Healed

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

HEALED

Matt 27:26-31

26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. 27 Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

NIV

There is certainly no doubt Jesus suffered at the hands of the soldiers. A flogging in the presence of the public was a common type of punishment. In most cases a person was flogged or whipped to death. The flesh would be literally torn from the body with the style of whips they used. There has been many accounts of this torture of Christ, some of them with great exaggeration, so we can feel remorseful that our sin caused such pain for Christ. Surely it might seem remorse is the proper response to the pain and suffering of our Lord for our sin.  However, rejoicing might also be a proper response. For it is by his wounds we are healed.

Isa 53:4-8

4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.  

NIV

Although this was done by the hands of the soldiers it was in all reality done by the hand of God. Through this plan he justified himself to his creation. Therefor we should have a sense of remorse that he had to go through this experience, but then also God had determined beforehand that this was the way in which he would reconcile us to himself. This was how he predetermined or predestined how we would be saved from his wrath, or justice. God’s justice requires the death penalty for sin. Christ fulfilled that penalty. God decided this is how it would be done, and therefore we can rejoice in God for his great mercy and love toward us.

Rom 5:9-11

9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

NIV

We could remain focused on the horrendousness of the pain and suffering as some have been accustomed of doing. But rather we should focus on the love of God and rejoice that we have been healed, we have been reconciled, and we have been saved through Christ Jesus. Although he did suffer and in all reality we do not know exactly how much, he eventually died, was buried, resurrected and ascended to the right hand of the Father to make continual intercession for us. This is our faith, this is the whole of our being. We live and will live forever because of Christ. This is the greatest healing of all. We have been healed from death. It must not have been a good sight to behold seeing Jesus experience this pain and agony at the time. The disciples, his mother must have been horrified, but they could not see into the future. We are now looking at the past and again it still was not easy for him, his pain was real, but this was the reason he came. The prophets were told by God to foretell this experience, and therefore Jesus having been with the Father from the beginning, knew the whole time he would go through this and he did it for us. How much love, to lay down his life for us. However there should be no sorrow, for through him we are saved. Rejoice, again we say rejoice, we have been healed.