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Jul 13, 2024 06:00am

Scars

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Scars.

They’re not fun, they’re not pretty, and most likely they’ve spawned a few tears. They are permanent reminders of painful times in our lives. I know this well because I have acquired many a “reminder” over the years.

Like that fall on the playground that left a chunk of skin missing on my knee. That left a good-sized scar. (Along with some asphalt to this day!)

Like that one time my sister and I had a fight. The fight left me with a gash on my forehead that resulted in a scar in the shape of a cross. (Oh, the irony!) Jesus didn’t waste an opportunity to give me a permanent reminder to be kinder to my sister.

Like when I was cutting vegetables and not paying attention as the knife sliced my pointer finger. That left me with a scar I see every day, especially when I type.

Like when my appendix ruptured on Easter weekend, and I had to have an emergency surgery. That left me with three scars on my stomach, along with a three-day stay in the hospital.

Oh yes, friends, scars tell stories, serving as reminders to those of us who can easily forget in the busyness of life. Maybe that’s why God used some very special scars to tell the most powerful story of all: the nail-scarred hands of Jesus Christ. Those scars on His Son’s hands tell a story–one of love, sacrifice, and hope.

Jesus’ scars show us God’s love for His kids. One of the most beautiful things about Jesus is this: because Jesus invested love into the outcasts of society—the beggars, the prostitutes, the lepers, and the tax collectors—something special happened afterward: they didn’t stay that way. They saw themselves the way He saw them . . . and they chose a different path. They chose to follow Him and were quite simply transformed. Like a caterpillar growing into a butterfly, they found their purpose in life and never looked back.

Jesus’ scars tell the story of His sacrifice. You see, Jesus knew His death would be painful. He also knew He would have to take on mankind’s sins, until the debt of sin had been paid. He was so distressed that He went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray. He began His prayer asking God if he could avoid “this cup of suffering” which He was about to face. Jesus was in such agony over His imminent death until He actually sweat blood (a condition called hematidrosis). Though Jesus knew His sacrificial death for all mankind was a part of God’s plan, He still experienced raw emotions of agony and anguish. But, by the end of His prayer time, He had fully submitted to God and His plan—as a result, He was strengthened and ready to face His persecutors . . . and the cross.

Jesus’ scars tell a story of resurrection. To the disciples, those scars showed that the risen Jesus wasn’t a ghost–that He was real and God had brought Him back from the dead. Holding up His hands, Jesus bade His disciples to look and touch His hands. You see, though Jesus had a new body (something all believers are promised when they get to heaven), His body wasn’t maimed from the torture. Yet, God allowed this reminder on His hands and feet to stay for this reason: His disciples needed to see and remember them so that they could tell the story of the biggest miracle of all: their Savior’s resurrection.

Above all, Jesus’ scars show us that He knows. He knows what it’s like to be lonely and afraid. He knows what it’s like to be betrayed by those closest to you. He knows what it’s like for others to gossip and lie about you. He knows what it’s like to be abandoned and rejected by loved ones. He knows what it’s like to be broken.

Friends, we have a God who knows, and we have a Savior who knows. He wants a relationship with you—one built of love and trust—so that the way you live life is different. It’s choosing to embrace your imperfect self and surrender to a perfect God. It’s choosing to walk in the light of our Father and shining that light to all around us. It’s choosing to be a courageously confident water-walking disciple who craves the impossible.

The man with the nail-scarred hands paid it all for you to have a deep and meaningful relationship with His Father. Those scars resurrect hardened hearts. They mend the broken. They speak life into the hopeless. They light the path for the lost.

They make all things new.

Love gives, and He gave all for you.