The most wonderful good news about God is that He has holes in Him. Jesus is our Savior because He's got holes in Him. Nail holes. A spear hole. The wounds of Christ are our joy and blessing because they save us. In getting those wounds, Jesus saved us from our sins. In keeping those wounds, He showed His disciples that He was the same Jesus who was dead on the cross and now is alive. It is those wounds that Jesus shows to the Father to still His wrath against our sins. And it is those wounds that He shows to us to comfort us against all sin and death. Pay attention! Three times in today's Gospel, the Lord's hands and feet are mentioned. Anything that gets mentioned that many times in a Gospel reading is something to pay attention to!
Jesus shows His wounds to His disciples. He shows them His hands and His side. The hands where the nails were driven to pin Him to the cross. The side that was pierced to prove that He was indeed dead. If there were no nail and spear holes, if there were no wounds, how could the disciples know that this was really the Jesus who had died? So when Jesus appears He makes sure to show them where the nails and the spear were. And they rejoiced. They rejoiced because this was proof that the man standing in front of them was no impostor but the real Jesus who had indeed been nailed to the cross and died there. Thomas wasn't there the first time but when he hears about it he won't believe until he see the wounds for himself and puts his fingers and hands there just to be sure! So here comes the Lord again, showing His wounds, this time for Thomas to see. It is the wounds that Thomas sees and it is Christ's Word that tells Him to be believing, to trust that He is indeed the risen Christ who was wounded for our sins. But those wounds don't just convince the disciples!
Jesus also shows His wounds to the Father. If the Father's wrath and anger should ever be kindled because of your sins, it is the wounds of His Son that remind Him you are spared. Forgiven. Saved. Paid for. Redeemed. Justified. The wounds of Christ are the Lord's eternal reminder to the Father that you are no longer a target for punishment but a child of God. As long as Jesus has those wounds, the Father can never condemn you for your sins! After all, the wounds He suffered, the death He underwent, the scars He now bears, are for your sake. Jesus has those holes in Him for you. Jesus was pierced for your sins so that your sins will never pierce you. Jesus carries wounds because He carried your sins so that you won't have to bear them. Jesus, because He is God's Son, can do this. Our sins would kill us. They killed Jesus. But He is alive. And the proof is that the risen Christ who stands among His disciples bears those marks of His suffering death as glorious trophies of His triumph.
Jesus shows His wounds to you. He shows them to you by faith. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” You have not seen those wounds with your eyes but with the eyes of faith. But John who was an eyewitness writes that we have victory over the world because of Jesus. You need this victory! Because this world and your own sins weigh you down. Everyone carries wounds and scars. Sometimes we still have the hurt from what others have done to us. Sometimes we bear the scars of guilt because of what we've done to others. Sometimes are scars are emotional. Sometimes they are physical, reminders of pain and suffering we've had. Either way, our wounds and scars are reminders of our sin and the death that is in this world. But against such things, Christ gives the victory! His wounds of life defeat the power of our wounds and scars of death. His wounds are our refuge, a place to hide against the world. What can the world do to you? What can the devil say against you? What can your own scars and wounds do? Nothing! Because the holes in Jesus' feet and hands and side stand as the eternal witness that Christ has victory over the world and so do you because You are hidden in His wounds! His wounds are the marks of His triumph and yours!
Christ shows us His wounds by His gifts. We don't see the wounds like Thomas did, but we are shown them by His Word and Sacraments. When God's people complained that they had no hope, Ezekiel was given the vision of the dry bones which were brought back to life by the Spirit of God that was breathed into them. In the same way, when Jesus, the scar-showing risen Savior breathes on His disciples, He is giving them life. It is the Jesus who has scars who breathes that Spirit onto His disciples so that they would deliver the blessings of those wounds to you. First in Baptism, when the water that flowed from His side washed you clean. Then in absolution and preaching, the words that the risen Jesus with the holes in Him sent His disciples to preach to the world in His church. Then, of course, in the Holy Supper of Christ, in which the body that was wounded for you and the blood that poured from those wounds is given you to eat and drink for the forgiveness of sins. By these gifts, victory is yours! Death is overcome and you have hope and comfort in all affliction.
Dear Christians, the wounds of Christ are a cause for our rejoicing and celebration! They are the holes which prove to Thomas and the disciples that the Jesus who stands before them is the same one they saw crucified. The wounds of Jesus are our protection against the guilt and punishment of our sins. Christ's holy wounds are our comfort against all sin and death. They are the source of His holy gifts which are given to us in the church. When your sins trouble you, hide there in His wounds! When death frightens you, look to the wounds of Jesus to know that death is defeated. When the devil stalks you, point him to the wounds which will send him packing! The Christ who is risen is risen with hands and feet and side that show that He is the Conqueror of sin and death. By His wounds, YOU are conquerors of sin and death. By His wounds you will rise on the Last Day. By His wounds, you will always recognize the victorious Lamb of God who was slain and reigns now for all eternity. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
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