After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” vs. 20
John 20:19-20
Luke tells us that after the resurrection Jesus was revealed to two of his disciples in the breaking of bread. John, on the other hand, reports that Jesus was known to the disciples in the revealing of his scars. These two very different stories are a great gift to us as we struggle to see Jesus in our time and place. Luke’s story quite naturally points to Holy Communion as that place where we can be assured of encountering the Risen Christ. John, however, points to Jesus as the Wounded Healer and implies that deep knowledge of another person can only come in those moments when scars are acknowledged and revealed. For many that’s a strange notion. We do our best to hide our flaws, defects, and scars in our relationships. We’re afraid that if others saw our wounds they would be repelled and perhaps avoid getting close. Of course it’s the exact opposite that is true–strange as it may seem, when others see our scars they are drawn to love us more deeply. It’s at the point of our woundedness that true intimacy even becomes possible. It’s in our wounds that people can see us as we really are–it’s in our scars even that people are drawn to see the Christ in us. And when that happens, there’s rejoicing all around.
Thought for the Day: How do people react to my scars?
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