The Scars Don’t Bleed Anymore

One thing about scars is that they don’t necessarily fade away no matter how old they can get. They can remind us again and again till we die about the injury or the accident we had. And if a scar was caused by something so memorable, something of a big deal, it can somehow trigger a pain or trauma.

It’s not just about physical scars. Our hearts (emotions and feelings) can have this, which is more prominent as we meet a lot of people and experience the world.

Somehow, scars just become the negative connotations they have. Whenever we see them, our minds somehow process the negativity about them: the hurt of the past and the pain when they were still wounds.

Because scars most of the time remind us the ugly and horrible past, we treat them like they shouldn’t exist or they should fade away once the wounds totally heal because we see it ugly, like a defect. We see them as a symbol of weakness. We treat them as a defect that we shouldn’t even have in the first place.

So we try to hide them, bury them with new memories, and wave them away.

Thinking about scars, there’s one person who can relate to us the most. Who knows how many scars, physically and relational-ly, Jesus have had from His battle to defeat sin and death. After He rose again, He even showed those scars to His disciples, and even let the doubting Thomas touch them.

I honestly wondered why, if Jesus’ body was supposed to be renewed and glorified, He retained the scars He had during His battle? Can’t He just have the perfect flesh the way they were before He was nailed?

This question lead me to an article from Desiring God (which I’ll put the link at the end). Let me share something that’s worth remembering.

Scars are more than what they seem.

What we do not see is that scars are not just the thing that caused them to happen. They are not just the pain they gave when they were still bleeding. Scars are more than the suffering they gave when they were still wounds.

They are now healed wounds. They aren’t a defect¹, but rather, a vessel of a treasure.

Scars are not a defect but a proof of victory.

Jesus showing His scars on His glorified body to the disciples is to show that what the enemy meant for evil, God used for the good and for His glory. The enemy thought it’s gonna defeat Christ without realizing that Jesus is always greater. And His scars proved that.

He didn’t remove the scars because they show His power and love. They are an evidence that Jesus knows and understands human pain, and with Him, we can overcome anything.

His scars show His glory¹, the life that He was willing to sacrifice to save the people who, in the first place, caused His scars.

His scars makes us believe the He indeed is the Son of God, savior of mankind.

Whenever you see your scars and remember the past, remind yourself of Jesus’ scars. Like His, yours are also an evidence of overcoming, healing, and victory.

Your scars are a significant part of you. They show that a battle has been won by the grace of God. They make you believe and trust God no matter what you go through. They bring evidence of the saving power of the gospel.

Your scars aren’t bleeding anymore, and they bring a story of victory that can draw people to Jesus.

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Ref: 1. Desiring God, His Scars Will Never Fade: The Wounds Christ Took to Heaven by David Mathis, URL: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/his-scars-will-never-fade