Wounds Still Open

Dear congregation,

When Thomas put his finger into the print of the nails in John 20, the Greek word describes the hole itself. The wound had been glorified, not filled in. There is a difference between a wound that closes and a wound that is taken up into glory still open, still touchable, still preaching.

The body of Jesus Christ, seated at the right hand of the Father, bears the marks of the cross as an eternal living reality. Revelation 5:6 shows John the Lamb in the midst of the throne; it describes Him: “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain.“ Present tense is what John saw. Permanency written into the flesh of the Son of God.

This adds such beauty to what the intercession of Christ means. It is a wounded Redeemer standing before the Father on behalf of His bride. The pleading of Christ for your soul is inseparable from the body in which He suffered for it. Think of it! He carries the price of the cross in His glorified flesh. He is the Priest and the sacrifice in one Person.

Dear soul, the wounds are still open. They have not closed against you. They were glorified before they could close, because God intended them to speak forever. They spoke peace to Thomas’s doubt. They speak peace to yours.

They have been glorified, but not healed shut. They never will.

Your friend and pastor,

J. Lewis