Jesus Is Alive by David MathisSample

Our Scarred but Victorious Savior

When Jesus rose from the dead, he still had scars. His scars—as healed wounds—forever tell us of our final victory in him. As the book of Revelation unfolds to us that ultimate triumph, it is our scarred Savior—the Lamb who was slain—who stands at the center of heaven and sits, with his Father, on the very throne of the universe.

From that first introduction as “a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain” (Revelation 5:6), Jesus is referred to 27 more times as “the Lamb.” Heaven’s worshipers fall down before him, saying, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!” (v 12), and the book of life is said to be “the book of life of the Lamb who was slain” (13:8).

Far from forgetting his suffering and shed blood, it is glory beyond compare that his people forever celebrate him as the Lamb who was slain, the Shepherd with the scars—in whose blood we have been washed, and by whose blood, once shed through his still-visible scars, we have conquered.

We will worship him forever with the beauty of his scars in view. They are no defect to the eyes of the redeemed but a glory beyond compare.

Reflection Question

What lasting challenges in your life can remind you that Jesus understands and has guaranteed the final victory?