Scarred For Us

I wrapped up 31 hours of commentary on Luke yesterday.  I did so teary-eyed... not out of joy for completion...

Mary mistook him to be the gardener.
The two walking on the road with him to Emmaus did not recognize him 
The disciples did not recognize him standing on shore at first


Why couldn't these devote followers recognize him??

I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting. 

- Isaiah 50:6

Just as there were many who were astonished at him —so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of mortals—

- Isaiah 52:14

My heart was stirred to consider the marred appearance of my savior but for some reason I couldn't fully grasp it until the commentator delivered this story:

A little girl, whose mother had suffered severe burns and resulted scaring, would get teased at school each day.  She was embarrassed and frustrated.  One day, after a particularly rough bout from kids teasing her about her mom, she ran home crying and finally confided to her mother what the children had been taunting her about.

The mother proceeded to tell her the story of how she had received such disfiguring scars:  When the girl was a baby there had been a fire in the house.  In order to save her daughter, the mother put herself between the flames and the baby.  It was a willing sacrifice to insure her child would be saved.

Never again did the taunting of her school mates bother her.

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight.  

- Luke 24:30-31

I pray you might recognize Jesus with me... not let the world taunt you for what they perceive is the ugliness of Christ and what we can see is the beauty of true sacrifice.


Be blessed,

Linking up with a different Michelle at Intentional.Me :