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April 17 will be seven years since my husband, Chuck, went home to the Lord. This year, April 17 falls on Easter Sunday. When I first realized that the anniversary of my husband's passing would fall on my favorite day of the year, I was disappointed. Surely it is unfair that a day of grief and remembrance should overshadow what is typically a day of joy and hope.
But as I thought about it, I began to wonder is it possibly appropriate that the two days should occur together? Maybe the joy and hope that is Easter should enter the dark days of living- the grief, the hardships, the traumatic events. Perhaps the light of the resurrection should be shining on everything in my life.
I was listening to the Gospel of John the other day. In chapter 20, Jesus appears to the disciples after his resurrection, but Thomas is not there. When the other disciples tell Thomas that Jesus appeared to them, he refused to believe “unless he felt the nail marks” and the wound in Jesus’ side (v. 25). When Jesus appears again, he invited Thomas to touch his nail scars and the wound in his side (v. 27). After this, Thomas went on to share the gospel of Christ in places as far away as Turkey and India.
As I listened to these verses being read, I wondered why in the world did the risen Lord keep his scars? I don’t think it was only for Thomas’ sake. If I had power to resurrect myself, I would give myself the Covergirl upgrade. I wouldn’t keep the scars of the past life. From our vantage point, scars are ugly.
Perhaps these beautiful scars of Jesus hint at something more eternal.
Isaiah 53 is a beautiful, poetic prophesy that speaks of Jesus.
“Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed” (Isaiah 53: 4-6 NLT).
There is a mess of intricate, deep, and beautiful theology written into these verses. I can not claim to grasp it all. But I do realize some simple truth for my April 17 Easter week.
Jesus, fully divine, did not take on humanity on Christmas morning and give it up again on Good Friday. The Son of God became flesh and joined our humanity to his divinity for all eternity. On the day of Ascension, Jesus went back to God in his human body, scars and all.
What this means to me is that Jesus not only took on our rebellion against God but also all the consequences of rebellion against God- our pain, our weakness, our diseases, our sorrows, and death. God came in human flesh so that he could heal us.
When I am grieving and sad, I remember the scars on the body of Jesus and how he experienced grief and sadness. When I am emotionally triggered by past trauma, I remember how much trauma Jesus endured and I know he understands. When the shadow of death touches my life, I remember that Jesus experienced physical death and then defeated it.
On April 17, I will celebrate that Jesus lives in his physical body, scars and all. Chuck is in the presence of Jesus and has touched those scars, healed of his physical pain and disease. One day, I will touch those scars for myself.
What does it mean to you that Jesus came to walk among us and experience the hardships and hurts of being human? There is something precious in the idea that he was not so ashamed of his time on earth that he hid the evidence of his human experience. He carries the human experience with him in joy before God and offers hope and healing until we are all with him in eternity.
As the old Gaither song worships Jesus:
“And then one day, I’ll cross that river
I’ll fight life’s final war with pain
And then as death gives way to victory
I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He reigns.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow
Because He lives, all fear is gone
Because I know He holds the future
Life is worth the living just because He lives.”
(Words and music by Bill and Gloria Gaither, 1971).
If you never had the opportunity to meet Chuck, please visit my memorial post to him from last year. He never met a stranger and would be glad to meet you!
Click the link below to meet Chuck!
May the peace and presence of Jesus be on you this April 17.
Copyright@ TABoland 2022
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