Many people have scars of one sort or another from accidents or surgeries. I have two scars from surgeries to repair broken bones, along with a few other scars from various mishaps. None of these are worrisome or disfiguring. Other people have bigger scars that are disfiguring, and they do what they can to hide them, including sometimes plastic surgery. For believers, we are assured that when we reach heaven, we will no longer have any of our scars. There is Someone, though, who will have scars in heaven. Who is that? As we read our Scripture for today, we will see who that is, and why.
Our passage today is from the Gospel of John, and occurs on the evening of the Resurrection. The disciples were together, hiding behind locked doors in fear of the religious leaders. Those leaders had just put Jesus to death, and they feared they might be next. Suddenly the risen Savior appeared in their presence. Though several women from their company had testified earlier in the day that He had risen, they couldn’t believe their eyes. Was this really Jesus, they must have thought. Though it looked like Him, could they really be sure?
When police or others want to correctly identify someone, one thing they look for are birthmarks and scars. Jesus had several scars which He had just recently received when He was crucified three days earlier. There were the nail prints in each of His hands and feet, along with the scar on His side from where a soldier had thrust in a spear to see if He was really dead. Jesus showed the scars to the disciples gathered there that evening. These scars gave proof that this was really Jesus, and not just someone who looked like Him.
Now risen from the dead, Jesus had His glorified, resurrection body. This is the type of body that each believer will receive in heaven, a body that will experience no more pain or sickness, won’t age, or have any more faults or failings (Revelation 21:4). Someone may have been crippled while here on earth. They won’t be in heaven. No one will be blind, or deaf, or have any other physical challenges or failings. Nor will they have any of the scars they had while on earth. No one, that is, except the Lord Jesus. Here, in front of His disciples, Jesus showed them the scars He had. These scars remained on Jesus as evidence of who He is, and of the love He has given to redeem us from the penalty of sin.
Those scars speak a lot to us. They are evidence of the great love that God has for us. Many parents will do anything for their children. If they see that harm is coming towards their child, they often will step in the way, and take the brunt of whatever danger was coming. We sometimes hear of parents who go into a burning building to rescue their child trapped in there, and they might emerge with painful burns that leave scars. Whenever that child would see the scars, they would know those scars were from their parent’s love for them.
Though not every parent has that kind of love, God reassures us that He, indeed, does. As we read words from the Prophet Isaiah, God tells us that even if a mother would forget all about her baby, He will never forget about us. We are engraved, cut or carved right into the palms of His hands (Isaiah 49:15-16). When we get to heaven, God will take away all of our emotional and physical scars. However, Jesus will eternally bear the scars of our sins, scars that symbolize our rescue from hell.
Over the years there have been some imposters, people claiming to be the Messiah or to be the Savior. If I were to ever meet one who claimed that, I would ask them to show me their hands. The only true Messiah, the only true Savior, has nail prints in His hands, and a hole in His side! Anyone else is an imposter!
The great 19th century American hymn writer Fanny Crosby became blind a few weeks after birth. She knew that when she reached heaven, she would have her sight again. In one of her famous hymns “My Savior First of All” she writes how she will know Jesus by those scars in His hands.
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
When redeemed by His side I shall stand;
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
By the print of the nails in His hands.
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