here are some people who want to see Jesus.  They realize that their friend must see Jesus in order to be healed.
	Let's dedicate this time during the next few weeks to seeing Jesus.  But don't limit your thoughts to what we mention on this program.  Spend time on your own studying Jesus.  It will be well worth your while.
	What do we see when we look at the hands of Jesus?
	"And He went out from there," Mark 6:1-3 says of Jesus, "and He came into His home town; and His disciples followed Him.  And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, 'Where did this man { get} these things, and what is {this} wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands?  Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, and Joses, and Judas, and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?' And they took offense at Him."
	As we look at Jesus, we see the hands of a carpenter.  Those of you who have been involved in any kind of construction have an idea what this means.  For one thing, the hands of a carpenter know the meaning of hard work.  The job sometimes begins at sunrise and ends at sundown, with little spare time between.  Jesus carries this understanding over into His ministry as He works to construct eternal dwellings for His followers.
	"And He came home," Mark 3:20-21 notes, "and the multitude gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal.  And when His own people heard {of this,} they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, 'He has lost His senses.'"
	The hands of a carpenter know the meaning of hard work.  They also know that the work can sometimes be dangerous.  Take a look at the hands of a carpenter to confirm this.  But the danger does not keep a carpenter from completing the job.
	"For you have been called for this purpose," 1 Peter 2:21-24 observes, "since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting {Himself} to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed."
	The hands of a carpenter know hard work.  The hands of a carpenter know dangerous work.  And a carpenter's hands soon learn that it is impossible to please everybody all the time.  In John chapter 11, Jesus raises His friend Lazarus from the dead.  Surely everybody would be pleased to hear about this.
	"Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council," we read in John 11:47-53, "and were saying, 'What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs.  If we let Him {go on} like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.' But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, 'You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish.'  Now this he did not say on his own initiative; but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.  So from that day on they planned together to kill Him."
	Jesus doesn't make the Jewish leaders very happy, but surely the people will be pleased.  No, they won't be pleased, either. They are not looking for the kind of kingdom that Jesus is bringing.  They are expecting an earthly king to drive out the Romans. 
	"On the next day," John 12:12-13 notes, "the great multitude who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees, and went out to meet Him, and {began} to cry out, 'Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.'"
	A carpenter knows hard work.  A carpenter understands dangerous work.  A carpenter realizes that it is impossible to please everybody.  But a carpenter also knows that, regardless of the obstacles, a job must be done right.
	"For while we were still helpless," Romans 5:6-11 points out, "at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath {of God} through Him.  For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.  And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation."
	Now that sounds like a job done right.
	"But when Christ appeared {as} a high priest of the good things to come," Hebrews 9:11-14 confirms, "{He entered} through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.  For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

	The hands of Jesus are the hands of a carpenter.  They know hard work.  They understand danger.  They realize that they can't please everybody.  And they recognize that a job must be done right.
	The hands of Jesus are also those of a fisherman.  Although He is not by trade a fisherman, He is able to give advice to those who are.
	"And when He had finished speaking," Luke 5:4-9 says of Jesus, "He said to Simon, 'Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.'  And Simon answered and said, 'Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but at Your bidding I will let down the nets.'  And when they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish; and their nets {began} to break; and they signaled to their partners in the other boat, for them to come and help them. And they came, and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink.  But when Simon Peter saw {that,} he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!'  For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken."
	A fisherman knows that there is a right time to catch fish.  He also knows that, even when the fish are not biting, there is always something to do.  Jesus understands that there is a right time to catch souls.  And He also knows that there is always something for the spiritual fisherman to do in preparation for the catch.
	"Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and {then} comes the harvest'?" Jesus observes in John 4:35-38. "Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.  Already he who reaps is receiving wages, and is gathering fruit for life eternal; that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this {case} the saying is true, 'One sows, and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."
	The hands of a fisherman know that there is a right time to catch fish.  They also understand that there is a right place to catch fish.
	"Now Jesus stood before the governor," Matthew 27:11-14 records, "and the governor questioned Him, saying, 'Are You the King of the Jews?' And Jesus said to him, '{It is as} you say.'  And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He made no answer.  Then Pilate said to Him, 'Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?'  And He did not answer him with regard to even a {single} charge, so that the governor was quite amazed."
	Why doesn't Jesus speak up?  Why doesn't He defend Himself? Why doesn't He share the Gospel with these people?  He knows that there is no point.  This is not the right place.
	Every good fisherman recognizes that there is a right method for catching each kind of fish.  Jesus and His followers know this, too.
	"For though I am free from all {men,}" Paul states in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, "I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more.  And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law, though not being myself under the Law, that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law.  To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some.  And I do all things for the sake of the gospel, that I may become a fellow partaker of it."
	The hands of Jesus are those of a carpenter.  They know hard, dangerous work.  Even though it is impossible to please everyone, they are dedicated to doing the job right.
	The hands of Jesus are those of a fisherman.  They are seeking the right time, the right place and the right method.
	Speaking of the right time, what time is it for you?
	"And working together {with Him,}" Paul writesd in 2 Corinthians 6:1-3, "we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain-- for He says, 'At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you'; behold, now is 'the acceptable time,' behold, now is 'the day of salvation'-- giving no cause for offense in anything, in order that the ministry be not discredited."
	Now is the time for you to obey the Truth and be set free.

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission."