The Scars of Christ

The Scars of Christ

Pastor D W Riffe

This is a study of the scars of HaShem Yahshuah HaMoshiach, (the Name, Jesus the Messiah). This is a revealing of Jesus. I hope it will show us the true image of Jesus, and why the disciples didn’t recognize Him when they saw Him after the resurrection.

The book of Revelation is the book in the Bible that reveals Jesus. It shows Who He is and what He is all about. We won’t be staying in Revelation though; this is just our starting point.

Let’s go to Revelation chapter 5.

Rev 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.

Rev 5:2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?"

Rev 5:3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.

Rev 5:4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it.

Rev 5:5 But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals."

Rev 5:6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

Rev 5:7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.

Rev 5:8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Rev 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

Rev 5:10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth."

Rev 5:11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,

Rev 5:12 saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!" (NKJV)

Jesus cousin John declares in the book of John that,

Joh 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (NKJV)

Jesus is the Lamb of God.

Now, let’s jump back to Isaiah.

Isa 53:1 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

Isa 53:2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him.

Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Isa 53:4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.

Isa 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Isa 53:7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. (NKJV)

So, the Lamb was stricken, smitten and afflicted. He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. He was chastised and by His stripes we are healed. This Lamb was lead to the slaughter in silence.

Go back three chapters to 50.

Isa 50:6 I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. (NKJV)

Isa 50:6 I [Moshiach] offered My gev (back) to them that deliver blows, and My lekhi (cheeks) to them that pulled out [the beard]: I hid not My face from kelimot (humiliations, shame) and rok (spitting, saliva).(OJB)

Isa 50:6 I offered my back to those who attacked, my jaws to those who tore out my beard; I did not hide my face from insults and spitting. (NET)

The Lambs back was beat, usually the Romans used rods and cat of nine tails. His beard was pulled and tore out and was spit on.

Now, jump up two chapters to 52.

Isa 52:13 Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.

Isa 52:14 Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men;

Isa 52:15 So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; For what had not been told them they shall see, And what they had not heard they shall consider. (NKJ)

Isa 52:14 As rabbim (many) were appalled at thee [Moshiach]; his appearance was so disfigured more than any man, and his form more than the bnei adam ;(OJB)

Isa 52:14 Just as many were astonished over You, so much was the disfigurement from man, His appearance and His form from sons of mankind. (HRB)

Isa 52:14 As many were astonished at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: (WoY)

Isa 52:14 Just as many were appalled at him, because he was so disfigured that he didn't even seem human and simply no longer looked like a man, (CJB)

Jesus, Who is the Lamb of God, was beaten so bad that He no longer looked like a man. It appears that Jesus still has the wounds. After the resurrection the people closest to Him didn’t recognize Him.

In chapter 20 of the book of John, Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb where Jesus was laid.

Joh 20:13 Then they (the angels) said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him."

Joh 20:14 Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.

Joh 20:15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away."

Joh 20:16 Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher).

Joh 20:17 Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'" (NKJV)

Mary loved Jesus and yet did not recognize Him until He said her name. Why? Maybe because His beard was missing, His face was disfigured and still bared the scars. Some say it was because He was in His glorified body, but Mary thought Jesus was the gardener.

Later Jesus will prove to Thomas that He is Jesus, raised from the dead.

Joh 20:24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

Joh 20:25 The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."

Joh 20:26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!"

Joh 20:27 Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing."

Joh 20:28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God

Here, we see that Jesus still has the holes in His hands and His side. Since He has the holes in His hands and His side, wouldn’t He have the scars on His Face as well?

Joh 21:1 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself:

Joh 21:2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.

Joh 21:3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We are going with you also." They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.

Joh 21:4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

Joh 21:5 Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?" They answered Him, "No."

Joh 21:6 And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.

Joh 21:7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.

Joh 21:8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish.

Joh 21:9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread.

Joh 21:10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught."

Joh 21:11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.

Joh 21:12 Jesus said to them, "Come and eat breakfast." Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, "Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord. (NKJV)

He sounded like Jesus, but didn’t look like Jesus.

In Luke we the account of two men walking to Emmaus, Jesus shows up and walk with them.

Luk 24:13 Now behold; two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.

Luk 24:14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.

Luk 24:15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.

Luk 24:16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.

Luk 24:17 And He said to them, "What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?"

Luk 24:18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?"

Luk 24:19 And He said to them, "What things?" So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,

Luk 24:20 "and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.

Luk 24:21 "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

Luk 24:22 "Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us.

Luk 24:23 "When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.

Luk 24:24 "And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see."

Luk 24:25 Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!

Luk 24:26 "Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?"

Luk 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

Luk 24:28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther.

Luk 24:29 But they constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." And He went in to stay with them.

Luk 24:30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.

Luk 24:31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

Luk 24:32 And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" (NKJV)

For seven miles these men talked to Jesus and did not know it was Him, until they sat down to eat. Then, their eyes were opened. They must have seen the holes in His hands when He broke the bread.

In Revelation we see Jesus, the Lamb of God, in heaven looking like He had just been slain, beaten, crucified. I believe when we get to heaven, when we see Jesus, we will see Him as the Lamb of God, Who bears the wounds of the scourging and the crucifixion. It will be an eternal reminder of what He endured and did for us so that we might live with Him eternally.

The only man made thing that will be in heaven will be the scars of Christ.

There’s a story about a pastor who had a dream one night. In this dream God came to him and took across the Universe to a little planet. As the pastor looked down on the planet he could see that it was completely inhabited by dogs. Not just any kind of dogs, but large vicious, snarling dogs. God said to the pastor, “Do you see that planet of dogs?” “Yes LORD.’ Answered the pastor. “I love those dogs down there.” Said God. “I want you to go down there and tell them that I love them.” The pastor answered and said, “Of course, anything You want.” “But,” replied God, “I want you to go as a dog, so you can communicate with them.” The pastor said, “Okay, anything you want.” God continued, “I don’t want you to go as just any dog, I want you to go as a rat terrier.” “Okay.” Said the pastor hesitantly. “When you get there, the dogs won’t listen to you. In fact the will tear you apart and kill you, but don’t worry, I will raise you from the dead and bring you back to me.” The pastor agreed to go for God. “One last thing,” added God, “You will have to remain a rat terrier for all eternity.”

That’s just what Jesus did; He became man to save us, but now He remains in the form of man that has been beaten to death. Wow!

Rev 19:11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.

Rev 19:12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.

Rev 19:13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

Rev 19:14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.

Rev 19:15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Rev 19:16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS

Selah, 

Pastor D W Riffe