Scars and Stripes Forever!

“It's a shallow life that doesn't give a person a few scars.” ~ Garrison Keillor

“Children show scars like medals. Lovers use them as secrets to reveal. A scar is what happens when the word is made flesh.” ~ Leonard Cohen

Inspired by some real-life events, author Peter Benchley decided to write a book about shark attacks. He pulled source material from a series of incidents along the Jersey Shore that lasted for twelve days and left four people dead. Benchley also spent time with a renowned shark fisherman named Frank Mundus who was his muse for creating one of his book’s main characters; Sam Quint. Doubleday Books commissioned Benchley to write the novel, and in 1974 it spent forty-four weeks on the best sellers list. By the time the movie rights were purchased and the film was released a year later, the book had sold over 5.5 million copies. Peter Benchley’s book on sharks became the memorable film “Jaws” which is listed as one of the top-100 movies of all time. I was twelve years old when the movie was released and it left quite an impression on me. I had nightmares about my bed becoming a boat and a Great White circling under me. Whenever I got into the water; lake, ocean or pool I would be seized with a sense of fear before laughing at myself for being such a goof.

The film spawned many memorable scenes, lines and characters that now some 37 years later are still culturally relevant. The film is set in the beach town of Amity which is ironic in its own right. Amity means “friendship; peaceful harmony” or “mutual understanding and a peaceful relationship”. It is a clever use of foreshadowing, since the peace will be shattered by the enmity of the Great White shark. The shark embodies hatred, ill will and animosity with its cold, black and lifeless eyes. This is a classic case of good versus evil, embodied in man versus shark.

One of my favorite scenes in the film is when the three main characters, Chief Martin Brody, marine biologist Matt Hooper and shark hunter Sam Quint are in the galley finishing their dinner. Up to this point they have been at odds with one another and both Brody and Hooper have yet to gain the respect of the curmudgeonly Quint. Brody looks at a cut on his forehead he received as they tangled with the shark and Quint laughingly tells him not to worry because it’s not permanent. Quint proceeds to remove his front tooth and then asks Hooper to feel a knot on his head that he received during a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Not to be outdone Hooper tells him; “I got that beat” and shows him a scar on his arm where a moray eel bit through his wet suit. Duly impressed Quint tells him how he received a compound fracture in his elbow in an arm wrestling contest. Hooper attempts to one up him by pulling up his pant leg to show where a Bull shark has scraped his leg. Quint responds with his own leg scar he received from a thresher shark. Finally, Hooper pulls open his shirt and confidently proclaims he has the crème de la crème; Mary Ellen Moffat broke his heart. Brody looks at his appendectomy scar and wisely decides to stay out of the one-upmanship.

This comparing of scars broke the ice and built a mutual respect among the three protagonists. They had been through various battles and those battles had left their mark. Brody notices a scar on Quint’s arm and inquires about it and the mood instantly changes. Quint tells the harrowing story of his experience on the USS Indianapolis, and reveals the motivating factor for his vocation as well as an emotional scar that has not yet healed. The Indianapolis was torpedoed in 1945 after delivering one of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan. The ship started with a crew of over 1,100 men; 300 went down with the ship, 896 went into the water and only 317 survived. Some died from exposure and dehydration, but many were systematically picked off by sharks. This tragedy is well documented in Doug Stanton’s book “In Harm’s Way”.

I am sure you have heard it said that “chicks dig scars”. We tell other guys that in a somewhat callous and comical way to make light of various cuts and injuries. Our scars can tell a story about us and some are evident for all to see while some are hidden out of view. Every day I can look at my body and see scars and they serve as a reminder of some event. On my left bicep I have a scar where my older sister burnt me with her curling iron. I still don’t know if it was accidental or intentional, but either way I probably deserved it. On my left wrist and right knee I have scars from when I fell off a rock ledge onto a creek bed at age twelve. This was after I ignored my father’s direction to stay at the top of the hill side due to the loose shale. On my left cheek bone I have a nice scar from skin cancer surgery which reminds me that I need to wear a hat and sunscreen. I have a real nasty scar on my left ankle from surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon which reminds me of my stubbornness and failure to concede to the sands of time. I tore it and waited three weeks before going to the doctor all the while trying to convince myself it was just a bad sprain and I just need to give it time to heal. There is no fool like an old fool.

These scars are outward reminders to me of pain, discomfort and even foolhardiness. Some scars are visible while others are not visible to the naked eye. We all carry with us baggage or scars that are not simply physical, but emotional and spiritual. But these scars need to serve as a reminder to each of us that there is always more to a person than meets the eye. We cannot fully grasp the depth of their hurt or need simply by what we can visibly see. Just like the three characters from the film we tend to compare our scars to those of others and think our pain is greater or our hurt is deeper. We can never truly know the hurt or sorrow that someone else has endured, and as followers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ we need to avoid our tendency to be unfeeling or callous. On the contrary, our scars are meant to develop a feeling of empathy and care for the pain of others. Our scars can create a kinship or a bond with others who have endured similar hardship. We need to allow our “scars” and the scars of others to be used as a platform for the Gospel. God sees all of our scars, and what we think is unbecoming or unredeemable, He deeply loves and wants to use to show forth His glory. He sees something so beautiful that He took on human form to break into our world and embrace our grief, our shame, our guilt and our pain. It is a very hard concept to understand or embrace, but we need to come to the startling realization that anything and everything we go through in life happened for a greater purpose. If God could make sense out of the suffering and pain of the Cross, surely He can make sense out of any suffering and pain we may endure.

We have a tendency to think no one is capable of understanding our pain or our situation. But have you every stopped to consider that Jesus Christ has the scars to prove that He does understand, and has endured more than we ever will? Are you feeling lonely and abandoned by friends, loved ones and your community? Jesus Christ endured that and more. On the Cross Jesus’ suffering was complete and total. He felt the full force of physical, emotional and spiritual pain. The men he had spent three years of His life pouring Himself into scattered at the first sign of trouble. He suffered and died alone, was abandoned by the adoring masses, his own family thought He was mad, and the entire community turned against Him. And in His darkest hour after enduring hours of physical torture He faced the ultimate in emotional and spiritual suffering when His own Father turned His face away, (Matt. 27:46). Name your pain, show your scars and tell your hurt to Jesus Christ and He will empathize and totally comprehend the entirety of you. Don’t believe me? Drink in Isaiah 53:3-5; “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.”

We should not be ashamed of our physical, emotional or spiritual scars. They point us toward a longing that is buried deep in every heart for total and perfect healing that can only come through the work and person of Jesus Christ. Through the work of Jesus Christ those who once were at enmity with God can live in amity with Him. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”, (Romans 5:1). Where we once were in conflict and at odds with God, we now through faith in Jesus Christ, have friendship, peace and harmony. There are some scars that we should “dig” or pay attention to, and allow them to penetrate us to the very core of our being. Those are the scars on His nail pierced hands and feet. Jesus endured the suffering and humiliation of the Cross and He has the scars to prove it. Let those scars and stripes be a source of healing for you!

“I’m the one with big mistakes, big regrets, and bigger breaks than I’d ever care to confess. Oh but You’re the one who looks at me, and sees what I was meant to be, more than just a beautiful mess.” ~ Matthew West (“You Are Everything”)

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” ~ Hebrews 4:15