When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. 23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.
Matthew 17:22-23 NIV
Into the Hands of Men
Forty years ago, at the University of Toronto, there were two separate faculties dealing with hand and wrist surgery: physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Today, the two faculties have merged. Hand therapists at the U of T offer both therapy and make orthotics; they are simply referred to as ‘hand therapists’. There are now specialized hand and upper extremity units that have both plastic and orthopedic surgeons who provide not only expert tertiary care, but also train residents, medical students and fellows from all over the world.
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The arrival of Jesus changed everything. The incarnation was the fulfillment of centuries of promises made by God to His people. The day would come when God would step into His creation to redeem what had been lost to sin. God would be birthed by a human woman, would call human beings to follow him, would touch human beings in the deepest of their need, and finally would place Himself into the hands of human beings who would beat Him, mock Him and crucify Him. The God of the Universe, the King of kings and Lord and lords, the Alpha and Omega, the great I AM, would place Himself into the hands of sinful human beings in order to redeem them, even those who hated Him the most. Matthew 17:22-23 records it this way: “When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.’ And the disciples were filled with grief.” He placed Himself in the hands of hateful human beings because He loved them, and you.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley