“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…He was wounded for our transgression…bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:4-5 (NKJV)
In the season of Easter, much focus is placed on celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which occurs on the third day after His crucifixion. However, there is day one, that gruesome day, “Good Friday.” The prophet Isaiah prophesied in detail long before Jesus physically took all our sins, sicknesses, sorrows, griefs, iniquities, and more to the cross.
Isaiah 53:4-5 is powerful and stacked with God’s incredible love for us. On that Good Friday, Jesus suffered pain and rejection all because of our sins, transgressions, and iniquities. Words like “wounded” and “bruised” indicate how much He suffered. Why would He endure all that for us? Simply because He loves us. His love for us is so selfless that He took all that punishment for our peace.
The verse declares that “by His stripes we are healed.” Yes, He was punished to heal us physically from sicknesses and diseases. Because of His wounds, we are completely healed, and no, it is not only physical! Jesus died to heal us emotionally, bearing our griefs and sorrows. It does not matter what we are going through physically or mentally; His sacrifices have given us victory over pain, anguish, unforgiveness, bitterness, grief, depression, rejection, and fear. He fills us with peace.
Jesus died to heal us spiritually when God laid upon Him the sins of the world, the sins of all mankind. He took on all our wrongs so that we could be right with God. He was pierced and nailed, taking our record of debts to the cross. Because of His sacrifice, we are free, we have peace with God, and we are reconciled to Him (Romans 5:10).
He didn’t suffer because of rebellion or walking away from God. He suffered because He obeyed God (John 5:19 & 6:38) and we received the blessings of God’s righteousness. Let us not be solemn and ritualistic during this period, but let us rejoice and honour God for what was done for us. Boldly declare, “I am healed physically, emotionally, and spiritually, in Jesus’ name!”
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I praise and thank You for loving us so much that You sent Jesus to redeem us. Thank you, Jesus, for taking all that pain and suffering so that we can be forgiven and healed. I pray we always remember Your love as we find healing in You. Help us, oh God, to hate sin every day, obey You, and glorify You, in Jesus’ holy name! Amen!
Read: Isaiah 52:13; Romans 5:10
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 51:1-9; Luke 22:63-71; Luke 23:1-25; Joshua 8; Joshua 9:1-15
