Jesus has Scars
On July 9, 2020, a six-year-old boy and his four-year-old sister were at a friend’s house. After growing bored inside, the three kids decided to play in the backyard. Upon entering the yard, the friend pointed to one dog and said, “That’s the nice dog.” He then pointed to a second dog, a German Shepherd, and said, “That’s the mean one.”
Immediately, the mean one trotted over to the little girl. Her older brother could tell the dog intended to harm her, so he stepped between them. The dog tried to go around him, but the boy refused to let it pass. He knew the danger. He later said, “If one of us had to die, I thought it should be me.”
He was six!
When the dog was blocked a second time from reaching the little girl, it bit the boy on his face. It grabbed hold of him, tearing him open below the eye to the corner of the mouth. Later, it would take ninety stitches to put his face back together. When the dog finally let go, the boy did not cry for help. Instead, he stood up, put himself between the dog and his sister again, and took her to a place in the yard where he thought she would be safe.
My heart sank as the nightly news broadcast photos of the young boy’s face. It was as if all the world’s brokenness was held in that one image. At that moment, my son’s voice cut through the room, reminding me of the gospel. He said, “That’s what Jesus did for us.” I asked him, “How so?” and he replied, “The devil wants to destroy us, but Jesus steps in front of him.”
ISAIAH 53:4-5
Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
We are all helpless little four-year-olds, and the enemy of our souls is in the yard. The Apostle Peter tells us, “The devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). We appear defenseless to such a foe. Our sin has left us exposed. In our frailty, he whispers that we are abandoned. In our strength, he tells us that we are gods. When we are cruel, he tells us that we are damned. When we are kind, he tells us that we are righteous.
What a clever foe! He crosses the yard, hell-bent to harm us. The power of his jaws is unmatched, but Jesus steps in. The enemy’s bite offers no mercy, Judas betrays him with a kiss, Pilate washes his hands, the sun refuses to shine, Peter denies him as the rooster crows, until finally it is finished, and the lifeless body of Jesus is placed in a tomb. The punishment that brought us peace was on him.
The Apostle Paul writes, “None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:8). The rulers of this age were bent on evil, but what they intended for evil, God meant for good. As Jesus gave up his spirit, the chains of hell were broken forever.
Do you have scars? I am sure that you do. Some are visible, and others remain hidden, so deep you dare not speak of them. Hear this: your scars will soon disappear. A day is coming when the only scars you see will be those that belong to our Lord.
When your enemy attacks you with your sin, remind him of the One whose scars mark the wounds by which we have been healed, the One whose scars hold all the brokenness of the world. That will silence him, until the day he is silenced forever by our Savior.
Rev. Troy Tysdal is Director of Communications and Prayer for the Church of the Lutheran Brethren and serves as editor in chief of Faith & Fellowship magazine.
Immediately, the mean one trotted over to the little girl. Her older brother could tell the dog intended to harm her, so he stepped between them. The dog tried to go around him, but the boy refused to let it pass. He knew the danger. He later said, “If one of us had to die, I thought it should be me.”
He was six!
When the dog was blocked a second time from reaching the little girl, it bit the boy on his face. It grabbed hold of him, tearing him open below the eye to the corner of the mouth. Later, it would take ninety stitches to put his face back together. When the dog finally let go, the boy did not cry for help. Instead, he stood up, put himself between the dog and his sister again, and took her to a place in the yard where he thought she would be safe.
My heart sank as the nightly news broadcast photos of the young boy’s face. It was as if all the world’s brokenness was held in that one image. At that moment, my son’s voice cut through the room, reminding me of the gospel. He said, “That’s what Jesus did for us.” I asked him, “How so?” and he replied, “The devil wants to destroy us, but Jesus steps in front of him.”
ISAIAH 53:4-5
Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
We are all helpless little four-year-olds, and the enemy of our souls is in the yard. The Apostle Peter tells us, “The devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). We appear defenseless to such a foe. Our sin has left us exposed. In our frailty, he whispers that we are abandoned. In our strength, he tells us that we are gods. When we are cruel, he tells us that we are damned. When we are kind, he tells us that we are righteous.
What a clever foe! He crosses the yard, hell-bent to harm us. The power of his jaws is unmatched, but Jesus steps in. The enemy’s bite offers no mercy, Judas betrays him with a kiss, Pilate washes his hands, the sun refuses to shine, Peter denies him as the rooster crows, until finally it is finished, and the lifeless body of Jesus is placed in a tomb. The punishment that brought us peace was on him.
The Apostle Paul writes, “None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:8). The rulers of this age were bent on evil, but what they intended for evil, God meant for good. As Jesus gave up his spirit, the chains of hell were broken forever.
Do you have scars? I am sure that you do. Some are visible, and others remain hidden, so deep you dare not speak of them. Hear this: your scars will soon disappear. A day is coming when the only scars you see will be those that belong to our Lord.
When your enemy attacks you with your sin, remind him of the One whose scars mark the wounds by which we have been healed, the One whose scars hold all the brokenness of the world. That will silence him, until the day he is silenced forever by our Savior.
Rev. Troy Tysdal is Director of Communications and Prayer for the Church of the Lutheran Brethren and serves as editor in chief of Faith & Fellowship magazine.
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1 Comment
Well done, well done, well done. We are proud of you Reverend Tysdal!