Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe, John 20:25.
I am glad that I have believed on Jesus Christ without ever needing to see the prints of the nails in his hands or the wound in his side. Jesus Christ pronounced a blessing on all those who have believed without ever having to see the nail prints nor thrust their hands into his side; blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed, John 20:29.
The wounds are still there. At the second coming, when Jesus Christ makes himself known to the remnant of the Jews, they marvel at his wounds. And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends, Zechariah 13:6. Just as Joseph put out everyone from him but his brethren when he revealed himself to his brethren (Genesis 45:1), Jesus Christ will privately reveal himself to a small band of survivors.
They will see wounds not scars. If you see a man with scars in his hands and feet, you can be certain it is not Jesus Christ. There are many songs referring to the "nail scarred hands". These are junk and unbiblical. They are like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. Throughout eternity, Jesus Christ will bear the wounds of his crucifixion for all to see.
A great many of the men for whom I have respect have bought into the idea that the wounds in Jesus Christ's hands are not in his actual hands as we understand hands today. The thinking behind that is twofold. They have been told that both the Greek and the Hebrew words for hand can encompass the wrist. They have also been told that a nail in human hands could not hold the weight of a crucified person, only a nail through the wrist could support such weight.
I can neither confirm nor deny the Greek or Hebrew definitions. I am deeply suspicious of all Greek and Hebrew definitions that have appeared in the last 150 years, and with good cause. The popular lexicons were written by infidels with distinct prejudices against the translating work of the King James translators.
When I looked into contemporary descriptions of crucifixion throughout history, I discovered that crucifixion with nails was rare. It was predominantly practiced during the time of the New Testament. Most crucifixions throughout history were done by binding the victims to a cross or stake in as grievous a position as possible. Sometimes a crucified person died of starvation. Nevertheless, we have two verses that clearly tell us that Jesus Christ was fastened to the cross with nails, (Colossians 2:14, John 20:25).
It turns out that archeologists and historians who have studied crucifixion can find scant evidence of exactly where the nails were driven into a crucified person. The only actual body never found of a person who had probably been crucified at about the time of Jesus Christ showed scant and controversial evidence that nails had been driven into the foot.
There is a first rate historical book wherein the author has accumulated as many historical descriptions and accounts of crucifixion that he could find called Eyewitness to Crucifixion: The Romans, the Cross, and the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ by Stephen M Miller. Crucifixion is described in its many forms, and historical figures who saw them are quoted. What I searched for in vain while reading the book was a description of just where the nails were put.
That in itself made me suspicious. If there are no historical records specifically placing the whereabout of the nails of a crucified person, where did the teaching come from? It did not come from science. One of the few scientific studies ever done on crucifixion is described in a book titled, Crucifixion in the Roman World: The Use of Nails at the Time of Christ, by John C. Robinson. Robinson tells us that experiments were done on cadavers. (He does not say when, but I would guess they were done in the 19th century during the heyday of cadaver misuse.)
It turns out that there are three places in the human hand itself wherein a hand can bear the weight of the body without tearing. What surprised me is that there is only one place in the wrist. Apparently, if the nail isn't put into the exact right place in the wrist, the hand tears off.
These findings certainly conform to the English of the King James Bible. Every one of the translators agreed that the Hebrew word they read in Zechariah 13:6, and the Greek word they read in John 20:25 meant the human hand. When the English word for hand is used, I know of no place nor defintion that encompasses the wrist.
What is also not ambiguous is Latin. The Latin Bible reaches back into the first century of the New Testament. Those who worked on that translation would have been familiar with crucifixion. They distinctly used the word "Manus" (hand) not "Carpus" (wrist).
I will see Jesus Christ with my eyes. I know that by faith. When I see him, I will see his wounds. They will be the wounds where the crown of thorns were shoved down on his head, they will be the wound in the place where the spear was thrust into his side, and they will be the wounds in his hands and in his feet.
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