Having Jesus’ feet implies a willingness to go—to be moved by God. Our Savior was willing to go anywhere to teach, preach, heal, and make disciples. We, too, should be willing to go to where lost and hurting people are, even if that involves risk. 

Once we get there, we need Jesus’ eyes—eyes that are perceptive to the needs of those around us. We need compassionate eyes that notice the broken-hearted—the ones forgotten. As best we can as mere humans, we need to strive to see people the way Jesus did.

But going and seeing are not enough. 1 John 3:17 states, “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” Going to a brother and noticing his need is clearly not enough. That doesn’t get the job done.

Well, what if I just say something nice and encouraging to the person? Will that check the box? James anticipates this proposition in James 2:15-16: “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?’” 

I appreciate his bluntness although it stings. 

So, if going, noticing, and offering platitudes are not enough, what’s missing? What else do I need? In short, the hands of Jesus. Christians, to the best of our ability, we’ve got to address the problem or find someone who can. As Christ’s ambassadors on this earth, we’ve got to do something! 

Having Jesus’ hands implies a willingness to work—to get our hands dirty and do whatever is required. Our hands are the instruments of our work. Jesus told his disciples, “But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43-45). He walked the talk when He washed his disciples’ feet (John 13) and even more so when He gave His life on the cross (1 John 3:16). 

What, then, is expected of His followers? Jesus couldn’t have been clearer. “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you” (John 13:14-15). Washing someone’s feet is generally viewed as a metaphorical act of service illustrating love and active kindness. 

But it can also be literal. Some of the most meaningful experiences in my spiritual journey have involved washing feet. On most of our mission trips to Honduras, we visit the Didasko orphanage and wash the feet of the young female residents—girls who are looked down upon in that society and treated as second-class citizens. These are powerful bonding moments that send a clear message that God values these “Daughters of the King” and so do we. 

During my time as an elder at a church in Florida, 3rd grade Bible class teacher Bob Herkelman invited the elders to visit his classroom each fall to pray with his students and then wash their feet. After we got past the initial giggling and awkwardness, we found the practice to be the ultimate ice-breaker. Year after year, it laid a foundation for cross-generational relationships. A child who learns that a church leader cares about him in third grade is a thousand times more likely to seek advice from that elder at age 20 or 40 or 70. So, yes, sometimes washing feet means exactly that. It’s one way to have the hands of Jesus.

How else did Jesus use His hands? For starters, He worked as a skilled carpenter. Like some Sojourners I know, He blessed people through his trade—through his skills and abilities. Even when His disciples disagreed, Jesus had children brought to him and He blessed them with His hands. He also used His hands to heal, including spreading mud on a blind man’s eyes and lifting Jairus’ daughter from her deathbed. Jesus even touched lepers despite the fear and revulsion of most people around them. Time and time again, we see Jesus going, noticing needs, and then using His hands to address those needs. 

The Bible challenges us to get involved and have the hands of Jesus. Hands that will:

Love our neighbors (Mark 12:30-31). Can you help a friend (or stranger) move? Can you sooth a fretful baby so a new mom can listen in worship? Can you chauffeur someone from your church or community to an appointment? (An unbelievable number of people need this!)Take care of the poor (Deuteronomy 15:11). Can you intercept and pay a former prisoner’s utility bill? Can you mow and trim the yard of a complete stranger in a poor part of town?Feed the hungry (Isaiah 58:10). Can you assemble food at a food bank? How about distributing ice-cold Gatorade bottles to construction workers in and around Tegucigalpa, Honduras (or St Louis) in the dead of summer? (No, better not do that. That would involve risk!)Clothe the needy (1 John 3:17). Can you give the poor not just your old, raggedy stuff but some new stuff?Be hospitable to strangers (Matthew 25:35). Can you have a new person to the community over for dinner? Or change a stranger’s flat tire?Heal the sick (Luke 10:9, James 5:14). Can you use your medical training locally or on a foreign mission field? Can you hold the hand of a sick friend while praying for their healing?Care for the captive, the prisoner, and the oppressed (Hebrews 13:3, Matthew 25:36). Can you help a stranger clean up after a storm? What about hugging a grieving friend? Can you give someone who is caring for an aging parent or special needs child the day (or weekend!) off so they can get a much-needed break?

Some final principles:

Remember the “OAR” formula… Opportunity + Ability = Responsibility. We’re not called to do things we can’t do or know nothing about. Focus on what is before you that you can act on. And, where appropriate, involve your children or some other younger Christian in the ministry. Strengthen “the hands” of the next generation.Your act of service doesn’t have to be some “big” thing. In fact, most of our acts of compassion will be small things. God sees everything and they’re all big to Him.Be sure to work in some fun, crazy, unconventional things. Life is too short to only do boring stuff. I watched an Instagram video this week of a guy who gave a struggling street vendor $500 for ALL of her hot dogs (and a big tip) and then distributed those hot dogs to the nearby homeless. (I know, can’t do that! Too risky!) Another couple of guys tried to distribute two dozen McDonald’s sausage biscuits to people in the waiting rooms and behind the desks at a local hospital. After distributing 23 of the biscuits to various, quite appreciative loved ones and staff and offering prayers for patients willing to be prayed for, the men were kicked out of the hospital by security. The audacity! The men split the last biscuit on the way out and would do it all again! Being the hands of Jesus doesn’t have to be boring. Every once in a while, try a roundoff from the balance beam!Strive to be versatile and multi-functional, like the blank tile in a game of Scrabble. Develop new skills. Push your boundaries. Grow spiritually. For example, you may only become a great (or even average) Bible class teacher by attempting it, working at it, and having a mentor show you the way. Try not to go to your grave having only tapped 2% of your God-given potential. (See Matthew 25:14-30)As added motivation, remember Christ’s words in Matthew 25:40: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Whatever we do for someone else, however big or small, we effectively do for Jesus. Let that sink in. He notices it. He feels it. And He gets all the glory! This is one way to indirectly (or would it be directly?) thank Jesus for all that He has done for us.

As I finish my thoughts on having the eyes, feet, and hands of Jesus, it occurs to me that what we really want is to have the heart of Jesus.  Because to the extent we have Jesus’ heart—full of love and compassion—the feet, eyes, and hands will follow.

I’ll end where I began, with the beautiful prayer of a 16th Century Spanish nun, St. Teresa of Ávila:

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.