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The Bible does not specifically tell us that Jesus, now in heaven, has retained the scars of His crucifixion. We canât be absolutely sure, but we believe He does still have the scars—the only scars anywhere in heaven—based on a few clues in Scripture.
When Jesus rose from the dead, His resurrected, glorified body still had the scars. He invited Thomas, who had doubted the resurrection, to see and feel the scars of crucifixion: âPut your finger here,â Jesus said; âsee my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believeâ (John 20:27). Jesusâ scars were visible and touchable, post-resurrection.
Johnâs description of Jesus in the first part of the book of Revelation does not mention any scars or wounds (Revelation 1:12–16). Of course, the description is quite symbolic, emphasizing Jesusâ glory, power, and majesty. Later in the same book, Jesus is pictured as âa Lamb, looking as if it had been slainâ (Revelation 5:6). This picture suggests scars, but, again, it is highly symbolic, and we are careful not to draw details of physical appearance from such a passage.
If Jesus still has the scars of crucifixion in heaven, why might He have chosen to retain them? The scars borne by our Savior represent several profoundly important things:
First, the scars are an eternal witness to the Incarnation of the Son of God. A spirit can have no scars, but âthe Word became flesh and made his dwelling among usâ (John 1:14). Jesus received the scars while He walked this earth as one of us. Since His Incarnation Christ remains in the flesh forever. Just as the Son lost none of His divinity when He came to earth, so He lost none of His humanity when He returned to heaven. He is forever God in the flesh, the perfect (and only) Mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5).
Second, the scars reveal why Jesus came to earth: to be a sacrifice for us. As Jesus said, âthe Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for manyâ (Matthew 20:28). He came to suffer for us, to save us from sin. He came to reconcile us to the Father in heaven. That reconciliation required His suffering:
âHe was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healedâ (Isaiah 53:5).
Jesusâ scars of crucifixion attest to His sacrifice.
Third, the scars reveal that God loved us while we were still sinners. The sin of mankind put Jesus on the cross. As He was being arrested, Jesus told His enemies, âThis is your hour—when darkness reignsâ (Luke 22:53). And the world itself grew dark when He was on the cross (Luke 23:44). But thus it had to be. If God had waited until we somehow made ourselves righteous, we would never have known salvation. We werenât interested in righteousness, and we could not attain to it eben if we desired it (Romans 3:10–12). Evil scarred Jesus, and those scars are proof that âGod demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for usâ (Romans 5:8).
Fourth, the scars Jesus still bears in heaven reveal that He suffered as we do in this world. He knows our pain. He wept with those who wept (John 11:35). He resisted against sin unto the point of bloodshed (Hebrews 12:4). He is our High Priest who empathizes with our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15).
Fifth, the scars signify that death has been defeated. The wounds Jesus received were lethal, but He triumphed over the grave. Whatâs more, He allows us to share in His triumph. The scars show that our final victory is in Him. ââWhere, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?â . . . But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christâ (1 Corinthians 15:55, 57).
The scars of crucifixion Jesus will likely possess for eternity speak of the greatest love ever (John 15:13). Presumably, Jesus will have the only scars in heaven, in which case we will see a visible reminder of His praiseworthiness. Without the event that occasioned those scars, no one else would be there.
