But Thomas (called “Twin”), one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples were telling him, “We’ve seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “If I don’t see the mark of the nails in his hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.” A week later his disciples were indoors again, and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Don’t be faithless, but believe.” Thomas responded to him, “My Lord and my God!” John 20:24-28
Jesus died a public and brutal death for our sin, for a debt He didn’t even owe. It wasn’t His burden to carry, and yet He suffered horrifically to carry it on our behalf. Then, He came back to life and was seen by countless people. He was resurrected, yet His scars remained. A God who can heal the sick and raise the dead should certainly be able to manage a little plastic surgery. Jesus had already been through unimaginable pain and humiliation. It seems to be an insult on top of injury that He had to walk around with the physical reminder of His torment and anguish. As I questioned why He wasn’t restored completely after the resurrection, it hit me. He was. Jesus was restored completely.
To cover Christ’s scars would be to cover His testimony. From the nail holes in His hands to the spear wound in His side, the cross demanded to be seen. To hide His wounds in shame of the death that caused them, would cover where the precious blood of Christ was shed for our redemption. They were evidence of the destiny God had called Christ to live out and a monument to God’s glory, love, power, and faithfulness. These scars were proof of God’s redemptive plan in full completion. Thomas (and most likely many others) needed to be able to touch those scars so he could believe. His ability to reach the God of Salvation depended on knowing the trauma of the cross by seeing the scars on the risen Son of God; ours does too. It is those scars that transverse the cavern that separates our sinful selves, destitute and sentenced to wrath, from the holy and perfect love of God, who sits as the great Judge.