Hands and Feet of Jesus
by: Layne Stone
August 11, 2026
“Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see”
The phrase “hands and feet of Jesus” is used to describe the role of Christians as servants of others. It originated from a poem attributed to St. Teresa of Ávila that reads, “Christ has no body now on earth, but yours, / No hands, no feet on earth, but yours….”
As I am typing this, it has been exactly two months since my husband experienced a sudden cardiac arrest related to a genetic heart condition he was diagnosed with at the beginning of this year. At thirty years old, Dylan went to be with Jesus. While I would never ask for these conditions, I feel honored to have experienced the hands and feet of Christ through the overwhelming, generous, thoughtful, selfless outreach and service of so many friends and neighbors.
As I thank God daily for how He has shown up for us through His people, I am reminded why that phrase is so fitting. In Scripture, we see the hands of Jesus lifting prayer and praise, touching those who need healing, washing feet, and breaking bread with friends. We see His feet travel constantly to preach and perform miracles.
Friends from all stages of my life traveled across state lines to visit with me. Neighbors have watched and loved on my one-year-old son so that I can rest. People have shown up with meals, gifts, letters, pictures, flowers, and more than I can name. I have been prayed over and blessed. I’ll never forget my friend Emmy coming over to do my hair the morning of Dylan’s funeral. The acts of service have been constant and indescribably meaningful.
I cannot understate how often I have thanked God for the generosity of others. These people have been imitators of Christ, who we know from Mark 10:45, “did not come to be served, but to serve,” (NIV).
One of the most meaningful ways people have shown up for me is by sharing their own stories. Other widows, young and old, have found ways to contact me and offer their testimonies as encouragement. People who have lost their father have explained how the Lord has shown up for them. Hearing these lived experiences feels sacred. Again, I am reminded of the hands and feet of Jesus, this time as we see them in Luke 24:39 (NIV): “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see.”
“Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see.”
Jesus was resurrected, appearing to His disciples, and assuring them that He really was risen. His evidence for His resurrection was an invitation to see and touch His hands and feet: pierced and healed.
Like Jesus, who invited His disciples to see the scars that death could no longer hold, those widows and children did not come bleeding all over me. They invited me to see the places where God's healing had begun.
My prayer is that, like Isaiah, I would always be able to say, "Here am I. Send me," (Isaiah 6:8, NIV). When it is time for me to show up with meals, gifts, flowers, and prayer, I am ready. When it is time for me to show up with my story, with the evidence of how I have been hurt but also healed, I am excited.
Revelation 12:11 describes the victory of Christians as achieved, “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony,” (NIV).
The blood of the Lamb secures for us Heaven after earth. The word of our testimony proclaims how we have seen Heaven touching earth. If there is an open wound or area of active pain in your life, I know the good plans of the Lord are always to heal, bless, and restore, whether or not that occurs earthside. That very hurt may be how God someday plans to use you as His hands and feet to encourage others.
Prayer
Lord, if following You means being pierced, let every wound make me more like You. You are holy; You are my beloved. I am blown away by the humility and generosity in Your invitation to become more like You. I invite You to come do whatever You want to. My life is Yours. My pain, my heartbreak, my victory, and my dreams are Yours to mold and inhabit. Thank You for the ways You’ve used others to bless me. Help me to see the doors You open for me to bless others.
Worship: Whole Heart (Hold Me Now)
Further Study
James 1:2-18, John 20:19-23, Isaiah 61
Related Posts
The phrase “hands and feet of Jesus” is used to describe the role of Christians as servants of others. It originated from a poem attributed to St. Teresa of Ávila that reads, “Christ has no body now on earth, but yours, / No hands, no feet on earth, but yours….”