There are a few theories about whether Jesus was disabled, not least in The Disabled God by Nancy Eiesland, in which she argues that disability should be understood as a way that God is revealed and experienced in the world; God present in the struggles, pain, and resilience of disabled people.



But I’ve been thinking more about whether Jesus was actually experienced disability himself, and what we might learn from what the Gospels tell us about that experience.

Here’s a few things that arose from this musing…

Jesus was disabled on Good Friday

We know from the Gospel accounts that Jesus suffered terribly on the eve of Good Friday and on Good Friday itself. He suffered mentally (Luke 22:44), was beaten (Matthew 26:67), flogged (Matthew 27:26), repeatedly struck on the head (Matthew 27:30), and crucified (John 19:18).

Crucifixion typically meant being nailed to a cross by the hands/wrists and feet to hang there until dead. His side was also pierced by a spear (John 19:34).



The result of all this severe damage to Jesus’ body was his death, however if he had not died, he would have been left disabled by the injuries inflicted on him.

The nails that had been driven through his feet, for example, would have left him unable to walk well, if at all. This is important to note for what comes next.

Jesus bore the marks, but not the restrictions, of his disabilities

On Easter Sunday, two of the disciples are walking to Emmaus, a village about seven miles from the site outside of Jerusalem where the crucifixion of Jesus had happened.

As they walked along, the risen Jesus joins them and walks alongside them (Luke 24:13-35) discussing the things that had happened.

It would have been impossible for Jesus to have walked this journey with the body that had suffered so terribly just three days before, so was it the same body? If so, how was he able to manage to walk?

Reading on in this passage shows us more…



In Luke 24:36-39 Jesus appears to the rest of the disciples (with one notable exception) and shows them the wounds in his hands and feet, emphasising that this is his same, human, body (a point that Luke, a Doctor, is keen to record in full).

He also appeared to them a week later, when Thomas was also there, and showed the marks of the crucifixion and the spear wound to him, allaying his doubts.



So, the marks of Jesus wounds remained in his resurrected body, but clearly the restrictions that those wounds would have typically given him, the disabilities that he would have experienced, were absent.

Jesus’ feet bore the nail marks, but he could freely walk on them the seven miles to Emmaus and then seven miles back again.



Does this signal to us anything about our own resurrected bodies, when that time comes for each of us that put our trust and faith in Jesus? Will those of us who are disabled in some way still show the signs of those disabilities, but perhaps not the restrictions that those disabilities may give us?

We can’t be sure until that day, but Jesus’ experience certainly gives us food for thought here.

Jesus endured the crucifixion and resurrection for us all

What we can say, with absolute clarity, is that Jesus died and rose for us all. Whoever we are, whatever our age, our gender, our ethnicity, whether we are disabled or not, whatever our differences, he represented us all at the cross and in the tomb.

He paid the price for the wrong things we have all done and rose to bring us all new life if we trust in him.

That he experienced disability in his final moments helps every disabled person to know that Jesus understood a little of what they experience; he knows, he is for all of us.

As we journey with Jesus through Easter week, from the jubilation of Palm Sunday to the agony of Good Friday, the wonder of Easter Sunday and days beyond; let us all remember that Jesus experienced everything that we can experience, including great mental trauma in the Garden of Gethsemane and extreme physical suffering, even disability, of Good Friday.

And Jesus endured it all for each one of us, for me and for you, whoever we are and whatever we journey with.

Mark Arnold, Director of Additional Needs Ministry at Urban Saints. Arnold blogs at The Additional Needs Blogfather. This article was re-published with permission.