Wounds in Beauty Glorified

Why did Jesus’s body bear the visible marks of his death on the cross? Let’s reflect on four reasons for these beautiful wounds.

Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection, and they came face-to-face with the reality of embodied immortality. The cords of death were broken. Having beaten death from the inside, Jesus rose never to die again. His disciples now drew near to the firstfruits of resurrection glory.

But a surprise was in store for them and for us: Jesus still bore the marks of his suffering. These visible wounds—or scars—were on his hands, feet, and side (Luke 24:39; John 20:25). We might have expected that all signs of suffering would have been removed. We might have imagined that a resurrected body would not bear the marks of a shameful death like crucifixion. Yet there they were—marks of the cross.

Hymnwriter Matthew Bridges spoke of them as “wounds yet visible above, in beauty glorified.” So to put it bluntly: why did Jesus’s body bear the visible marks of his death on the cross? Let’s reflect on four reasons for these beautiful wounds.

1. Identity

First, the visible marks on Jesus’s risen …