Hands and feet­

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. (I Cor. 13:1)

Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. (St. Francis of Assisi)

There are 206 bones in a human body. Of these, 54 bones are in our two hands, and a further 52 are in the feet. So, the bones of our hands and feet comprise more than 50 percent of all the bones in our body. In contrast only three bones play a major role in human speech: the upper and lower jaws and the hyoid bone. (The hyoid bone, located in the front of the neck just below the lower jaw carries the weight of the tongue.)

I spent 28 years of my professional career as a professor of language education, so I certainly have a great respect for the role of speech and language in our everyday lives. And yet, I wonder if the Christian faith is better served when God’s people emphasize a gospel of loving service over that of orthodox belief.

Hollow words

During the 17th century of the Dutch Golden Era, Dutch Calvinist merchants forcibly carried black slaves from their homes and families in Africa to Brazil to work in the sugar fields. The ministers who accompanied the Dutch slave traders reported back to their consistories in Amsterdam that these slaves were remarkably resistant to learning Christian doctrine even when it was presented to them in their own languages. Perhaps they had forgotten St James’ injunction that “faith without works is dead” (Jas. 2:26).

After WWII the people in a German village tried to repair a statue of Christ that had been shattered by a bomb. They found all the pieces and lovingly put them together – all except the hands. They couldn’t find the hands. Later someone hung a sign on the statue. It said, “I have no hands but yours.”

Easter meditation

In this Easter season, I hope we can reflect on the feet of Jesus which walked many kilometres to find the sick, the lame and the heartbroken so that he could lay his hands of comfort and healing upon them while speaking words of loving truth. The image of our Saviour washing the feet of a motley group of his disciples with hands that were soon to be pierced by Roman nails is one that should animate all his followers towards loving service. As both St. Paul and St. Francis of Assisi remind us, loving actions speak louder than fine-sounding words.