In cartoons and sitcoms, the amateur do-it-yourself man usually hits a thumb with his hammer, so one day I asked my cousin, “Have you ever injured yourself while working in your shop?” He laughed and held up his hands. David’s hands betray his history as a woodworker. He learned his lesson the hard way! Using an antique saw 25 years ago, he cut a deep gash in his left hand as he was holding the wood. He also warns anyone using a chisel in one hand to keep the fingers of the other hand well out of harm’s way. His hands still have the scars to show for his carelessness.
Our Savior has scars on his hands too, reminders of his work for us on the cross. His scars, however, were not the result of his own carelessness. Isaiah 53:3,4 tells us we were the careless ones: “He was despised and rejected . . . We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrow that weighed him down.” Our carelessness put Jesus on a cross. We disregarded God’s laws, we walked away from his love, we chose to ignore the safety regulations he set in place to protect us from harm. Jesus carries the scars, the penalty for our carelessness.
Experience has taught David to respect the sharp edges of his tools and to take safety precautions as he works. How long will it be before you and I learn to obey God’s rules?
Jesus, thank you for the scars on your hands. Teach me to live within the safety of your rules.
