Nancy sat in silence as her father’s name was called. When he stood, she glanced at his scar and thought of her childhood.
While growing up, she endured the taunting of school kids who called her dad “The Monster.” Nancy never voiced her true feelings, but, like the other kids, she felt he looked strange. The scar, which covered the left side of his face, started at his eye. It extended to his ear, then to the corner of his mouth. Up close, it resembled the twisted wires of a barbed-wire fence.
Nancy never knew how her dad got his scar. Whenever she would ask, her mother would only say, “It was an accident.” Nothing else was said until the special ceremony to honor World War II veterans. For the first time in her life, Nancy learned what had actually happened: Her dad took a bullet in the face during a daring rescue in The Battle of the Bulge.
“This man was wounded in his courageous efforts to save another,” said the master of ceremony. “He has got the scar to prove it.”
From that moment on, Nancy saw her father in a different light. He was more than a father; he was her hero and the lifesaver of another.
About 2,000 years ago, another Man was wounded in His efforts to save another. And He, too, has the scar to prove it. Not only was He wounded, but He went a step further. He died and rose again. He did this for you, me, and the whole world.
His name is Jesus, the Son of God. “He was wounded for our transgressions, [and] bruised (or crushed) for our iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:5) He “was delivered (handed over to death) for our offenses (trespasses), and was raised again for our justification.” (Romans 4:25)
He did all of this because of love. “God commendeth (proves) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
My friend, how do you see Jesus? Do you appreciate His scars? His suffering? If so, then why not tell Him . . . TODAY? Better yet, invite Him into your life. Make Him your Hero—your Lord and Savior. He has promised that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:1