Wounded Hands
Today's Verse:
And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? ~Zechariah 13:6a
People who have suffered injuries or have undergone surgery typically have noticeable scars from where they were wounded or where the incision was made. The scars are a reminder of pain, recovery, and even loss. This morning, we are looking at a verse of Scripture that makes us stop and consider the story behind the wounds. This morning, we are considering the wounds that Jesus received when He was nailed to the cross.
We see the suffering in His wounds.
The wounds in His hands represent the most excruciating suffering that anyone can imagine. Jesus had been condemned to die on the cross as a criminal. Death by crucifixion meant that He would have large, railroad-type nails that would be impaled to a cross through His hands and feet. One can only imagine the horror of having a nail pounded into each hand and foot. There was a terrible pain that shot through His hands, through His arms, through His neck, and going to His brain. There was the painful throbbing of the hands and extremities. There would be the blood that poured through those wounds onto the ground below. There would be the weight of His body pulling Him down while the nails in His hands and feet held Him to the wooden beams of the cross. In looking at the nail scars, we see suffering that was inhumane, unimaginable, and gut-wrenching.
We see the substitution in His wounds.
Those wounds represent something else. They represent wounds that were received for you and me. Jesus was the only acceptable substitute for our sins. An animal sacrifice could not suffice. A monetary gift could not suffice. No, only God’s beloved and sinless Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, could suffice as the substitute for our sins. He took the suffering that we should have received for our sins. He became the condemned for us. He was the Just dying for the unjust that He might bring us to God. He became the scapegoat for sins. In taking our place, our sin debt was paid in full. In taking our place, He alone satisfied all of God’s righteous demands for sin.
We see the salvation in His wounds.
Those wounds represent forgiveness for every sinner. They represent redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. They represent reconciliation to God by the blood of His cross. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. Salvation is the free gift of God. Every sinner who places his unreserved and complete faith in the shed blood and death of Christ on the cross for his sins is saved! What are those wounds? They represent complete payment, pardon, and peace to every sinner who calls on the name of the Lord to be saved. "Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him" (Romans 5:9).
Those scars and wounds represent that God’s demands for sin were satisfied through Jesus. They are the testimonial of the Son of God Who took our place for our sins. Those wounds are a warning to every sinner that he needs to be saved. Those wounds are a witness of the message of salvation. Those wounds are a reminder that God loved us so much that He would send His only begotten Son into the world so that the world through Him might be saved.
Gaze on those wounds! Give glory to God for those wounds!
Have a Christ-only God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: 2 Samuel 19-21