65. He Kept His Wounds (2.0)

Warning: I Stole This

So, last week I wrote a post about why Jesus kept His crucifixion wounds. I liked it. It was a good little post and looking back on it, I still think it works. (If you haven’t read it yet, click here: He Kept His Wounds) But something happened after writing that post that must be addressed... I got pwned. That’s right, pwned. As many of you know, I’m a pastor at a sweet little church in East Tennessee filled with some of the sweetest folks around. One of the very sweetest of these is a senior in high school named Lauren. Last week, when I asked my high school friends the question, “Why do you think Jesus kept His crucifixion wounds?” I assumed that they would quietly sit and wait for my talk or else give a few suggested answers I had already thought of. But no... Lauren said something that had never occurred to me. When she said it, my jaw hit the ground. It was so deep, so cool and so insightful that I decided to steal it from her and rewrite my post. That’s right, I stole it from her. (Don’t hate! And also, don’t worry - I encouraged her, built her up and told her she was awesome and that she was about to be robbed!) - But as my dear friend Unka Glen once told me, “All the best preachers steal. There’s no shame in my game!” So without further ado, here’s that ‘Fairest Of Ten Thousand’ post as it ought to have been written - with Lauren’s earth-shattering insight stolen from her without apology:

1. He Kept His Wounds (version 2.0)

Hebrews 11:16

“You should be ashamed of yourself.” - Oh man, don’t you HATE that sentence?! It makes your head droop down and your heart sink low, and the worst part is that it’s basically true, right? I mean, we’ve all done and said so many things we should be ashamed of, no one would blame us if we just stopped getting out of the bed in the morning. You might think, “How can I bear to show my face after all I’ve done and said, and don’t even get me started on all I’ve thought!” But wait just a minute. before you decide to hang it up because you think you’re basically worthless, consider this: Jesus kept His crucifixion wounds after He was raised from the dead. Did you know that? I mean, the unbelievable power that conquered death could have eradicated every mark left by the spikes and the spear, but He decided to keep them. Have you ever asked yourself why He kept those wounds? Now, I don’t know for sure, but what if... just what if He kept those wounds as a way to say, “I’m not ashamed of you.” What if the permanent scars on the body of our eternal Lord are His way to say to you, “Stop feeling ashamed of yourself. I’m not ashamed of you. I’m proud to have you for my very own.” You know, one time I sat in front of the proud mother of a star tailback in a crowded college football stadium. She wore his jersey and shouted his name, and everyone could see why she was proud. But Jesus loved you at your worst and will wear your number forever. He’s nothing short of proud to be your Savior.