Dear People Who Keep Company With God,
The Apostle Paul said, “From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus” (Gal. 6:17). What were these marks? I believe they were the scars from wounds Paul had suffered serving Christ. Yet these were not the only “marks of Jesus” that Paul bore. After all, the true marks of Jesus are not outward but inward, not physical but spiritual (Rom. 2:28-29). The marks of Jesus are a right state of soul, a mind and spirit renewed after the image of Him that created it. When we embrace the Lord who endured the Cross and is now seated in heaven we receive His marks.
This is brought out so beautifully in John’s account of the first post resurrection appearances of Jesus to those closest to Him. The first person who saw Him alive was Mary Magdalene and evidently she grabbed hold of Jesus because he told her, “Do not hold on to me”. She was touching His body, His scars. He then sent her to the disciples to be the first person to proclaim that Jesus was alive and give them a special message, “My Father is your Father now!” (John 20:16-18)
The next appearance was when the disciples, minus Thomas, were locked in a room and Jesus either walked through the walls or simply appeared before them. He spoke peace to them and apparently it did not settle on them because He then showed them His scars and spoke peace again to them. The word of peace took the second time. Why? Because they saw the scars, the marks of death yet He was alive. Then He breathed into them the Holy Spirit and gave them the commission, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:19-23).
Later, Jesus appeared to a struggling Thomas. He asked Thomas to do something amazing. He said, “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 20:27) Can you imagine what that must have been like? To literally touch the scars of the Lord Jesus!
I can imagine it a little. A few years ago I was devastated as I tried to make sense as to why a friend had been killed. It was there in a flash that I saw, “His appearance was marred more than any man and His form more than the sons of men.” (Isaiah 52:14)
I not only caught a glimpse of Him, but I felt His scars as He embraced me that day. You see, it is important what Jesus told Thomas after He felt His scars, “Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” There is something that takes place when we behold and touch His scarred body. It is life changing. You can’t touch His scars and not be impacted.
“Only what can endure the cross possesses true spiritual value, whatever enters the grave and remains is a dead thing, whatever comes out the other side bearing the mark of death, possesses true spiritual value.” Watchman Nee
Jesus wants us to know and embrace the reality that it is not so much that He was fatally wounded and died, but rather that He was fatally wounded and lived.
Many Blessings, BW