God with Scars
Luke 24:36-40
36 Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace to you."
37 But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit.
38 And He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?
39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."
40 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.
The resurrected Christ stood in the midst of His disciples. He had conquered death, risen from the grave and now stood before them in a resurrected body. The marks from the crown of thorns were gone. The disfiguration from the brutal beating and tearing out of the beard had been restored. The lacerations upon His back were fully healed. Yet the nail prints in His hands and feet remained. Why? Why would Jesus’ resurrected body still carry the scars of the nails that impaled Him?
The imprint of the nails are more than scars from His crucifixion. They are the marks of covenant. From the beginning of time, God has cut covenant with man. These covenants, though binding in nature, failed due to the imperfection of man. The greatest covenant of all however, was cut at the cross between God the Father and God the Son (Luke 22:20). This eternal covenant is sealed by the blood of the Lamb, and cannot be broken nor revoked, by the frailty of man.
Even in His glorified body, Jesus retains the signs of an eternal covenant. Through this covenant, God will be merciful to our unrighteousness, and our lawless deeds, He will remember no more (Hebrews 8:12). Jesus’ scars in His hands and feet declare that justice has been fulfilled, every transgression has been atoned for, and all our sin has been put away (Hebrews 9:26). We will never have to question whether we are accepted by God because Jesus’ scars declare that sin has been removed and we are totally forgiven.
Furthermore, Hebrews states that Jesus is touched by our weakness and has shared in our sufferings (Hebrews 2:10). Life brings scars. Many of our scars are hidden and seen by few. Jesus’ scars however are visible for all to see. His scars reveal His experience in our sin ravaged world. Our God is not aloof and indifferent to our pain. He did not send angels to comfort and console. He Himself put on flesh and shared our world. He is a merciful High Priest who is touched by the feelings of our infirmities (Hebrews 4:15 KJV). Jesus has walked where we walk. He has felt the pain, borne the shame, and now carries the scars that declares His love for each and every one of us.
Jesus asked the disciples, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet.” Jesus’ scars dispel our fear and proclaim our hope. Our salvation is as sure as the nail prints in His hands. We do not need to fear death nor what man can do. Our heart does not need to be troubled, nor cares weigh us down. Jesus who conquered death, ever lives to make intercession for us (Romans 8:34). We will walk in the victory that He has won over death, hell, and the grave. His very scars proclaim that our hope is not in vain.
When we see scars, we think of the hurt and abuse that was received. The Lord’s hands and feet however proclaim our redemption and declare our reward. His scars are a living promise that what was meant for evil, God will turn for good (Genesis 50:20, Romans 8:28). Our God both redeems and restores (Isaiah 49:8). He redeems what was lost; He restores what was broken. He gives beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, praise to replace heaviness and honour instead of shame (Isaiah 61:3,7). When life brings wounds and we carry the scars of failure or abuse, there is One who has walked the road before us. He still bears the scars so we can know He will lead us to victory. We will overcome because He has overcome. Regardless of what the enemy has thrown at us, God always has the last say. Our Redeemer is a God with scars, and He has pledged to restore double for all of our shame (Isaiah 61:7).
Jesus retains not only the scars in His hands and feet, but also the scar in His side (John 20:27). Again, we can wonder why Jesus would maintain this scar in His glorified body. The answer to such a question is contained in the creation of man. The first Adam, operated in the authority of God and named all the animals, yet was unable to find a helper comparable to him (Genesis 2:20). The Lord therefore put him to sleep and from his side He took and fashioned the bride. Eve was created as bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, for she was taken out of man (Genesis 2:23). Jesus is the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45). We, the bride of Christ, have been taken from His side (John 19:34). We are now spirit of His Spirit and life of His Life. His scar reveals our creation and declares our unity with Him.
Jesus’ scars are a testimony of the extent of His love. They reveal His desire for His Bride and proclaim that redemption is freely available through His atoning sacrifice. What were once marks of agony, now carry the presence of glory. What were once imprints of the fury of hell have become declarations of the wisdom of heaven. Forever we will worship the Lamb that was slain (Revelation 5:6) and bow in adoration before a God with scars.
Consider:
For where you are at right now in life, what do the nail prints in Jesus’ hands and feet declare to you? Take a few moments to reflect and allow that reality to minister to your heart.
