I want to tell you about a deaf and dumb boy who lived at the seaside. He had learned, in some way, from an old sailor, in spite of his deafness, of the love of God to him in Christ Jesus. He understood something of the sorrows of the Lord Jesus and how that He endured the cross and despised the shame.
Not only that, but he knew that the One who was once crucified here upon earth is now in heaven and crowned with glory and honor. And having tasted of His love for himself, he had a great desire to tell others of the Saviour’s love, that they, too, might have the same joy that he had.
But how was this to be done? For being deaf and dumb he could not talk to those around him like we can. It has, however, often been said that where there is a will there is a way, and this boy Andrew, soon found a way.
Have you ever seen a sailor at work with bare arms, and noticed how often they have some marks or designs of anchors or ships in blue ink marked on their arms, or sometimes on their chest? This is called tattooing.
Andrew took note of this, and thought how it could be made use of to carry out the desire of his heart.
He got his friend the sailor to tattoo something on the palms of his hands.
Can you guess what it was he had put on his hands? It was not a text of Scripture or any words, but it was just a design that would carry a message to those who saw it.
On the left hand he had a cross tattooed, and on the right one a crown. He then went among the sailors or to anyone whose attention he could gain, and would show them the cross on his left hand, and by signs and gestures give them to understand that it referred to the Lord Jesus who was crucified, and when he found his meaning had been understood, he would then open his other hand, and with smiles show the crown, and by pointing to the sky above would make it clear that the same blessed One who was once crucified is now the crowned One in glory at the Father’s right hand.
In this way he loved to serve His Master, and he preached Christ with such success that the sailors with true respect for his efforts and the results that flowed from them, called him
“The Dumb Preacher.”
One day he was asked why he had had the cross and the crown fixed upon his hands, and this was his reply, which he wrote down on paper, “I forget so soon; but God never forgets. I saw in the Bible that I was graven on the palms of His hands (Isa. 49:1616Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. (Isaiah 49:16)), and so I thought that though I could not speak His name, it would help me to tell others of Him by bearing His marks on my hands.”
The thought was a beautiful one, because it was the expression of a loving heart. We, however, who have the use of our ears and our tongues, have no need to make use of signs and symbols, but if we really love the Lord Jesus I will tell you what He would like us to do. He would like us to show by our ways, our words, and our general conduct, that we are followers of that Blessed One, who loved us and gave Himself for us. The Apostle Paul once said, “I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus” (Gal. 6:1717From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. (Galatians 6:17)), but I think this means the scars left in his body after having been beaten many times by the Jews. Thank God, we can be Christians now without suffering such persecution.
ML 05/21/1939