I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
Colossians 4:18
How important are our hands? Answer: they make the most of life possible. Right now, you’re using your hands to hold a cell phone or tablet. You’re hands are on a keyboard. You’re holding a cup of coffee. You’re scratching your head.
While each hand has 27 bones, 14 of them are found in our fingers. Hands are both strong and delicate. They can hold onto a heavy rock while being able to sew. They can twist off a stuck jar lid while being able to gently caress the face of the one you love.
But hands are just there by themselves. Hands are connected and coordinated with our eyesight. Together, they give us an amazing one-two punch when it comes to being able to do all sorts of things. Here are just a few incredible examples.
Thread a delicate thread through the eye of a needle.
Holding a club to hit a golf ball 300 yards.
Using a fork to smash baked potatoes.
Putting together puzzle pieces.
Reaching out to gently touch the face of a loved one.
Play an instrument without even looking at it.
Fingers dancing across a keyboard to write these words.
Lift food and drink to our mouth.
Yes, hands are so very important. We use them without even thinking about them. For example, I’m typing these letters and words without thinking, “OK, move this finger over to the right and then gently push down to hit the letter “T.” But don’t press too hard. Then pull that same finger back and start all over again with the letter “H.” There are two things that Paul tells us about his hands here at the end of Colossians. Two very important things about himself. His situation. His hands.
Writing. Up to this point, Paul had been dictating the letter and someone else was writing it down. I just can’t imagine not being able to write by myself after all these years of doing it on my own. Many people think he had some kind of eye disease as a thorn in the flesh to keep him from becoming proud and puffed up[1].This meant that he had to depend on someone else. Something that no one likes to admit or do. Paul was a brilliant guy who was able to “do it all” on his own. He was gifted mentally, physically, and spiritually. He was in a class by himself. And yet, he needed help to fulfill his purpose and destiny as an Apostle.
Chains. Paul had been arrested some time ago and had been in chains for years. Now he’s in a Roman prison and attached to a guard 24/7. Think about not being able to do anything without someone else tagging along. And just in case you’re thinking about our prisons and guards, there was no such thing as human rights or prisoner advocacy groups. It was brutal to its core.There wasn’t anything Paul could do without rattling the chains around his wrists. They were a constant reminder of where he was and what he couldn’t do. His chains kept him from visiting the people he led to Christ. It also kept him from planting more churches throughout the Roman empire and around the world. He was stuck right where he was.
But did that stop Paul? No. He found a creative way to keep going forward. A prison wasn’t going to hold him back from completing his purpose. Think about it this way. We have much of the New Testament because Paul was in prison. If he was traveling and preaching, there wouldn’t have been time or the energy to write what we take for granted today.
That’s who God is and the way he works. He takes the frustrating, painful, and restrictive circumstances of life and uses them for good. As one writer put it, he takes our mess and makes it into a message. So, at the end of this letter, what does Paul want for the Colossians? What’s the one gift that he leaves to them? I’ll tell you what he wants for them and for us. More than anything else in this world, he wants them to know and experience this one word.
Grace. God’s leaning into us and our lives. His loving interest and involvement in our daily and eternal lives. His deep desire for us to be with him now and forever. God made us so he could be our Heavenly Father and for us to be his children. We are saved by his grace, his leaning over the edge of heaven and into our lives. But we have a responsibility. A response from our side. And that response is to receive him through faith[2].
Paul’s hands were tied. He could do nothing more. And in a sense, God’s hands are tied. He’s done it all through the death and resurrection of Jesus. There’s nothing more for God to do. All sin has been paid for. All that’s left is for us to receive what he’s done by faith. Reach out your hands to God. Receive Jesus’ payment. There’s nothing to stop you. No chains around your hands to hold you back.
Noodling Questions
How do you use your hands to help and encourage other?
Describe your personal chains. How do they hold you back?
What’s the one thing that you long to do for Jesus and his people? Describe.
[1] 2 Colossians 12:7
[2] Ephesians 2:8,9
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