The Hands of Jesus

John 20:24-29

V27 "Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands;......" Jesus said "Behold my hands" 

 It was Sunday night,  Jesus had risen from the dead and that evening he appeared to all the disciples except Thomas who had missed Christ's appearance.  The disciples had told Thomas that Christ had come into their midst, but Thomas said V25 "Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and  thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe."  It was 8 days after that and  the disciples had gathered again, and the doors were shut when suddenly Jesus was there and he said V26 "Peace be unto you." Thomas was there, and Jesus spoke words that would change Thomas forever: V27 "Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing."     
 
"Behold my hands" Behold, pay attention, perceive with your eyes, look.  The word behold is used to emphasize something that is very important.  He commanded Thomas to look at his hands.  Thomas could have looked his eyes away, he didn't need to put his finger into his hands, but as he looked upon the pierced hands of the Son of God, it changed this doubter forever. 

Little hands:  Look at the hands of Jesus Christ, at the reality of biblical truth, and perhaps if you are not saved, the words "behold my hands" will change your life.  We will stand in the upper room and look at Jesus hands and see with your mind's eye how these hands of Jesus came to be so scarred.  Remember firstly that these hands used to be little hands, because 33 years previous Jesus was born.  A little baby with little hands.  But those hands which Jesus was showing to Thomas, grew by natural gradual process in the normal way and please note that this Jesus is the creator of all things.  John 1:3  "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."  Those little hands are the hands of the creator, but the eternal Son of God once had little hands when Jesus was born of Mary, "unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11)

Working Hands: But also remember that his hands were working hands.  Joseph, the husband of Mary, was a carpenter and sons in those days always learned their father's trade, so Jesus was a carpenter.  The bible plainly tells us this in Mark 6:3 "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Judah, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him."    Jesus was a tradesman.  His hands were a workman's hands.  He worked with wood up until he was 30 years old.  In Jesus' day you couldn't be a tradesman if you couldn't do the work.  Joseph taught Jesus the trade, and he could do it and that is all that counts.