While these are both great answers, let’s take a moment and dive a little deeper into the question at hand, What does it really mean to be the hands and feet of Jesus? Picture with me, the hands of Jesus, callused and scarred from previous years of carpentry alongside His adopted father, Joseph. It’s obvious that His hands were anything but pretty, but they were most certainly good. In His three years of ministry, the Gospels record only thirty-seven of the innumerable miracles that Jesus performed, some of which weren’t even performed with the use of His hands but even by the faint touch of his robe (Luke 8:43-48). The way He moved was with compassion and mercy but even though He moved in those things, His hands were still anything but nice and pretty. 

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Fast forward to the death and resurrection of Christ. He had been severely beaten by Roman guards and then nailed to a cross by his hands and feet. Not only were his hands and feet nail scarred, but His body was broken as well, so when He resurrected from the dead, He still had the scars from the nails (John 20:24-31). So if I may ask again, what does it really mean to be the nail scarred hands and feet of Jesus? It means that following Him comes at a cost. It isn’t pretty, but it is so good because He is good. 

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The glory of it all, is that in our own brokenness, we are a story for God’s redemption. His hands were broken for us and just like us, we are broken and by His grace and mercy that even though it isn’t pretty, He has made all things new and beautiful. When we are called to follow Christ, He tells us to die to ourselves and take up our cross. It is the brokenness in our own lives that God uses to bring glory to Himself. This is why it is crucial for us as the Body of Christ to remain steadfast in His love and mercy, for His mission and purpose is being fulfilled through us on a daily basis. I am reminded of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians when he teaches on the importance of the Gospel and how we are walking testimonies of His calling. While we are redeemed by His blood, there still is a cost - our lives. Following Him isn’t easy, but at the same time, it is good. Paul writes in verse 8 and following, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair, persecuted, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.”

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We are not promised a comfy and cozy life after we deny ourselves and follow Christ. 2 Corinthians 4 clearly says that we will be afflicted in every way but we will not be shaken. Jesus has overcome death. He has paid the ultimate debt and because of His payment, we can be healed and be set free. It is a beautiful story of God’s redemption and when we decide to follow Him, we then become a part of that story. As a part of that story, as Christ was broken for us and died for us, what are we to do in light of the things He has done for us? We are called to love.

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There is no greater commandment than to love. We can see in Mark 12:29-31, Jesus is asked what the most important commandment is of all, and He replies, “…And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength’. The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” So when we, as the Body of Christ are called to first love God and then love our neighbors as ourselves, that means everyone. We must love everyone. Not just the ones who look like us. Not just the ones who vote like us. Not just the ones who have the same set of beliefs like us. Not just the ones who make us feel comfortable and safe. We are called to love everyone the same - conservatives, liberals, believers, non-believers, rich, poor, those with good or bad hygiene, the stable, and the unstable. Love in its broadest sense, becomes our primary mission into being the hands and feet of Jesus.

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You see, it all comes full circle; to be the hands and feet of Jesus, we are to move in love, but we must also accept that it does not come easy - it comes with scars, brokenness, uncertainty, and discomfort. Yet, in carrying this weight, His grace empowers us not just to overcome our brokenness, but to turn it into a source of glory for Him. Scars show the sign of a wound that has healed; so while Christ’s hands are still nail scarred, there is now no pain in what He paid. In the same way, the wounds that have healed in us, the scars might still be there, but it is what we allow God to do with them that will really make a difference.

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In this new year, the challenge before us is rooted in love. Let’s move in love through our brokenness, pain, and suffering to minister to those who are grappling with similar challenges. None of us can claim righteousness, so let us take hold of The One and move in His Glory, Love, and Power to change the world one life at a time. How great is His love that we are redeemed through His life, death, and resurrection. Now, with that love, let us embody His hands and feet and move in His sustaining power. †