Behold the Wounds

In an early revelation to Joseph and Oliver, the Lord gave this invitation: "Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven" (D&C 6:37).  This of course reminds us of the times when after the Savior's resurrection mortals were given the opportunity to physically see His wounds.  For example, to Thomas the Risen Lord said, "Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing" (John 20:27).  When He later visited the Nephites, He invited them to come and behold Him in similar terms: "Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world" (3 Nephi 11:14).  How marvelous it must have been to be able to physically touch and see the Resurrected Christ and the marks of His atonement.  We know that this same event will happen again in the future when the Lord stands upon the Mount of Olives and the Jews see Him: "And then shall the Jews look upon me and say: What are these wounds in thine hands and in thy feet? Then shall they know that I am the Lord; for I will say unto them: These wounds are the wounds with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. I am he who was lifted up. I am Jesus that was crucified. I am the Son of God" (D&C 45:51-52).  How incredible that day will be.      

              Of course, those who have actually beheld with their physical eyes the marks of the Savior's wounds are very few in number.  We can't decide tomorrow that we are going to physically see Him like the ancient apostles.  So what did He mean when He invited us in our dispensation to "behold the wounds?"  It's possible that He was inviting us to live in this life such that in the next life we will be able to physically behold Him.  The way that D&C 6:37 reads, though, with its invitation to be faithful and keep the commandments, seems to suggest that He is telling us that here and now we need to "behold the wounds".  That must mean that symbolically and with our spiritual eyes we need to behold and understand the sacrifice He made for us.  Several years ago I accompanied a choir that sang the peacfeul hymn, Behold the Wounds in Jesus Hands, and I came to love this beautiful song.  At the time I don't know that I thought very deeply about the lyrics, but as I read them now I think the words really captures the spirit of D&C 6:37, especially the first verse:   

Behold the wounds in Jesus’ Hands, 

The marks upon His side. 

Then ponder whom He meant to save

When on the cross He died.

We cannot see the love of God

Which saves us from the Fall,

Yet know that Christ from wood and nails

Built mansions for us all.

To behold the wounds in Jesus hands we must ponder deeply about the sacrifice He made and come to know that it was us that He meant to save.  As we plead for forgiveness of our own sins and cry unto the Lord for His sustaining hands to help us through our mortal challenges, He indeed will send His Spirit and we can behold with the "eye of faith" the wounds and prints of the nails in our Lord.  And we can know that as He beholds His own hands He also looks back at us: "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me" (Isaiah 49:16).  We are continually before His eyes, and we must strive to keep Him and His sacrifice before ours.