The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is one of the most significant events in human history. Christians believe that Jesus willing allowed Himself to be crucified as the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of humanity. His crucifixion made salvation and eternal life possible for those who believe in Him.
An intriguing question arises about Jesus’ resurrected body – will He retain the scars from His crucifixion after His ascension to heaven? This is an issue that theologians and Christians have pondered for centuries. While the Bible does not provide a definitive answer, there are scriptural clues that suggest Jesus will in fact continue to bear the marks of crucifixion in His glorified body.
Jesus’ Post-Resurrection Appearances in Scripture
The Gospels record several instances where the resurrected Jesus appeared to His disciples and others. In most of these encounters, His disciples did not initially recognize Him. However, the accounts consistently note that He showed them the scars in His hands, feet and side in order to prove His identity. Here are some examples:
- When Jesus appeared to His disciples in the upper room, He said “See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. (Luke 24:39-40)
- Eight days later, Jesus again appeared to the disciples and said to Thomas who doubted, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side.” (John 20:27)
- On the shore of the Sea of Galilee, none of the disciples recognized Jesus until He performed a miraculous catch of fish. The scripture says, “Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” (John 21:4-7)
From these accounts, we can ascertain that Jesus purposefully showed His disciples the scars on His body from the crucifixion. The visibility and physicality of the wounds was emphasized as proof that He was the same person they had followed before His death. He could have chosen to appear without those marks, but deliberately retained them for identification purposes.
The Nature of Jesus’ Resurrected Body
Additional clues about Jesus’ glorified body can be found in the Apostle Paul’s teachings on the resurrection:
But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. (1 Corinthians 15:35-40)
Paul explains there are differences between our temporal earthly bodies and our future glorified bodies. Jesus’ body was transformed into a heavenly state, but still bore the marks of His earthly body. The gospels indicate Jesus could suddenly appear and disappear, could enter rooms with locked doors, and looked similar but not exactly the same as His previous appearance. So in its glorified condition, His body was no longer bound by earthly limitations, yet retained identifiable features.
Old Testament Precedents
There are symbolic foreshadowings in the Old Testament that suggest the Messiah would be pierced but remain scarred:
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” (Genesis 15:18-21)
And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10)
These verses interconnect the promised Messiah with the notion of piercing. The Genesis passage references the “binding” covenant God made with Abraham, while Zechariah prophecies Israel mourning over the one who is pierced. The piercing of hands and side was literally fulfilled at the crucifixion.
The Significance of Jesus’ Scars
If the scriptural evidence suggests Jesus retained the marks of crucifixion, what is the theological significance of those scars? Here are some potential meanings:
- Identity – The scars establish Jesus’ identification as the suffering Savior who secured salvation for God’s people.
- Victory – The scars are an eternal reminder that Jesus conquered sin and death through His sacrifice.
- Worship – The scars will be a visible display of Christ’s glory that leads to worship, just as John fell down before the risen Jesus when he saw the scars (Revelation 1:17).
- History – The scars preserve the memory of God’s love and grace toward humanity as expressed through the crucifixion.
Charles Spurgeon once preached, “It appears that the Lord Jesus will always wear the marks of His crucifixion. We do not know how His flesh and bone are capable of retaining scars, for in the resurrection His body is made spiritual, but retain them Christ will.” The Christ we worship will be identifiable by His crucifixion wounds throughout eternity.
Jesus’ Glorified Body in Heaven
The book of Revelation provides a vision of the exalted Jesus in heaven that affirms the idea He will permanently bear the scars of crucifixion:
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. (Revelation 1:12-18)
This glorious vision shows Jesus with white hair, blazing eyes, bronze feet and a booming voice – descriptors of His divine radiance and majesty. Verse 18 is key – “I died, and behold I am alive forevermore.” Christ specifically recalls His death as part of His identity, even in this exalted state. Though we are not given the specific detail that He bears scars, it is implied through this emphatic reference to His death. His glorified body will forever identify him as Redeemer and resurrected Lord.
Will Our Bodies Also Bear the Marks of Earthly Life?
If Jesus retains evidence of His crucifixion in His glorified body, does that mean we will also bear traces of our earthly lives? Theologians differ on this matter. Some believe all imperfections and marks will be washed away in our new bodies. Others contend our experiences are part of our personal stories as believers, so signs of those experiences will remain to some degree. Ultimately, Scripture does not provide a definitive answer, but we know that God promises glorified bodies free from sin, pain, and the effects of aging.
Paul does indicate there is some continuity between our current bodies and our resurrected bodies. He refers to the glorified body as a “spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:44), suggesting the physical is transformed by the spiritual at the resurrection. There is debate over whether “spiritual body” implies only a body animated by the Spirit, or if it refers to a body made up of spirit. Either way, discontinuity with the present body is not total. There is a connection between the old and new bodies of believers.
At the very least, we can be assured our new bodies will perfectly reflect God’s grace and glory for eternity. The heavenly state will far surpass anything we can imagine while confined by our earthly experience. As Paul declares, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully” (1 Corinthians 13:12).
Jesus’ Scars Proclaim God’s Love
Though the Bible does not provide definitive proof, the cumulative evidence suggests Jesus will retain the scars of crucifixion in His glorified body as eternal testaments to the sacrificial nature of His death on our behalf. The visible remnants of His suffering will forever declare God’s immeasurable love and mercy toward humanity. Christ’s scars proclaim the depth of His grace and redemption. Standing in the presence of the Lamb who was slain, seeing the marks of crucifixion with our own eyes, we can only fall down in awe and worship.