After
our first session at The Cove, I knew God needed my full attention. The whole
idea of testing and examining my relationship with Christ caused me to pause. I
truly felt He had brought me to this beautiful place to settle into who He was.
I could sense my hunger rising.
As Dallas
and I walked the trails and breathed in the clean, crisp mountain air, all our
tension and anxiety began to dissipate. About every twenty or so feet on the
trail there would be a scripture plague to savor. Dallas and I felt God needed
us to rest in him and continue to eat the fruit of the Spirit that the speaker
would continue to offer.
Philippians 3:10 “. . . that I may know Him and the
power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, . . . ”
Know
Him, the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.
That’s
a lot to process.
Knowing
Jesus is one thing. Understanding His miraculous, powerful resurrection is
another. But to fellowship in suffering . . . well, that’s insufferable. How
can I even begin to find fellowship in Jesus’ sufferings? When I think of how
much Jesus suffered because of my sins, I find no fellowship in this. Yet Paul
says we are to fellowship in His sufferings. How? Why?
Isaiah 53:5 states, “But He was wounded for our
transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our
peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”
God
knew there was only one way to rebuild a relationship with His people. He sent
Jesus to pay the ultimate price . . . death, inconceivable punishment, and
agony. He did this for me. For you. It is by Jesus’ wounds that we are healed
and can find peace. Can we believe this?
After
Jesus’ death, the disciples gathered behind locked doors fearing persecution
and possible death for their affiliation with Jesus. When Jesus appeared to
them, they were aghast. Thomas was not there. When he showed up, the disciples
told him the glorious news. Jesus is alive. Thomas was outraged at their
impertinence. “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my
finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand in His side, I will not
believe.”
Eight
days later, Jesus shows up again, holds out his hands, and lifts his tunic for
Thomas to see His wounds. Jesus told Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look
at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be
unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas
said, “My Lord and my God!” Thomas saw and believed.
What
about us? We haven’t seen the wounds. They are only the horror our minds have conjured
up and possessed from scriptural readings and theatrical performances.
Jesus
said to Thomas, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blesses
are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Thomas
saw the wounds.
Okay
. . . think about this for a moment because this almost brought me out of my
seat.
Why
were there still wounds on the resurrected Jesus? Why was He not perfect and
whole?
Dr.
Price said the wounds are what binds us to our risen Lord. By His wounds we are
healed. When Jesus stretched out his hand to Thomas, He was also stretching
them out to us. He invited Thomas and us to put our hand in His wounds. Look and
touch.
Jesus
asked us to behold and look at His suffering and believe in order for Him to
provide us peace and healing. All those disciples who were barricaded inside
that room, full of hurt and fear, can now put it all into the wounds and
sacrifice of Jesus. He asked us not to carry the doubt and confusion, but to
touch Him, put our hands into His wounds and let him carry our pain; so, that
we might have peace and healing.
Jesus
was essentially saying, “Thomas it’s not over. Hey, touch me! My yoke is easy.
Let me carry yours, too.”
That’s
why the wounds of Jesus are our point of deepest relationship. He shows us His
wounds and says “touch Me”. We show Him our wounds, praying for Him to please
touch me. Touch the hurt; You understand. Touch my brokenness, heartache, pain,
doubt, and fear. You who have suffered all of it, touch me. Let me lean into
You, Father, because You are the only one who understands. Our wounds are what joins
us together.
Are
you hanging on hard to your wounds? Picking at them. Keeping them raw. Give
them to the one who suffered greatly. Draw yourself into the brokenness of
Jesus, into the very wounds that can redeem, heal, and give us peace.
Reflect
on the words to this song, “Worthy is the Lamb” by Hillsong
Thank
you for the cross Lord
Thank
you for the price You paid
Bearing
all my sin and shame
In
love You came and gave amazing grace
Thank
you for this love Lord
Thank
you for the nail pierced hands
That
washed me in Your cleansing flow
We are saved by His wounds, wounds that were
permanently scarred in His hands. We all have scars. What are you doing with your wounds and
scars?
Here’s
one of my favorite poems:
No
Scar
by
Amy Carmichael
Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?I hear thee sung as mighty in the land,
I hear them hail thy bright ascendant star,
Hast thou no scar?
Hast thou no wound?
Yet I was wounded by the archers, spent,Leaned Me against a tree to die; and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed Me, I swooned:
Hast thou no wound?
No wound, no scar?
Yet, as the Master shall the servant be,
And, pierced are the feet that follow Me;
But thine are whole: can he have followed far
Who has no wound nor scar?
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