The Scars of Jesus

4/09/10

John 20:19-31

Rev. Michael Trask

 

Thomas demands to see the scars of Jesus. It is nothing that the other Disciples hadn’t already seen. Jesus had shown them to the others when he said “Peace be with you.” The others had told Thomas all about it. He simply wanted to see what they had seen.

From my perspective, it would have been unacceptable for Thomas to have done anything else. I’m glad he expressed doubts. He was one of the all important, primary witnesses of the resurrection. And he was simply being objective. He knew that Jesus had, in fact, died. He also knew that it was way out of the ordinary for someone who was dead, to come back to life. He also knew that grieving people often like to entertain fanciful stories before the reality of death sets in. He had to make sure. He had to see for himself. He had to see those wounds. Was this the very man who was nailed in his hands and feet? Was this the very same man who had been pierced in his side? Is it? It Is! “My Lord and my God!”

But there is one thing that is most intriguing in all this: Why would the resurrected body of Christ still bear the scars of the crucifixion? Aren’t resurrected bodies supposed to be perfect in every way? Initially, of course, the scars proved his identity to his disciples. So did he “heal-up” once he ascended into heaven? Nope. In Revelation, Jesus is said to appear in heaven as a “A Lamb who was slain”. (Rev. 5:6) In otherwords, a lamb who looks like it has been put to death complete with the wounds that caused his death. “For the Lamb who was slain, has begun his reign.” we sing. It seems obvious that when we see him face to face on the last day, he will still have the same scars that he showed his disciples. Why?

I think it’s an emblem of his time on earth. If you live on this broken earth for any amount of time, you are going to receive scars. Anybody who lives on this planet can expect to leave it with some scars. And the scars that we have come complete with memories. In my case, that is certainly true, each scar has a story. The scar on my knee was from the first time my dad took me to play tennis. I look at it, and I remember the day. I was just a little taller than the tennis racquet. There was some loose gravel, I fell. Dad carried me home and lovingly picked out the pebbles. The scars on my chin and forehead were from learning how to ride a bike. I remember the bike it was blue. I remember the picket fence that caught my handle bars and threw me to the sidewalk. The big scar on my left hand happened one day before my first day in college. I did it with a chisel. See what I mean? Each scar tells a story. Scars mean that you’ve lived. Each of you, I’m sure, can point to the various scars you have and tell similar stories.

And you know something? I don’t think I want to loose these scars. If someone were to tell me that they had some wonderful new machine that removes scars instantly and painlessly, I would have to say no. I would actually miss them. They are really part of me now. They are proof that I lived. They represent my history. They help me remember things like my first game of tenniss, my first bike, and my first year of college.

And I’m not alone in thinking this way, Shakespeare thought of long before I did. In his play Henry the V, The king goes to visit the troops on the day of battle and says: “This day is call’d the feast of Crispian. He that outlives this day, and comes safe home, Will stand a tip-toe when this day is named. And rouse him at the name of Crispian. He that shall live this day, and see old age, Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbors, And say ‘tomorrow is St. Crispian’ then will strip his sleeve and show his scars, and say ‘these wounds I had on Crispians day.” Shakespeare, as always, demonstrates a solid understanding of humanity. This is how we are, and this is how Jesus is who shares in our humanity.

His scars are to him an emblem of his time with us. Though they represent the most horrible day of his life with all the suffering and sorrow that came in the making of those scars, that day has passed. “It is finished.” As he himself said.

Now the scars bring to mind so many good and wonderful things. First and foremost all the people that he saved. All the people who through faith in him who will now see eternity. A great multitude of people like you and me, born sinful, born to die, destined for hell, yet forgiven, redeemed and claimed as Gods own. That’s what those scars mean now. He looks at them with joy as he thinks about saving you and me and many others. Of course he would keep them. They are a symbol of what he came to do. They are a symbol of his death, a death which he overcame. “I was dead, but now I am Alive forever.” As He said to the Aged Apostle John in revelation chapter 1.

So on one side of Easter, the scars are horrible reminders of death. But on the other side, they are changed into wonderful symbols of life. I think, we are in for a similar sort of change when we at last behold him in our resurrected bodies. Coming out of a world that wounds us in so many ways, there will be change. The tears we now shed, the blows we have received, the emotional pain, the heartache over lost friends and loved ones, all these will become memories, memories like Jesus’ scars. Scars never completely go away, but neither do they hurt any longer.

The number one question that I am asked about the resurrection is “Will I recognize and know people.” I’m always so very confused by that. I’ve always wondered where that question comes from. I think I figured it out. It comes from the notion that when we step into eternity, God will “mercifully” erase all of our bad memories. As the theory goes, He’d have to do that, If we are ever going to experience the bliss of heaven. We can’t enjoy eternity with minds and hearts that are so deeply scarred by life on this sinful planet. And so, it is imagined that in the resurrection there will be a blessed labotomy of sorts, and we will be happy because we cannot remember

But according to everything I’ve read in the scriptures, we will enter eternity with our whole selves. Our days on earth will not be forgotten. We will not undergo some sort of saintly electro-shock therapy...we will simply see our lives from the other side of the resurrection. We will see them with the same fondness that Jesus has for his scars. On the day he received them, they were horrible emblems of suffering and death, but on the day he rose from the grave, they would become wonderful emblems of the salvation of the human race that he was pleased to show to his disciples and carry with him when he took the throne in heaven.

It will be kind of like the way I now look at my knee. At the time, it was one of the most traumatic things that ever happened to me. Having a knee full of pebbles that need to be dug out one by one with a tweezers is traumatic for a 4 year old. But now, even though I remember the event, I smile about it and count it as one of my fonder memories. The fact that my dad would seriously try to play tennis with a goofy little kid like me...The way he carried me to the car, the loving and careful way he removed the pebbles. The scar remains, but the memories connected with it now have a different emphasis. That’s how it will be in the resurrection. The wounds and the scars that hurt us now, and may continue to hurt us until the day we die, will be seen with a different emphasis. When we think of them, they will no longer bring to mind the suffering that we endured. On the contrary, they will bring to mind the Love of our Father in heaven who sustained us and supported us throughout our entire lives. AMEN