I always had the idea Jesus’ Resurrected Body still showed the nail prints on His Hands.
Many pictures show Him that way. There have been poems and songs written that way.
Jesus healed many. One man had a shriveled hand. Jesus healed him completely.
He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other!
Matthew 12:13
If Jesus was raised with evidence of His Wounds, it would not have seemed to line up with how He healed others.
This discrepancy bothered me. So I went back to see what was actually written about Jesus’ Resurrection Body.
Luke 24:37-40 describes Jesus’ Appearance to His Disciples.
They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.
He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at My Hands and My Feet. It is I Myself!
Touch Me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
When He had said this, He showed them His Hands and Feet.
He said nothing to indicate He had scars.
I am betting His Disciples were amazed to see The Body they had just seen beaten beyond recognition now standing before them completely healed without scars!
Now let’s look at another much quoted account involving Jesus’ Body. Thomas was not present for the first revealing of Jesus’ Resurrection Body. He doubted it was really Him.
He said, “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.”
John 20:25
Jesus appeared again when Thomas was there. 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.”
John 20:27
Again, Jesus said nothing to indicate He had wounds or scars.
I am betting Thomas saw and felt no wounds or scars. When he put his hands to Jesus’ Side, he said, “My Lord and my God!”
John 25:28
I imagine he raised both hands to Jesus’ sides and they shared a Holy Hug.
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
John 25:29
What does that mean for us?
We know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is!
1 John 3:2
And if our resurrected bodies will be like His, we can look forward to no wounds of any kind and no scars to even remind us we were ever wounded!
The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create!
Isaiah 65:17
