It is in scars that we know God’s love and are God’s love.
Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
The Second Sunday of Easter, year C
Text: John 20:19-31
Beloved in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Thomas understood all along.
And all he asked for was what his friends already received.
Did you notice? Easter night, when Thomas was gone, Jesus spoke peace to the women and men in the Upper Room. And he showed them his scars, the marks of his wounds. Of course Thomas would want that, too.
Now, Jesus said to Thomas, but also to us, that we are blessed if we come to trust him without seeing as Thomas and the others saw.
But Thomas was right. Even we need to see those scars, somehow. In those beautiful marks made by wounds on the body of the Son of God, we definitively know God’s love. The scars tell you everything.
It’s more than simply confirming it’s Jesus, for them and for us.
Jesus’ scars are the indelible marks of God’s love, God’s willingness to be wounded, killed, to embrace you and all and the whole creation. A wounded God knows the power of love, and rejects the love of power. And that God is the God who loves you and holds you. So when Thomas saw the scarred Jesus, he said, “My Lord and my God.” The scars revealed God to him.
Jesus’ scars also permanently remind you and me and all who follow what love is, what our call is. So many Christians have used the faith to gain power or domination over others. You can’t if you always remember you follow a scarred God who was wounded and killed to show true love. Christ’s scars keep us honest about the point of Christian faith and the path of Christly love we’re called to walk.
These scars also tell you something about your own woundedness.
And we’re not comfortable with our own scars. They remind of past pain we don’t enjoy reliving. Scars on your heart from inner wounds or brokenness, or scars on your body from physical infliction, are signs of past suffering, of frailty and mortality, not something we want to advertise, in case people think less of us.
We can also simply be embarrassed by our scars. Scars inside and outside make you seem different from others. It’s uncomfortable to feel different.
So we unfortunately tend to hide our scars, physical or spiritual. But if you learned to embrace your scars that’s not only a healthy way for you. It could also teach you empathy for others. And your scars might even be a sign to others of hope.
That’s what Jesus’ scars tell you.
You know you can trust God because Jesus’ scars show God is willing to be wounded for your sake and for all and for the world. But your scars and the scars of others also help lead to trust. If those wounds, and the scars left behind, aren’t hidden but embraced, aren’t a source of embarrassment but a source of empathy, scarred people are signs of healing.
It’s a reversal of the common wisdom. We know that those who are harmed in life often harm others in turn. “Hurt people hurt people,” we say. And that’s often true. But it’s also true that hurt people can find healing and empathy and, embracing their hurt, their wounds, their scars, become great healers, people of love and grace.
So if your scars, and the wounds that caused them, can draw you into the heart of love for others, as God’s scars draw you into the heart of God’s love, you will be a blessing in this world. Likewise, if you’re looking for someone who can help you, love you, guide you to healing, look for their scars.
Seeing others’ scars will comfort you – you’ll know you’re not alone.
When you meet someone who can understand your pain because they’ve gone through pain themselves it’s a blessing. Everyone’s suffering is different, but if they’ve been wounded, too, they can be a great comfort to you.
Because you know you’re not alone. When you look into another person’s eyes and see acceptance, love, even sorrow and empathetic tears, you know that there is someone, this one, who has known pain. You’re not the only one. By embracing their scars, they are God’s love to you.
And you could be that comfort to others, if you embrace and learn from your scars.
Seeing others’ scars also gives hope – healing is possible.
When you see someone who loves you and walks with you who not only has been wounded themselves but has the scars to show for it, you can find hope. If they’ve found healing on their path, healing is possible for you. Whenever it happens, however long it takes – it’s always different for everyone.
And if you don’t hide yours you could be that hope to others.
Thomas was right. The beautiful scars of the risen Christ were the sign that God could be trusted.
That even death can’t stop a love willing to lose everything for the sake of another.
Because of those scars, disciples actually became believers, people who trusted that they were still loved completely by God, and that this path of love they’d been trying to follow was still a path of hope and healing for them and for all. That’s why they went out living and proclaiming this love and got wounded, even killed, to share this love and grace of God. They bore their scars and became as beautiful to others as the risen Christ was to them.
Blessed are those who can trust without seeing. That’s true. But we all could use a little of what Thomas wanted. So look for God’s scars and trust they are life for you. Look for the scars in others if you’re looking for someone who can help you in your healing and hope. And let your scars, and the wounds that caused them, lead you to be the empathy, hope, comfort, and healing that those you meet will need.
In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
