Isa.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.
Today we will look at the wounds of Jesus, Isaiah referred to them as chaburrah; in our language it would be stripes, wounds, slashes or bruises. Jesus suffered unthinkable torture when He was scourged by the Roman soldiers. His body was torn as He was humiliated and beaten without mercy. Isaiah had spoken of this event as he had prophesied 700 years earlier, “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed”. So take a look in your mind’s eye at the wounds in the back of Jesus, you can hide yourself away in those wounds. These are wounds of healing, He suffered in your place and in my place and by His wounds I am healed. Here is how Matthew Henry described this passage many years ago.
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows (Isa 53:4). It is referred to in 1Pe 2:24, and there it is interpreted, he hath borne our sins; here it is referred to as well and is interpreted, he hath borne our sicknesses; our sins make our diseases our griefs. Christ took away sin by the merit of his death and took away sickness by the miracles of his life. We are subject to many diseases and adversities in the body, and there is more in this one line of the Gospels to support and encourage us in them than in all the writings of the philosophers. He carried them for us in his passion, and he bears them with us in compassion, sympathizing with our weaknesses. He takes them away from us. Notice how emphatically it is expressed: Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses; he was both able and willing to intervene in that matter; as our Physician, he was concerned to deal with our infirmities and sicknesses.”
Matthew quoted this passage in his gospel. Apparently Matthew remembered this verse as he observed hundreds of healing miracles while following Jesus. Matthew believed that those healing miracles were a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophetic word. I believe that as well today. Jesus carried away our sickness and suffering and by His wounds I am healed. How do I receive this blessing in my life? It’s hidden away for you in the wounds of Jesus. Visit Him today and like Thomas put your hands in those wounds by faith, when you do you will say with Isaiah and Matthew, by His wounds I am healed.
