I know society is much different from when I was a kid. The consensus of modern parents is that things are much better; no doubt, many things are. Still, I think we’ve lost some good stuff. One thing we’ve lost is how proud boys were of their scars.
It’s true. When I was a kid, I was eager to show my buddies any new scar I acquired; we all were that way. It was a symbol of being tough, being about to handle pain. After all, men seldom showed any emotional response to physical pain. The truth be told, scabs from minor cuts would always be pulled off in the hope of gaining a new scar so we could show it off. Like I said, life was different back then.
Jesus Shows His Scars
Of course, this memory reminds of Jesus after His resurrection. What does Jesus do? He goes to His disciples, and He shows them His scars!
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
John 20:19-20 (ESV)
Christ Jesus was eager to share His victory with His closest earthly friends. How marvelous our Savior is! How closely He relates to us when we suffer anything for His name.
Now, let’s read verses 21-22:
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
John 20:21-22 (ESV)
This event is when Christ’s disciples were “saved.” They believed, and Jesus breathed on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. However, they had not yet been baptized in the Holy Spirit. In Acts, chapter two, this same group of Christians, by Christ’s command, was gathered together in one place, and there they received the baptism in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues.
Each time I read John 20:20, I grin just a little because even Jesus likes to show His scars.
Photo credit: Kent Wang on Visual hunt / CC BY-SA
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