"Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So 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.'" John 20: 24, 25
Do you have any scars?
I have one that I received when I was about five or six years old, when some of the neighborhood kids and I were constructing a blanket-over-the-clothesline tent. As I was laying down a foundational brick, so was another kid who accidentally squished my pinky finger between our two bricks.
The game was over as I ran inside to my mother and kids dispersed. I can still recall my personal horror when I saw the doctor actually sewing my skin together, as my mom would darn a sock.
Today, I look at the crooked scar with a fondness, allowing the childhood memories of play and providence to warm me It has become physical proof of what transpired on that day.
Over the years, I have acquired other scars, though these are of the invisible sort. Most of these stem from my own rebellion, but some were caused by others. These old wounds are part of who I am; they are mile markers of where I have been, what I have done and (hopefully) how much I have learned from my mistakes. Yes, they are scars, but they are my scars.
If I show my pinky scar to another, I tell them the story behind it. The hearer usually smiles as I paint the picture of kids at play, a mother's concern and a child's introduction to the grisly side of medicine.
But what if I were to show my other scars? Would I be willing to let others see them if it would help them believe me when I soberly advise, "Don't do things the way I did them"?
Some folks need to see to believe, just like our friend, Doubting Thomas. With loving compassion, Jesus invited Thomas to run his fingers over those deep scars - not chiding him for his unbelief, but encouraging him to "stop doubting and believe." After all, it's by His wounds that we are healed (see Isaiah 53:5).
I, for one, am so glad that Jesus kept these scars after His resurrection for all to see these mile markers of sacrificial love and eternal life, and I am equally grateful that He invites me to see them. Maybe I should allow mine to show, if they will bring one person to the saving grace of Christ, who brought me up out of the pit, cleaned me off and robed me in righteousness.
But perhaps they still hurt a bit.
"Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53: 4, 5
