Text: Zechariah 13:6, “And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.”
John 20:24-29
(24) But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
(25) The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
(26) And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
(27) Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
(28) And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
(29) Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
I love a good story.
My favorite story is when someone tells me what Jesus has done in his life.
Where they were when Jesus found them and how He has been there along the way the whole time.
We all have scars, healed over wounds, which tell a story. Tonight, I am preaching on this topic:
The Story in the Wound
If you live any length of time, you will eventually carry on your body as scar.
That scar carries with it memory and emotion, but always a story.
Some wounds are internal, but they contain a chronicle that are as fresh on your mind as the day the injury first occurred.
Doubting Thomas or Thomas the Seeker
Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed –I find it of great interest that Jesus does not rebuke Thomas for unbelief. Instead, Jesus approves the faith Thomas possessed.
Some will not believe even if they see and hear.
Thomas was not a doubter, he was a seeker.
He saw Jesus die, but now he was looking, seeking, for infallible proof.
Thomas wanted a firsthand experience for himself.
Jesus looked at Thomas and simply says, “Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.”
Then Thomas makes the first post-resurrection proclamation of deity concerning Christ when he through faith-filled lips replies, “My Lord and my God.”
With that one statement, John uses Thomas’ declaration of faith to take us all the way back to the beginning of his gospel:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”[1]
Jesus then says, “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
Again, not rebuke of Thomas, just a stunning declaration from Jesus that there would be people who would not see, but believe as Thomas did that Jesus is both Lord and God.
Before he and the other apostles would pass away, they would convince thousands that Jesus Christ was both Lord and Christ, God in flesh, the Messiah, the Almighty.
Jesus is here tonight to deliver you, heal you, help you, if you will simply acknowledge His deity and say the most important three words you will every speak:
“Jesus, Help Me!”
The day may be different but the cry is still the same:
When he heard that Jesus was passing by, Bartimaeus “began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me” (Mark 10:47).
Jesus was willing to be vulnerable
People today are searching for someone to show them their true self.
Our society needs someone who will become vulnerable, show them their wounds and tell them their story.
It is the story in the wound that resonates with people.
Yes, we cry out to Jesus, “show me Your glory,” but before He is glorified, He will suffer at Calvary.
Scripture tells us that Jesus was rejected, acquainted with sorrow and grief, made himself of no reputation, became a servant.
He told the people to come to Him, to the little children come, that unto His own and His own received Him not.
He was spat on, smacked, mocked, betrayed, lied on, beaten to the point of death, and nailed to a cross.
Jesus was pierced on His head by a crown of thorns
His hands and feet were pierced to the cross
A spear pierced his side
His back pierced by a whip that slashed across it unmercifully
Jesus was willing to show His egregious wounds if it meant one would believe.
Quit hiding your wounds, hurts, and vulnerabilities.
Elijah on Mt. Carmel v. Elijah at the brook
It’s what Elijah went through that gives greater credibility
What did it cost you to get you here?
Tell that story:
The Story in the Wound – The Story in Your Wound
Your Story, like Jesus’ story may contain bleeding, crying, groaning, crawling, limping walking, running, leaping, dancing,
BUT – The story in the wound is that you made it
When you tell your story, you are sharing through your vulnerability that now only have you been where they are now, but God brought me out.
God brought you out.
God brought you out
God brought you out
[1]John 1:1.
The Pillar and Ground of Truth 