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Badges of Honor

by Steve Countryman  
4/06/2015 / Christian Living

When Jesus died on the cross you could barely tell that it was Him. For the scourging, the crown of thorns, the beatings, His beard pulled out, being nailed to the cross and His side pierced altered His looks greatly. Swollen, bruised, bloody and His backside that looked like it had gone through a meat grinder with flesh hanging on and exposed bones all told a grisly story.

When Jesus was buried the Holy Spirit did a miraculous thing on the third day. He healed Jesus' body from the tip of His head to the soles of His feet. His backside looked like baby's skin completely healed. The swelling and bruising that disfigured His face and body totally gone. Not as much as a scar from the crown of thorns. All of Jesus' internal organs were renewed. He was healed and His body quickened by the Holy Spirit as life returned to His body.

Jesus walked out of that tomb looking like a new man. So much so that He wasn't easily recognizable. Mary didn't know it was Jesus right away and neither did the two men that Jesus met on the road to Emmaus.

The Holy Spirit healed every part of Jesus' body with five exceptions. The number five in the Bible represents God's grace. Jesus had received five piercings, one in each wrist, one in both feet and His side pierced. These wounds were not healed that left a scar or mark but had the holes in Jesus' body still there.

John 20:19-27 "19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!'20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.' 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.'"

24 "Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, 'We have seen the Lord!' But he said to them, 'Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.'"

26 "A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' 27 Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.'"

Notice that Jesus said to Thomas "put your hand into my side". Jesus didn't say touch my side or look at my side but "put your hand into my side". That is because those five wounds were not completely healed. The rest of Jesus' body was healed and made whole. Jesus had those wounds left that way and He wears them as badges of honor. For what He came to do He did finish in total obedience to the Father and in total love for all of us!

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