The Hands Of The Head Series

Albrecht Durer was the son of a Hungarian goldsmith

who wanted to study art. He could not do so, however,

because his father had a large family and had the well known

problem of too much month left at the end of the money.

Finally, however, his father let him go to try and struggle

through on his own. He found an older man who was also

trying to become an artist, but was poor like himself. They

became friends and lived together, and studied together. It

was a discouraging business, and they were getting nowhere.

The older friend said to Durer, "One of us should make a

living for both of us while the other studies. After a while

this process can be reversed."

Durer agreed to the plan and volunteered to be the first to

work, but the friend insisted since he had a chance to work in

a restaurant he would begin. This older friend washed

dishes, scrubbed floors, and spent many hours at menial

labor to help Durer. At last Durer sold one of his wood

cravings and came home with the money. He told his friend

it was his turn. The older man tried to paint, but his muscles

were stiff, and his joints were enlarged. He just didn't have

the touch. His hands were working hands, and not artist

hands.

One day Durer saw his friends hands folded reverently

and said, "I will paint your hands as they are now, folded in

prayer, so the world will know my appreciation for your

noble, unselfish character." Those hands became the famous

praying hands so popular as modern symbols. Few people

realize, however, that the hands symbolize more than prayer.

They stand also for dignified labor and dedicated love.

These hands could very well represent the hands of Jesus,

the Head of the church, for no hands have ever more

worthily expressed the dignity of labor and the dedication of

love. We could look at each of these separately, but it would

be an artificial division, for labor and love went hand in hand

in the life of Christ. One of the big questions of Bible

students has always been, what did Jesus do from age 12 to

30? There are 18 years of silence where nothing is recorded

of His life. We have one statement in our text, however, that

shatters that silence with a loud revelation, and gives us an

answer to the question-

What was He doing all the time?

From boyhood then to early prime?

The answer is, He was working with His hands. He was a

carpenter. When Jesus came back to His hometown of

Nazareth where He spent those silent years, the people were

amazed at His wisdom and power. They could not believe it,

and said, "Is not this the carpenter whose whole family is still

with us?" In other words, they were saying, here is one of us,

a common laborer in the community who has come back.

How is it He has all this education and leadership ability

when we know He has only been a carpenter? We have here

then a clear witness to the fact that Jesus labored with His

hands. It is not surprising since all Jewish boys were taught a

trade by their fathers, and though Joseph was not the literal

father of Jesus, he was His father in every other way. He

taught Jesus all he knew. Tradition says that Joseph died

when Jesus was 18 years old. This meant that

Jesus as the oldest boy in the family would have to work to

support Mary in raising the other children. Some feel the

other children were by a previous marriage of Joseph. Some

feel they were only cousins. Others simply accept those

children as ones that Mary bore to Joseph after Jesus was

born. This last view is the simplest, and can hardly be a bad

conclusion, for they are called the brothers and sisters of

Christ. If the Biblical writers feared anyone would draw the

conclusion that Mary had other children they certainly did

not do anything to prevent such a conclusion.

It really doesn't matter, however, for the fact is, Jesus had

a family to care for. For all practical purposes Jesus knew

what it was to be a father. With Joseph dead He had to be

the bread winner. He could not go off preaching until He

had fulfilled His responsibility as the oldest son to His family.

When the Bible makes it clear that he who does not provide

for his own is worse than an infidel, we certainly do not

expect the Son of God in human flesh to go off on a spiritual

mission and leave his family to starve. Before He could begin

the job of building the temple not made with hands, He had a