Lyrics
The Scars of Redemption
Read together: John 20:19–29; Isaiah 53:4–6; 1 Peter 2:24; Revelation 5:6–10; Revelation 21:3–5
Most of us carry scars—some visible, many not. A few were done to us. Some we earned by our own choices. Scars tell stories, and not all of them are stories we want to tell. What do you do with yours?
Read John 20:19–29. On the evening of the resurrection, Jesus stood among His frightened disciples and showed them His hands and His side. A week later He came again—this time for Thomas, who had said he would not believe unless he saw the nail marks for himself. Jesus did not scold him. He invited him to reach out and touch the wounds. Thomas answered with one of the clearest confessions in all of Scripture: “My Lord and my God!” The risen Jesus did not hide His scars. He used them to bring a doubting man to faith.
Those wounds were no accident. Read Isaiah 53:4–6 and 1 Peter 2:24. Centuries before the Cross, Isaiah wrote of a Servant who would be pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities, and by whose wounds we would be healed. Peter, who watched it happen, wrote that Jesus Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. His scars mark a debt we could never pay—paid in full.
And here is something remarkable: His scars remain. Read Revelation 5:6–10. When John was given a glimpse of heaven’s throne, he saw a Lamb standing, looking as though it had been slain. In glory, Jesus still bears the marks of Calvary, and heaven worships Him because of them. Our wounds tell where we have been. His tell what He has done.
Our scars, on the other hand, will not last forever. Read Revelation 21:3–5. God will dwell with His people. He will wipe away every tear and make all things new. Death, mourning, crying, and pain will pass away. This song is right to look forward to the day when every sorrow is swallowed up in praise.
So bring your scars to the One whose scars saved you. Whatever left its mark on you—what others did, what life did, what you did—none of it is beyond His grace. Your scars will never save you. His already have.
A moment to respond: Read John 20:24–29 this week and picture Jesus holding out His hands to you, as He did to Thomas. Bring Him one scar you have kept hidden—a hurt done to you or a sin you still carry—and tell Him the truth about it. If you have never trusted Him, let Thomas’s words become your own today: My Lord and my God.
Let's pray: Lord Jesus, thank You that You were pierced for our transgressions and that by Your wounds we are healed. Thank You for showing Your scars to doubters like Thomas, and to doubters like us. We bring You the scars we carry—the ones others gave us and the ones we gave ourselves. Heal what only You can heal. And when we see You face to face, let us fall before those nail-scarred hands and worship You forever. Amen.
Our desire at UnrelentingJesus is that every scar you carry would point you to the scars of Jesus, where the price of your redemption is written forever.
