He Kept His Scars
There’s a moment in the Gospel of John that has always stopped me in my tracks. After the resurrection, Jesus appears to his disciples, alive, radiant, victorious. And yet, he doesn’t show up flawless. He shows up with scars.
“Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side”
If I’m honest, I used to wish I could be more like the after version of Jesus, healed, strong, composed. But somewhere deep down, I’ve carried the quiet belief that healing meant erasing what hurt me. That restoration meant no trace of the breaking.
But he kept his scars.
The Savior of the world, who could’ve returned in total perfection, chose to keep the marks of his pain. Not because he needed proof, but because we did. Because we needed to see that glory can still live alongside grief. That wounds, once surrendered, can become the very evidence of redemption.
I used to look at my own scars, emotional, physical, spiritual, and feel shame. The marks left behind by old decisions, trauma, illness, and seasons I didn’t think I’d survive.
But now, I think maybe they’re not proof of failure. Maybe they’re proof of faith. Proof of a God who stayed when everything else fell apart.
Jesus didn’t hide his scars. He showed them. He let His friends touch what once bled. And in that moment, Thomas, the doubter, believed. It wasn’t a sermon that saved him. It was a scar.
Maybe the same is true for us. Maybe the parts of your story you’ve been trying to hide, are the very places someone else will find hope. Maybe your healing won’t look like spotless perfection. Maybe it’ll look like peace, finally spilling into what once tore you apart.
You are not unholy because you’ve been hurt. You are not disqualified because you still carry reminders. You are, in every sense, a testimony in progress.
Jesus kept his scars. And in doing so, He showed us that redemption doesn’t erase the past, it redeems it.
Let’s sit at the well for a minute.
Jesus,
Thank you for keeping what could’ve been erased. For showing us, that resurrection doesn’t mean pretending it never hurt, it’s living proof that love really does overcome. Teach us not to hide our healing, but to share it. Use our scars the way you used yours, to tell the story of grace.
Amen.
