The Hands of Jesus

“They pierced my hands and my feet.” The words are the words of David, but we know that the voice is the voice of David’s Son, Jesus.

They are the hands of the last Adam. The first Adam stretched out his hand to take the fruit of the tree of knowledge, and Yahweh sent him from the garden so he wouldn’t stretch out his hand to take the fruit of the tree of life. Jesus does not seize the fruit of either tree. His hands are pierced and fixed to the tree.

Jesus is the greater Abel. Cain stretched out his hand against his brother, and the Cainite Jews do the same to Jesus, but Jesus does not stretch out His hand against them in response. Instead, his hands are fastened to the cross.

These are the human hands of the one who stretched out His hand over Egypt, who brought Israel from under the hand of Egypt and Pharaoh by a mighty hand, who gave power into the hand of Moses and Aaron and led Israel out by their hands, who gave the tablets of the law into the hand of Moses, who did not stretch out His hand against Aaron, his sons, and the elders of Israel when they feasted on the mountain.

But his hands are pierced. Apart from Psalm 22, there is only one reference to pierced hands in the Old Testament:

During the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem, the Rab-shakeh warns Hezekiah not to trust in Egypt: “You rely on the staff of this crushed reed, even on Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him.” This comes from an Assyrian, but it reflects the message of Isaiah and other prophets, who urge Israel and Judah to trust Yahweh and not clever alliances.

In Jesus’ day, the Jews no longer look to Egypt for protection, but during the trial of Jesus (in John’s account), the Jews declare their allegiance to Caesar: We have no king but Caesar. Caesar is just as much a crushed reed as Pharaoh, and Israel stands in danger of piercing its hand if it relies on his power.

Jesus trusts His Father fully, trusts His Father even to death. He doesn’t lean on any other. Yet, it is His hand that is pierced. Jesus dies as a rebel against Rome, hanging among brigands on a Roman cross usually reserved for rebel leaders. He is no rebel, but He stands in for rebel Israel. So too, He doesn’t rely on Egypt, yet he dies with pierced hands, as One who relied on Pharaoh, as the true Israelite who stands in the place of Israel.