Known By His Wounds

The Gospel is John 20:19-31

Evidence, evidence, evidence. Is this what believing in the Risen Christ is about?

In today’s Gospel, Thomas isn’t demanding arguments that can be learned from a book. He didn’t demand to see Jesus, but to see and touch His wounds. This is the same thing that convinced the other disciples, after which they rejoiced in seeing the Lord.

Jesus knew that he would be known by His wounds. As the singer Beyonce says, “Show me your scars and I won’t walk away.”

Why did Jesus, after He was raised, still bear His wounds? These were signs of His love, but these marks of His pain were not what defined Him.

Our own wounds are not erased when we are raised with Christ. These wounds stay with us.

We are walking embodiments of our entire story, wounds and all. Resurrection is not about rewriting our past, or forgetting what happened. Resurrection is not reversal.

God revealed Himself in Jesus, even in Jesus’ wounds. This is a God who would rather die than be in the sin accounting business, who went to the depths of hell rather than be separated from His betrayers.

Our scars and our sorrow will always be part of our story, but will never be the conclusion of our story. There is no stone that God cannot roll away.

Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.