The Wounds of Jesus
Today’s Verse:
And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. ~Zechariah 13:6
A wound is a severe injury to a part of the body. Wounds are a visible evidence of bruising, puncture, or rupture. There are wounds that are a result of being in battle. There are wounds that are a result of being punished. The wounds that should stir us the most are the wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ. His wounds were the punishment of God upon Him for our sins. This morning, let us see the wounds of Jesus.
We see the reason.
“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 53:5). Jesus was wounded and suffered for us: specifically, He was wounded for our sins. Isaiah said that He was wounded for OUR transgression, for OUR iniquities, for OUR peace, and for OUR healing. The one earthly reason was for our sins. Isaiah said, “He shall bear their iniquities.” He was punished for our sin. He bore our sins in His body on the tree. He was my Substitute for my sins: that’s the reason Jesus was wounded.
We see the rejection.
“Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.” John said, “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” The Jews rejected that Jesus was the Son of God. They rejected His authority, His deity, and His purpose. He was despised and rejected of men. Zechariah said that He was wounded by the people in His household. The Jews were filled with great spite and rejection towards Jesus. The spite became frenzied hatred. The apex of their rejection was when they cried out and told Pilate, “Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas.”
We see the riven.
Jesus was wounded. There were the severe wounds from being scourged by the cat-o’-nine-tails. These wounds left His back torn to shreds and caused great blood loss. There was the crown of thorns thrust on His head. There were the nails driven into His hands and feet when He was placed on the cross. There was the spear that was driven into His side, where blood and water gushed out. His wounds could not be hidden. Thomas saw the scars. Zechariah speaks about these scars. His wounds could not heal. They would remain as physical evidence of His suffering and punishment for our sin. At His Second Coming, “Every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him.”
We see our redemption.
He was wounded for our transgressions! It was for our redemption. His shed blood paid our sin debt in full. Isaiah said that He made His soul an offering for sin. He was “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Then Isaiah said, “He shall see his seed.” Jesus looked ahead and saw many sons brought to glory (Hebrews 2:10). He saw you and me placing our faith in His shed blood and death on the cross for our sins. In His suffering, He saw sinners being saved. Christ died for us! He gave Himself for our sins! He tasted death for every man! He was the Just dying for the unjust, that He might bring us to God! “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
Thank the Lord today for the wounds that paid your sin debt in full and provided you salvation.
Have a Christ-filled God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: 2 Samuel 22-24