By His wounds we are healed

Isaiah 53: 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 

I have a friend who served in US Army Special Operations units in Vietnam, and other far away places. My friend carries physical and emotional scars from his many battles. Part of his therapy, for the emotional scars, is to write about his experiences. And though he has been awarded medals for “extraordinary heroism”, he is a kind and very humble person.  Quite the opposite of how we often see war heroes portrayed in movies & on television.

The season of Lent opens up many believers to feelings of guilt. As we walk through Lent, and the events leading up to the crucifixion on “Good Friday,” we are reminded of what really happened to Christ. He was arrested by the Temple Guards and while awaiting “trial” he was mocked and beaten by those who were guarding Him. He was subjected to a mock trial by the chief priests and the teachers of the law. Then he was sent to see the Roman governor Pontius Pilate who tried to pass off the judging of Christ to Herod. Herod passed the buck back to Pilate. Pilate could see that the chief priests were jealous of Jesus, yet Pilate was backed into a corner. If he were to release Jesus it would cause unrest in the region. And few things will bring a swift end to a political career & physical life than to be the Roman governor of an unsettled area you are unwilling/unable to subdue. Ultimately Pilate yielded to the will of the crowd and released Barabbas. He sent Jesus to be crucified.  Paul shares with us the reason for all this taking place. From Romans 5:6-8 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  One man died to save many. Christ gave his life so that others may live. What we experience today is something akin to survivors remorse. Why did someone have to die? Why couldn’t we earn our own salvation? Remember, we will always be sinners. We are not able to save ourselves because we will remain sinners until the day we die. It is part of the human condition. The blood sacrifice necessary for the forgiveness of the sins of man could be nothing short of the blood of the Lamb - Jesus. And what we must remember is that Christ died on the cross willingly for you, and I and all mankind. We honor that death by accepting the grace of God that is embodied in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. We do not cheapen it by claiming we can earn redemption by some effort of our own. Jesus said it best. “It is finished.”

PRAYER: Father, at times we are troubled by guilt at the thought of Your precious Son dying on the cross for us poor miserable sinners. Our guilt can lead to feelings of rejection of the accomplishment of that heroic sacrifice. Help us in our time of confusion and struggle to have the faith to accept the finality of what as accomplished on the cross. We ask this in the name of Your Son Jesus, Who with the Father and the Spirit are one God, now and forever, Amen.