4-12-26 Gospel: John 20:19-31
19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors were locked where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (I Peter 1:3)
Scars are marks of our humanity. Most everyone has a few. Your scar may be from carelessness, from a knife with which you cut yourself. It might be from a scalpel when the surgeon cut you to fix a broken or misfunctioning body part. There are scars that result from accidents or a dispute that erupted between you and another. You might have a scar you want no one to see because it resulted from your own foolishness. Or your scar may be a badge of honor because you got it when you helped someone else, showing true courage and caring.
The Connection publication from April 2025 gave examples of other kinds of scars that we collect in our lives.
Just out of college, he’s beginning his first job search. He’s compiled a resume of his education and work experience that he hopes will attract prospective employers. There’s one entry, however, that embarrasses him: the summer he worked in sales for a small company. He worries that the dates of his employment -only a few weeks — will be a red flag to anyone hiring. But in that nightmare job, mercifully brief, he learned a lot about handling difficult clients, following up on complicated orders and dealing with unreasonable bosses — so he resolves to explain that in the interviews he hopes will come. It is a scar that may make known his maturity and ability to learn from experience.
It’s a small figurine that has been in her family for years: a ceramic angel made by her great grandmother. The angel is all that remains of their possessions found in the ashes of the fire that destroyed their home. One of her brothers painstakingly glued the pieces together — you can see the fine spiderweb-like black lines of the breaks. The angel now sits in the center of the family dining room table in their new home as a scarred reminder of the impermanence of things and objects and the permanence of a family’s persevering love.
On her wrist she wears a bracelet made of braids of colored leather. Whether dressed for the office or for working in her garden, she wears it. It was made by friends of her late daughter who died after a long and brave battle with cancer. She was only 17. Her friends made the bracelets to raise money to create a playroom for children at their local hospital in her daughter’s memory. Everyone worked so hard to make the room happen. After a year of fundraisers and events at which she and her husband told the story of their remarkable daughter, the room opened,with their daughter’s name above the door. The bracelet she wears celebrates her daughter’s courage and the compassion of their wonderful friends and community; it is a scar of grief worn with pride. (Connections, April 2025)
Many of our “scars” become challenges that can lead to a life transformation. They can be signs of a cross we have borne that have resulted in a personal resurrection, leaving a mark even as new life came from the struggle.
On Easter evening, Jesus literally showed his own “scars” to those fearful followers. He did not complain about his pain and bitterness or seek pity, but He displays those marks to teach of healing and grace. He came to his disciples bringing peace, and a commission for them to go forward sharing forgiveness, not to seek revenge. As he made clear: If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. We are to rejoice that Jesus is risen! [ ] So also, as Jesus said: “if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” This means if forgiveness is withheld, there will be no going forward, that the relationship gets stuck or even disintegrates all together. That is not what Jesus wants. Jesus offered himself for us in order that new life could be brought into that situation, that peace would be shared. So, Jesus encourages Thomas to touch his wounds to bring him peace and restore his courage. It was time for Thomas to move beyond the scars of the crucifixion and open himself to the healing and wholeness offered by those very scars. Thomas responds positively, accepting the opportunity that forgiveness brings him, wiping away his doubts and trusting that his Savior and Lord has been restored to him.
Our lives are indeed fragile and easily scarred. If we open our eyes and consider Jesus, we will see revealed to us the love of God that can come through the difficult times, as well as those circumstances that bring joy. We will be blessed as we put ourselves out for the protection and safety of others.
John makes known here the goal of all he wrote regarding Jesus, about His final days, about Easter and the encounters that came resulting from that resurrection. In verse 31 it says:these (signs) are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. That YOU take up the faith that Jesus is your Messiah so that new life is yours through him. That the Spirit fill YOU with the assurance of God’s abounding grace and that every scar may come to represent hard-earned wisdom resulting in kindness and generosity in you. John would have you know that Jesus is risen! [ ] That His rising brings you life that is meant to bring peace which is to be spread and result in blessings for all that come to believe even as we have not yet seen the Son of God.