Jesus kept his scars
Two ways Jesus gets your attention and helps you believe.
I can still remember my mother’s distinctive soprano voice echoing from Sunday worship over sixty years ago. She loved to joyously sing out the words of Fanny Crosby’s 1894 hymn, “My Savior First of All.“ The chorus would repeat the affirmation of faith,
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
And redeemed by His side I shall stand;
I shall know Him, I shall know Him
By the print of the nails in His hand.
On Sunday evening of the first day of Jesus’ resurrection the disciples gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem to discuss and confirm the growing evidence being reported that he was alive. Then, to remove every doubt, Jesus walks in, and gives them indisputable evidence. Luke wrote a description of their reaction,
“While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day. (Luke 24:36–46, NIV).
There are two things that Jesus did here that are necessary for the emergence of faith.
First, he showed them his hands and feet. He gave them physical, external evidence of his resurrected body. He kept his scars to confirm that the message of the gospel is not a myth but is historically verified.
Thomas, one of Jesus’ disciples, said, “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.” So Jesus invited Thomas to touch his wounds. 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.” Thomas’ instant response was, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:24-29).
Second, Jesus awakened their minds to understand the promise/fulfillment of Scripture. He showed them that his death and resurrection were the central theme and redemptive promise of all of Scripture. He opened their minds with the dawning light of revelation. This awakening took place as an inward illumination in their inner knower.
There are two things Jesus does when he invites us to come to him for the forgiveness of sins.
First, he puts obvious convincing proofs of his love in our path to see. Christ extends an open hand to us. He doesn’t hide his wounds. He shows us evidence that he suffered to be our burden bearer so we’ll believe and say, “my name is written on his hands.”
Second, he opens our inner knower to embrace these convincing proofs for ourselves. The Spirit of God verifies that Christ is alive by a spiritual enlightening of our interior eye.
Just one startling sight of his divine goodness has regenerative power to persuade our will to repent and surrender our allegiance to him.
Jesus is showing you convincing proofs to awaken a new understanding in your inner knower. So, pray for alertness today to tune in to his heavenward hemisphere. There’s a world filled with evidence all around you. There’s a book filled with evidence that Jesus is the promise/fulfillment of Scripture. He is reaching out to you by revelation. He is getting your attention.