Burnt End Blog: Crippled and Compassionate Christ, Part 1 

Inspired by Rev Justin Hancock’s The Julian Way: A Theology of Fullness for All of God’s People

Risen and wounded. For me the most meaningful mystery of Jesus is that when he appears in Risen form, his body still carries the wounds inflicted on him from the trauma of the cross.

When he appears to the disciples in the locked upper room after his resurrection, he shows them the wounds the nails made on his bleeding flesh. He who was humiliated, flogged, and beaten, has beaten death, came back to life in a physical body that still has the open wounds. God has made him whole, with wounds on his side, hands, and feet. Two injured feet would seemingly restrict one’s mobility.

Christ comes away crippled from the cross of Calvary. God raises him from the dead, God could heal his open wounds, but God did not. God raises Jesus from the dead to triumph over sin and death. In that time period, those with skin diseases, and/or bleeding open wounds, much less disabilities, or deformities, would be seen as unclean. Society judged lepers, and those born with disabilities as though they or their parents had egregiously sinned in order to deserve this punishment from God. Thankfully, this is no longer the dominant narrative, however as ludicrous as it sounds the thought is still alive today.

What does it say to Jesus’ followers that their Risen Messiah appears with significant physical limitations? Furthermore, what does a crippled and Risen Jesus say to the concept that when one is raised from the dead, they will be made perfect? Could it be that God was trying to show us that there is nothing ‘imperfect’ or ‘un-whole’ about being disabled? And in a larger sense could Christ be exemplifying the power in being totally vulnerable? Could the greatest teacher of all time be giving us an object lesson on empathy? (perfectly illustrating what the spiritual master Henri Nouwen termed ‘The Wounded Healer’) The Risen Christ literally invites Thomas to feel his pain.

In the most tangible way, Jesus takes on the pain of all people. In particular, not only the excruciating pain from being beaten, tortured, and killed, Jesus also experienced tremendous emotional pain. The sorrow of being rejected, abandoned, persecuted, unjustly arrested, stripped in public, falsely sentenced to death... and having to hear a crowd full of people he came to save shout ‘Crucify Him!’ For all of this trauma and pain Jesus asks his Father to forgive us.

And could it also be possible that by appearing with open wounds Jesus was challenging the oppressive purity laws regarding blood?     

What a powerful testament of solidarity our brother Jesus makes with all those who carry wounds of any kind. The wounds in the Risen Lord can represent our wounds, those seen and unseen, those caused by weapons or words. Jesus, The Most Human One, stands resurrected in solidarity with trauma victims, the unjustly arrested and the unjustly detained and the unjustly separated from their families, the innocent on death row, those persecuted for their faith, and anyone who has ever felt abandoned.

Born with Juvenile Rheumatoid Immune Arthritis and a problematic left foot, to the best parents anyone could wish for, I would not have been allowed in the temple. And now by the grace of God and the support of all of those who have propped me up, I have the profound honor of serving Holy Communion!

As someone who society could label ‘disabled’ and lives with chronic pain, it is deeply comforting that the Son of Man unveils for us the ability to be fully whole and still carry the pain. Our Savior transformed his pain into our pathway to salvation. The Good Physician’s solidarity with our suffering is our source of healing.

Our dualistic mindset is addicted to dividing and categorizing people, the wounded and at the same time risen Christ does not fit into this restrained understanding. Jesus is Risen; the glory of the miracle still includes his experience of glorification in the crucifixion. Suffering is paramount to having the Mind of Christ. The Risen Christ is complicated, is both, and, wounded and risen, saving us while still suffering from our sins. Yes, Jesus shows the disciples his wounds to display the visceral effect of their actions, and there is more he is teaching us....

part 2 next week