Jesus' scared hands

John 20:19-20
¹⁹On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" ²⁰After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

The resurrected body of Christ is not like the flesh-and-blood body of Lazarus whom He brought back to life. It was unique. While His body was no longer subject the laws of nature as before His death, it still bore the wounds of the spear on His side and the nails through His hands. His resurrection was both literal and physical - He was not a spirit without a body!

However, did you, like I, ever wonder why His resurrected body still had wounds and scars. Shouldn't a resurrected body be whole and perfect?

Some say that it was to show Thomas who said, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." (John 20:25). I believe that this is not the main reason as He had first shown His pierced body to the other disciples before Thomas made that statement.

Amongst many other things, Jesus' hands caressed the heads of the little children; touched the dead daughter of Jiarus and brought her back to life; touched the lepers and made them whole; stopped the fever of Peter's mother-in-law. His hands demonstrated His love and tenderness towards us. Then, His hands were horribly crippled and twisted when the nails were driven into them. His side and hands were pierced.

When He showed His side and hands to His disciples, He wanted them to know that for mankind, He suffered!

Selwyn Hughes wrote that for those who are sad at heart and sorely needing the touch of Jesus, He will touch them with His tender hands.

The hardest part of suffering or when we go through hurts and pains is the temptation to believe that God is not with us. Satan often tells us that God doesn't care and is untroubled by our woes. This is not true! The wounds on Jesus' resurrected body remind and reassure us that He too had suffered. And because He did, He truly understands and can empathize with us.

The next time we go through a difficult time, just remember His pierced side and hands. He will be alongside of us as we go through the trial. His tender hands will the upon us. Praise the Lord!

God bless.

Steven