Mensa Otabil - Wounded for Us (10/19/2025)
Isaiah chapter 53, verse 5: «But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes, we are healed.» In this one verse alone, we observe the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ on multiple levels. There are four levels of suffering spoken about in this verse. We see him wounded, bruised, chastised, and whipped with stripes-four kinds of suffering. The suffering of Jesus Christ prior to his crucifixion was very intense. It was common in those times to punish people before crucifixion, but not as intensely as Jesus was punished; this was extraordinary, leading to his crucifixion and his death on the cross.
Why was it necessary? The question we all ask is, why was it necessary, and why so much cruelty against him? How much was done against him? Well, the answer is very simple: he was paying a price. He was suffering on our behalf so that we can live the life that he brought to us. His punishment is substitutionary; he is doing it on our behalf.
So, we look at the four kinds of suffering and the benefits. The first one is that he was wounded for our transgressions. A transgression is a sin, a very intense sin, when you go out of your way off God’s path. You have veered totally from the right path; that’s a transgression. The passage says he was wounded. The word that is used refers to deep openings in the skin. It’s not just that he was beaten to a mark on his skin; his skin was actually torn away. He was wounded, creating a deep opening in his skin so that in our waywardness, God would bring us back unto himself.
He was bruised for our iniquities. To be bruised is to be beaten, to be humiliated with beating. This means you punish the person publicly so that they feel humbled. Jesus was bruised; he was beaten in such a way that he felt small and belittled by the punishment. The Bible says it was done for our iniquities. Jesus went through humiliating suffering so that our deep sins would also be forgiven by God.
The third is that he was chastised for our peace. He was tortured and handled in very despical ways. The crown of thorns was placed on his scalp, he was mocked, and people slapped him, asking questions while they were hitting him. He went through all of that for our peace-so that we have peace of mind.
Lastly, by his stripes, we are healed. The stripes were the lashes that Jesus endured. Roman law required that a person be given 39 lashes. Jesus suffered 39 lashes so that our bodies would be healed.In all that he went through, the beneficiary was not himself; the beneficiaries are those for whom he is dying, those for whom he is suffering, and those for whom he is being beaten-and we are those ones. We receive the full benefits of the suffering of Jesus Christ in our bodies and in our lives.Tomorrow we will look at something else.
Let us pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, I receive your full pardon for all my iniquities. Thank you for making me whole. In Jesus' name, Amen and Amen. Well, I’ll catch you again on Good Friday. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.