Wounds - Day 11

"Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
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Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although 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 see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”"

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Prove it! Thomas said. He wanted undeniable proof. The rest of the disciples had all seen the risen Christ, but not Thomas. Another eight days went by until Christ appeared again, this time specifically to speak to Thomas. Having, of course, heard the request for proof, Jesus gives him exactly what he asks for. “Come, Thomas, see the wounds? Touch the holes from the nails, place your hand where the spear entered.” Thomas, of course, didn’t need to touch and feel. He fell on his face and cried in confession, “My Lord and my God!”

There is much in this story worthy of note, but perhaps the most unique thing about this scene is not so much to do with Thomas, but with the resurrected body of Jesus. The holes from the nails remained. The gash from the entrance of the spear remained. Isn’t that strange? You’d expect the resurrection body to be wholly unblemished and restored. So why is it that these wounds remain, wounds that are so reminiscent of the old life?

It could be something unique to Christ himself, but the resurrected body of Christ is meant to be the basis of our hope, the promise of the resurrected body we will receive. So will our bodies have all the scars, and imperfections of this life? Even more, will our minds and hearts still carry the wounds and grief of this life? In one sense, absolutely not. In another sense, perhaps so.

Scripture sometimes refers to our present life in the body as a seed that must be buried in death (see 1 Cor 15, John 12:24). When the resurrection comes, everything that was invested in seed form will come to fruition. In the case of Christ, he sowed his crucifixion and reaped salvation for his people. The marks of the nails are no longer a cause for pain but joy. So the resurrection gives profound meaning and purpose to the lives we live in the present, since everything we do is a part of that seed that will come to fruition in the new creation.

Pete Peterson from The Rabbit Room speaks often on the meaning the resurrection gives to our life in the present. I’ll let him conclude: “In Christ, the old is not merely done away with, it is instead redeemed. Redeem means to consider something old in a new way, in light of new information. The old did not merely pass away, it passes “into” and is redefined in a new way. As Christians this is our hope…What we create in this present world, what we do, how we love and how we live, will all one day be the context for God’s new creation. We are surrounded by the metal out of which God will one day form a new heaven and a new earth. This world, this present, is the iron out of which something bigger and bolder is being wrought.”

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1. Do you think it is strange that Jesus still bears the scars from his suffering? Why or why not?
2. Speaking of a Christian’s relation to this world, it is has been remarked, “Why polish the brass on a sinking ship?” How does the resurrection refute this idea?
3. Do the things you do in this life have a part to play in the next life? How would you describe the relation between the two?
4. If your current life is an investment that will define your life in eternity (as a seed defines the plant and fruit), what will your eternity be like?

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