“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:5 NKJV).
After the resurrection of Jesus there are at least ten recorded sightings of Him during the next 40 days. One such appearance occurs during a gathering of His disciples. Jesus appears to them, but Thomas is not present. The disciples tell Thomas about seeing Jesus, but Thomas does not believe them.
Seeing is believing.
“The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing” (John 20:25-27 NKJV).
Everyone has scars, and our scars tell a story. However, in our image-obsessed culture, people treat visible scars like a mark of disgrace, a source of shame. Whether camouflaged or cosmetically done away with under the skillful scalpel of a plastic surgeon, many go to great lengths and great expense to rid themselves of anything unsightly.
Ultimately it is Satan who wants to silence us. He knows and fears the overcoming, life-changing, and life-giving power of our healing and testimony. Therefore he works hard at sowing seeds of shame, accusation, and lies.
A scar is the mark left after a wound heals.
“A scar simply means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you.” (Author unknown)
In the song “Cocoa Butter,” India Arie sings, “I show you my burns, you show me lessons learned/I show you my scars, you show me works of art/I show you a blemish, you show me that God’s not finished/With every imperfection you showed me your blessing…”
Beloved, don’t hide what hurt you (but do use discretion and seek God’s direction). Dare to share your story. God uses your scars to help others believe for their own healing. Our Savior’s scars remained on His resurrected body as proof of the price He paid for our redemption. Thomas saw and believed. Others will, too.