The Risen Christ still carries his wounds.

By mmayer

John 20:19-31

¹⁹On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ ²⁰After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

²¹Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ ²²And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’

²⁴Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ²⁵So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’

But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.’

²⁶A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ ²⁷Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’

²⁸Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’

²⁹Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’

³⁰Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. ³¹But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

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Then he showed them his hands and his side. John 20:20.

By his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53: 5

The Risen Christ proudly shows off his wounds from the cross. They are still very visible, and help the disciples know that it really is him. I find it utterly fascinating that the resurrected Jesus does not appear fully repaired. He is new, and he still carries his wounds.

We all have our scars, and there is a story connected to each one. The scar on my upper lip is when I didn’t get a front brake rebuild on my bike perfectly right. The brake came loose into my wheel, and I face planted on the bitumen. I will never make that mistake again. I also have a new understanding for others who don’t get things right.

We all have our inside scars – wounds or hurts from disappointments, things that didn’t work out the way we hoped, harsh judgements, things done to us that weren’t exactly fair. And then there is guilt, shame or humiliation that we all carry at times.

The Risen Christ reaches out to each one of us, saying, ‘I’ve got you. Let your wounds be held in my wounds. Let me give you healing and comfort. Let my love and strength fill you.’

Our scars, inside and out, then become badges of honour; lessons learnt, hard work of healing done. The Risen Christ, showing us his wounds, gives us the courage and strength to do what is necessary with our wounds and hurts, and to work on them in good ways.