Despise Not the Piercing

^“But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.”

(John 20:24-28, KJV)

A few months ago, my husband called to tell me about a tragedy in our extended family.  I knew the husband in this family was working several miles away and could not quickly get to his wife.  I did not want her to be alone, so I jumped into my car and rushed to her side. The tragedy that had occurred was horrific and unexpected. I had no clue what to do for her or say to her, so during the drive over there, I kept praying, “Lord, let me be Your hands and Your feet. She’s hurting, Lord, and I don’t know what to say. Lord, let me be Your hands and Your feet.”  There was nothing I could do for her other than pray. Over the next several days, as I prayed for the family’s strength and peace, I continued to pray, “Lord, let me be Your hands and Your feet.”

One morning in particular, as I was praying, “Lord, let me be Your hands and Your feet,” I heard the unmistakable, still-small voice in my spirit that said, “My hands and feet were pierced.  Can you take the piercing?” It was such an overwhelming moment that it startled me.  It resonated with something deep inside me, and I immediately started staring at my hands and thinking about the awful piercing of our Lord’s hands.

I know I am not the only one who has ever desired to be the hands and feet of Jesus to others.  However, I could not get the thought of the piercing of Jesus’ hands and feet out of my mind.  So, I turned to the Bible to learn more.

John 20:19-20 tells us, ¹⁹ “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.²⁰ And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.”

What did the disciples see? They saw the scars on His hands and side from the piercings.

Continuing with verses 24-28,

^24 “But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Doubting Thomas, as he is often called, wanted proof that Jesus was alive.  What was that proof?  The scars left by the piercings!

^26 “And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. ²⁷ ”Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.”

Jesus told Thomas, “Look at my scars.”

²⁸ ”And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.”

The scars left by the piercing of Jesus’s hands caused Thomas to say, “My Lord and my God.” The scars led Thomas to confess the resurrected Jesus as his Lord and his God!

Most of us have physical scars of some kind on our bodies.  It may be from a cut, a burn, a surgery, or other injury. But what exactly is a scar? Simply put, a scar is a growth of skin tissue over the spot where a wound has healed, and connective tissue has formed. Something GREW, something was HEALED and a CONNECTION was formed!

What is a piercing? You can find many different definitions for “piercing.” Although the meanings are worded differently, each involves sharp cutting, penetrating, going into or through something painfully. THE PIERCING HURTS!  IT’S PAINFUL!

We have all experienced painful piercings of some kind in our lives.  It may have been a physical piercing, such as a painful health issue. It may have been a mental or emotional piercing, such as depression, betrayal, anger, pride, or the death of a loved one. It may have been a financial piercing, such as a job loss or bankruptcy. It may have been a family or marital piercing such as divorce, adultery, or something painful you are going through with your children. Maybe it was a spiritual piercing that came as correction, rebuke, unanswered prayers, or chastening by God. Perhaps your spirit has even been pierced by the Word of God itself.  Hebrews 4:12 states, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

No matter what kind of piercing we receive, it leaves a scar. We are often embarrassed by the scar – the mark left on our body, spirit, marriage, finances, or family. We think the scar makes us a “less than” type of Christian, one not acceptable for the Master’s use. But that is not true. The scar proves we healed!  We grew! We formed a new connection with God during the process!  We should use it for God’s glory and to encourage others.

Of course, we do not need to run around telling everyone, “Look at me!  Look at my scar!” Not everyone needs to know what we have been through or the painful situation that left the scar.  We can, however, discretely use our scar for God’s glory when we see someone in a situation similar to the one that caused our own scar. We can encourage and help build their faith by telling them, “I understand what you are going through. I’ve been there, but LOOK AT WHAT GOD did for me!  He healed my situation. I grew spiritually in the process, and I made a new connection to Him.  He can do it for you, too!”

Thomas needed to see the scars in our Lord’s hands to believe in the resurrected Jesus. In the same way, the scar left by the piercing that you have always despised and been embarrassed by may very well be what someone else needs to see to realize that Jesus is indeed real. What He did for you, He can do for them.

Remember, as you endeavor to be the hands and feet of Jesus to a hurting, lost, and dying world, despise not the piercings nor the scars they leave behind.  It may very well be the Lord will use YOUR piercing, YOUR scar, to cause someone else to believe in Him and exclaim, “My Lord, and My God!”