Revelation 1:16 “In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.”

We are not left to wonder about the identity of these stars in Jesus’ hand. Verse 20 tells us, “The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches.” These aren’t some kind of guardian angels for these churches. The word angel literally means “messenger.” These are the men who deliver Jesus’ message to the churches. We commonly refer to them as pastors.

Jesus holds his pastors in his right hand. That’s a thought that could fill a man with a sense of holy awe and fear. You want to be careful that when you claim you are speaking for him, you are actually speaking for him. One of my best friends in college was the son of the pastor at Redemption Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, WI. One of the things that always struck me about their sanctuary was the cross suspended from the ceiling by a chain. It hung directly over the pulpit. It seemed to me that you would want to be particularly careful about what you said while you were standing in that pulpit. That cross provided the Lord a convenient way to show his displeasure if the preacher dared to preach something false.

We don’t need something hanging over our heads to remind us to be careful with the message. Jesus holds not just pastors, but all of us, in his hand at all times. His hand can close in judgment at any time.

I don’t think that is the main thing he wants us to think about here, however. If Jesus holds those who serve him in his hand, who is going to take them away from him? If Jesus holds you in his hand, who can hurt you in the end? Even if an angry mob with pitchforks and torches should attack and make this your last day on earth, “what can man do to me?” Jesus makes the promise to all of his sheep: “No one can snatch them out of my hands.”

One last thought on Jesus holding us in his hand. I don’t know whether Jesus was right handed or left handed, but the many Bible references to the right hand, like the one here, suggest that Jesus is speaking about the skilled hand as well as his powerful hand. This is the hand with which most people do their most work.

Jesus makes the people he holds in his right hand his chosen instruments. You are his tool to reach out to others and save them. We all understand that only Jesus is the sacrifice for our sins. Only his word, his gospel, is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.

But faith comes from hearing the message, right? Pick up the Sword of the Spirit, and start swinging. Speak the gospel. You yourself are in Jesus’ hand. That’s not just a safe place to be. It is a useful one.