I’ve been scarred for life. Not from some inner emotional conflict or unresolved grief, but literally scarred from a fight I had with a barb-wire fence when I was young (FYI - barb-wire won the fight). I was cut in a number of places that day, but my left arm got the brunt of it. A long scar runs the full length of the inside of my forearm where it meets another larger scar (from an even deeper wound). I can still remember the pain when the doctor took a brush and scrubbed the wound to get out the dirt and prevent infection. I lost count of the stitches as he meticulously patched my arm back together like a rag doll with needle and thread. I can barely remember what my arm looked like before the accident and my wife and kids have never known me without these evidences from that traumatic day.

Over the next week, we will be remembering and celebrating the suffering, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He went through a horrific and unimaginable trauma when he took the punishment for the sins of all humanity. 1 Peter 2:24 tells us that Jesus Christ in “his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” Peter is quoting a passage in Isaiah 53:5 when he uses the phrase “by whose stripes ye were healed”. Charles Spurgeon, the well-known 19th century pastor, notes that “the Hebrew word here, and the Greek word the Apostle Peter uses in his quotation of this passage which we render ‘stripes’ (1 Pet. 2:24), denote properly the marks which stripes or wounds leave upon the body, or as we say, scars. The scars in his hands, feet, and side and perhaps other marks of his many wounds, remained after his resurrection.” In other words, Jesus Christ was scarred not just for life – but for eternity.

But in another sense, Jesus Christ WAS scarred for life – for our life! Here are three simple thoughts about how His scars bring life to us:

1. His scars are evidence that we are healed from sin - It is through His wounds that we gain eternal life. Sin will always inflict scars on your life. Self-reformation will never be enough to overcome your sin. We need healing from sin and power over it – yet it always overpowers us without Christ. So, the sinless Jesus Christ took the scars upon himself that we deserved. He did this so that we might be able to look to him by faith for our own redemption and know that the scars from our sin could be healed.


2. His scars are evidence of His death on our behalf - The end of sin is always death. Jesus Christ wasn’t just badly injured by his wounds – He died from them. His scars are evidence that the same person who was inflicted with terrible wounds at Calvary was the same one who rose from the dead three days later. Because He took the death that we deserved and had victory over it, we can be assured that death is not the end if we have placed our faith in Him.


3. His eternal scars mean that our scars are only temporary – After the resurrection, Jesus showed His scars to those who doubted (such as Thomas) and they remained on His body as He ascended into heaven. He carries those scars with Him in heaven now and for all eternity. Yet, the scars we have on our bodies (such as the ones on my arm) as well as the ones we bear in our souls shall only remain in this life. If you are born again, the Bible promises that you will one day have a new body that does not bear the pain, suffering, and difficulties encountered in this life. We don’t have to carry our scars beyond this life, because Jesus Christ carries His scars forevermore.

So, this season when we celebrate the redemption found in Jesus Christ, remember His sufferings on the cross, and re-experience the joy of His resurrection – take time to look at your scars. There is healing for them in Jesus Christ. They are only temporary because His are eternal!