Jesus Christ – Wounded for me |14 April 2020
Many today merely revel in the excitement of the Easter season without reflecting on what it cost the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to pay the price of redeeming man from the captivity of the devil. They often forget that Adam and Eve had fallen prey to the devil’s tricks and deception in that Garden of Eden and, as such, the first man and woman and their descendants had lost the God-given glory and privilege. Adam’s race should never have been worthy of eternal fellowship with God but to share the eternal damnation with Satan. Except that Jesus Christ who became the sacrificial Lamb of God, conquered the devil and death in that He died and rose again that man should no longer perish but have eternal life. Therefore we must reflect much on the One who was wounded for our redemption and to respond with utmost gratitude to this undeserved love.
Untold gloom
No one else could have understood the eternal gulf of separation between God and man as to make Himself the bridge, that He may serve as the Way, the Truth and the Life through which mankind may be reconciled to God and be rescued from the judgment to come; “as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
No one but Jesus. Jesus is the only Saviour from eternity past and that to come, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). He is the only Redeemer whose blood is precious enough to purchase souls from the slave-market of sin. Even the soul of one man is more precious than all the wealth in the world (Mark 8:36). How exceedingly great! He is the Alpha and Omega, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who was and is and is yet to come. Yet He humbled Himself, the sinless to die for the sinful, a most disgraceful death by hanging on the Cross. He gave His Life a ransom for many.
Of this sacrificial act, the Prophet Isaiah had made a cheering prediction. The prophet declared: “…He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:1-5).
Incomparable suffering
Now, try to recall a bit of what Christ suffered, especially during His last week on earth. After telling His disciples of his impending betrayal and crucifixion, at the Last Passover (the Last Supper), He instituted the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper. After that He went to pray at Gethsemane and His sweat dropped as blood. “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:44). Truly, His soul was sorrowful unto death.
In His troubled state, His one-time disciple, Judas Iscariot, betrayed Him with a kiss to a mob which arrested and manhandled Him. He faced the trial of the High Priest. He bore the false accusations of the Pharisees and scribes. He submitted to the judgment of Pilate. He quietly ignored the jeering and mocking of the crowd and patiently endured the scourging, slapping, spitting on, flogging, and painful piercing of His head with a crown of thorns by the Roman soldiers. It was indeed a most gruesome death.
Perhaps, we may need to imagine ourselves in Christ’s situation in order to get a clearer and more personal picture of what he went through for our sake.
What a dreadful experience! Surely, scarcely can one find anyone who can volunteer to go through such suffering for a beloved friend much less a rebellious enemy. Yet Jesus chose to go through it all for sinful mankind (Romans 5:7-8). Neither the agony nor the stigma that accompanied His manner of death was enough to deter Him (Anyone that died by crucifixion was seen as accursed and such was removed before nightfall from the cross so as not to bring curse on the land. See Galatians 3:13). He suffered, bled, cried and died so we might be forever free.
Unlimited gain
Thank God the story of Christ’s death did not end in the grave! On the third day, He rose again as the scripture had said. Halleluiah He arose! The grave could not hold Him. The sting of death is gone. He lives and reigns to impart salvation unto men. He is now seated at the right hand of Power. Those who call upon His name in spirit and in truth today can receive power to become the sons and daughters of God. To them He also gives power to live a life that is above sin, able to be in fellowship with God here on earth and in the end share eternity with Him in glory.
But it is not enough to have head knowledge of the gains that come from Jesus’ death and resurrection. You must believe and appropriate these gains in your life. You must know that SIN is like a rope that ties you to bondage. It is a magnet that draws you to the devil. It is the glue that attaches you to calamities. When you acknowledge that Christ was wounded for you and you receive His sacrifice of death on the cross, then you repent of your sins and receive SALVATION for your soul. This is the beginning of your victory and breakthrough.
Acts 4:12 says, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved”. You may wish to know what this “salvation” is all about. First you must know what it is not.
- It is not being religious without experiencing total cleansing and freedom from sin.
- It is not about “fearing” God. Saying “I don’t have idols.” “I pray every morning”, “I call the name of Jesus” and so on does not translate to salvation.
- It is not about being generous or giving alms to the poor. The Pharisees also gave alms but were condemned.
- It is not about knowing how to fast and pray.
- It is not about having dreams that come true. Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar and other wicked men in the Bible also had dreams that came to pass but were not saved.
- It is not just being gentle and kind-hearted.
- It is not having position in the church.
Indeed, there are different religions and denominations in this world, thousands and thousands of them. But it is not in religion or denomination that we receive salvation from sin. It is in Jesus. Remember Mathew 1:21 says, “And thou shall call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins”. Only Jesus can save you from your sins. The reason you are not free from stealing, lying, fighting, adultery, anger, wrath, unforgiving spirit, hatred, murder, malice and other sins is because Jesus is not there in your life. As soon as you receive Jesus, you are saved from darkness to light, the tempter’s power is broken over your life and sin has no more dominion on you. “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14).
From the moment you sincerely repent of your sins and invite Jesus into your life, He immediately become your SAVIOUR and LORD. But that’s not all. From that moment also, He becomes your LIBERATOR who liberates you from all bad habits and bondages; your HEALER, who takes away all your diseases and infirmities; your DELIVERER, who delivers you from every evil work; your PROTECTOR who protects you wherever you go; your PROVIDER, who supplies all your needs according to his riches in glory; and your PARTNER who continually guides you through the ups and downs of life and also strengthens you for all-round victory.
What more shall we say? All things are yours in Christ Jesus. Meet the Saviour at the cross, look into His wonderful face. Seek Him now; He will come to you and save you. He will fill you with His spiritual fullness. And if you are presently sick, distressed or burdened, know that burdens are lifted at Calvary. By His stripes you are healed. His blood will never lose its power.
Let this special season make a difference in your life. Recall the sufferings of the one who was wounded for you. Reflect on His matchless love, and show your gratitude to Him by dedicating or rededicating your life to Him. May His painful suffering, touching death and glorious resurrection not be in vain in your life. Amen.