April 15, 2022
My Dearly beloved, I greet and bless everyone in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. The blessed word that God has given for you on this Good Friday is from the book of Isaiah 53:5 “ But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him. And by His stripes we are healed.”
From the above context we learn that Jesus was wounded for our transgressions. The Bible says, For He made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. When he was hated, he did not hate back in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. Jesus did not die on the cross, for any sins of His own, but for our sins. For our rebellious nature against God. These were the procuring and meritorious causes of His sufferings and death. His sufferings and especially His being wounded to death and by bearing the sins of His people He removed the guilt, from them, and freed them from the punishment due unto them.
My Dearly beloved, Jesus was bruised for our iniquities. To be bruised, is to be broken to pieces, completely. Or to be crushed. Jesus was crushed to the core for the sins of all mankind. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him. “’The chastisement for our peace’’ means, the chastisement by which our peace is effected or secured was laid upon Him. He took it upon Himself and bore it in order that we might have peace.
With His stripes –indicates the mark or scars, on the skin or body of Jesus are described through different words such as wounds, stripes, weal, bruises, hurt, blueness etc. These scars, would be caused because of being beaten or scourged and this was applicable to Jesus. Isaiah predicted seven hundred years before, that Jesus would be scourged. This prediction furnishes the fullest demonstration that the prophet was inspired by the Holy Ghost. He has mentioned as if he had seen, what was going to happen to Jesus.
That is why He says, ’By His Stripes we are healed’. We are healed –by this we mean that By His death on the cross, healing has happened to us. The healing referred to is the spiritual healing or healing from sin, pardon from sin and restoration to the favour of God. The Bible therefore says, “Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases.”The idea is that the Messiah would be scourged and by that scourging health would be imparted to our souls.
We see that the sufferings of Jesus the Redeemer, on behalf of all mankind, is adapted to save the world. And will in fact arrest, reclaim, and redeem, all who shall enter into heaven. Are you prepared for the eternal life? Then receive Jesus as your personal Saviour, a good friend, a shepherd, a comforter, a King and so on. He died for you that You might reign with Him forever. Will you receive Him as you are. God bless you.
Prayer: Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Lord we know that we have healing through your stripes. You took the pain and relieved us from all stress and strain. By your death we have life eternal. While we were yet sinners You died for us. You humbled yourself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Help us to be faithful to the very end, to live a life for Jesus alone.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
