From henceforth, let no man trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Galatians 6:17
We watched the old soldier make his way slowly across the intersection. Traffic stopped for him as he clutched the crutch under his one remaining arm and limped with the aid of a wooden stump of a leg. Nobody on the benches in front of the town hall disputed him the place he sought under the oak tree. He sat heavily, puffing with the exertion of his walk, and leaned back, a look of contentment on his battle-scarred face. When he spoke, we didn’t just listen, we paid attention. The smallest of the boys could have pushed him away, but nobody dared to show him any but the greatest of deference. He was a war hero, and he had earned and deserved their respect. He was like Paul, who had battle scars that marked him as a man for all Christians to respect and heed.
I can’t recall the last time I heard of anyone in Canada being whipped for preaching the Gospel. But Paul experienced that indignity and agony more than once. But it didn’t stop him from preaching; the Gospel was too important, and lost souls too precious to allow the savage bite of the lash to silence him. How much more might we see accomplished in the Gospel if we had the same commitment?
Paul’s scars were from much more than the lash. He knew by experience the torment of stones being hurled at him. He had been battered by angry crowds and stormy seas. He had endured deprivations and all manner of abuse. His ankles and wrists had the permanent scars of blisters imposed by Roman shackles. At the hands of other Christians, he had borne the flails of false accusations and slander. He knew loneliness and hopelessness. And yet, he commands respect, because all the marks that his experiences had placed on his body were the marks of the Lord Jesus.
There are those among us today who bear such marks, whether on their bodies or in their souls. Some have suffered much as they went forth with the Gospel and championed the truth of the Word of God. Some are enduring pain, some have lost health and home for their labours, some have suffered in many ways as they serve faithfully.
God does not call on all of us to suffer greatly for Him. But He does expect all of us to respect those who bear in their bodies the marks of the Lord Jesus. -Jim MacIntosh