Readings: Acts 9:1-22 | Galatians 1:11-24 | Matthew 19:27-30
Text: Acts 9:1-22
Hands are one of most important parts of who you are. Hands are how people work. The great woman of Proverbs 31 for example uses her hands to planting a vineyard, and puts her hands to the spindle to sew, and reaches out her hands to the needy, and gathers in the fruit of the harvest. Though we have plenty of secular examples as well. All hands on deck. Having one’s hands full. Lending as hand. We work with out hands. And many hands make light work.
Hands are also all over our first reading from Acts today, as Saul, not yet known as Paul, heads to Damascus. This is the guy, when Steven was killed for proclaiming Christ, stood there as the one most responsible. He had already been rounding people up in Jerusalem, handing those who put faith in Jesus over to the hands of the jailers and executioners. And now, he got written permission to hand over anyone he found for punishment. A lot of very busy hands to be found. But the work they were doing was not good. In fact, I can’t think of very much worse that the hands of Saul could have possibly done. His hands weren’t just dirty, he had blood on his hands.
Well, on the road to Damascus Saul and the men traveling with him were stopped. A bright light flashed from heaven, and Saul fell to the ground. And there was a voice. “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Saul was blinded by the light. So those with him had to lead him by the hand. Hands that had done all this work on their own suddenly are unable to do anything at all.
It’s a difficult thing to be led by the hand. Most of us probably haven’t been since we were children. But to be led is to lose all control of where you go and what you work on. In Saul’s case, that was a good thing, because his works were evil. But it was a tremendous blow to his pride. We too have plenty of pride. Most of us world rather die than get to a point where we need to be led by the hand again. We do not bear it well when the idol that is ourselves is no longer capable of what we believe it should be. It never was. But our pride is far more resilient than our bodies.
But who among us can be resilient against Jesus Christ? Being blinded was probably the least difficult part of Saul’s whole experience. He had just come face to face with the Lord, almighty God Himself. And Saul found out that this God is Jesus, the very one whose name he was trying to silence by threat of death. Our Lord took that idol of Saul’s and broke it so completely, that Saul put up no fight being led by the hand to Damascus. He had bigger problems to worry about. And they were so big, that he didn’t eat or drink for three days.
We too can find ourselves lost when God breaks our idols. We wonder how we could get things so very wrong. We wonder what comes next. And that is the Time when the Lord sends us to His Word. Sends us to remember our baptism. Or in Saul’s case, to receive baptism. Ananias has been waiting for Saul to arrive. But the Saul he expected was the one who breathed out threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. He had gotten word that Saul was on his way. That the chief priests had given the authority to him to arrest anyone who confessed Christ. So when Ananias gets a vision from the Lord, news that Saul is here doesn’t surprise him. That Ananias was to go meet him, and lay his hands on him, that was not expected at all.
The hands are meant for work. The laying on of hands takes the work of one, and gives it to another. It has been around since the Exodus. The sacrificial animals had the hands of the people placed upon them. And they confessed their sins onto the animal. It didn’t need to be direct either. People could lay their hands on the Levites, who would then go and lay their hands on the sacrificial animals in their place. The work of sin was transferred from one to another, until it came upon the sacrifice.
Well, it works in the other direction too. The apostles received the work of Christ. And when the apostles laid their hands on others, they too received power from God. Ananias was told to go and lay his hands on Saul. To bring the work that Christ had done, and give it to this man who had come to kill them all. So Ananias went.
We still have the laying on of hands. At baptism, pastor lay their hands on the heads of those they baptize. At ordination, pastors lay their hands on the new pastor. Each giving the work of Christ that we receive to the one who is touched. Hands are for working. And it isn’t our work that we need. It’s Christ’s work. His work on the cross. His work of bearing our sins. His work of death and resurrection. His work of forgiveness. His work of bringing life.
Jesus delivers His work to us through hands. He’s been getting His hands dirty for our sake. By His hands we are saved. By his hands we are forgiven. By His hands, we receive life. Because His hands were pierced by nails. His hands hung our Lord upon the cross. His hands were a focal point of His sacrifice on our behalf. And He has shown us those hands as His work is given to us.
So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
And Saul could see again, and was baptized in the name of Jesus.
Hands are amazing things. We cannot by our own hands do much of anything. But the Lord takes us by the hand. Does the work on our behalf. And it’s Him who gives us His home forever.
Jesus is giving us His hand every time we hear His Word. He’s taking us by the hand every time our sins are forgiven. He’s placed His hands upon us in our baptism. And He’s showing us his hands every time we are given His body to eat, and His blood to drink in communion with Him. He has taken our salvation in His own hands. And by His resurrection, we have the confidence to say that we are in good hands indeed.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
**Sermon by Rev. Eli Davis of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Grants Pass, OR.**
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