But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

None of us get out of this life without a few scars.

Maybe you ran through the screen door as an excited toddler or flew over the handlebars of your bike to earn those scars.  The stories our scars tell always involve pain.  Some are visible, but perhaps the worst ones are hidden. Those wounds scar over deep within and emanate debilitating shame. In our minds, Satan whispers, You’re the abused one.  You’re the divorced one.  You’re the addict.”  “The enemy wants to define you by your scars,” says Lou Giglio, but “Jesus wants to define you by his scars.”[1]

There’s a big difference between our scars and those of Jesus. Jesus bore the pain that caused His, to free us from shame. Scripture explains, “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

Jesus was killed by crucifixion; nailed by his hands and his feet to a wooden cross to hang there until he suffocated.  After his resurrection, those scars in his hands and feet were his identifying feature. “See My hands and My feet,” he said to his disciples, “that it is I Myself; touch Me and see” (Luke 24:39).

Jesus has the scars to prove that you are of inestimable value to Him. When you accept His healing in your life, your scars then point to Him and tell a new story of restoration and redemption.

 

Resource reading: Galatians 2:20-21

[1] Giglio, Louie [@louiegiglio]. “The enemy wants to define you by your scars.  Jesus wants to define you by his scars.” Twitter, 24 August 2020, https://twitter.com/louiegiglio/status/1298054999927402497