The Hope of Easter | 5-Day Easter Reading PlanSample

NAIL-SCARRED HANDS

Put your finger here, and look at my hands. . . . Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe! (John 20:27)

Like me, you may know exactly when you received certain wounds that left scars. A small scar on my wrist is the result of a fellow middle-school band member plowing me over in his haste. Another on my elbow is from the time a driver mistook the gas pedal for the brakes and slammed into our van. And a third comes from a surgery.

Perhaps you also have mental and emotional scars from the pain of sickness, loss, or death. The wonderful, healing news is that, as the song “The Only Scars in Heaven” by Casting Crowns affirms, the only scars in heaven will belong to Jesus. In that place, we won’t be broken or wounded. We have the hope of a life without doubts, fears, mental anguish, or physical pain. We’ll be with Jesus, made new (Revelation 21:4).

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, He appeared to His disciples and showed them the scars in His hands and side (John 20:20). Thomas wasn’t there, so he doubted the news (v. 25). Jesus returned and told him to touch His scars and not “be faithless any longer” (v. 27). His doubts gone, Thomas responded, “My Lord and my God!” (v. 28).

Jesus died to take our sins away. His scars identify Him as the Lamb who was slain for us (Revelation 5:6)! We can believe and rejoice and be filled with hope, for one day He’ll hold us in His nail-scarred hands. –Alyson Kieda

What emotional or mental wounds do you still bear? How have you experienced healing through Jesus?

Dear Jesus, thank You for being scarred for me. Help me to rejoice in You.

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