Mensa Otabil - Bruised for Our Iniquities
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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 one verse alone: 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 a practice in those times to punish people before crucifixion, but not as intensively as Jesus was punished. This was extraordinary, leading to his crucifixion and his death on the cross. The question we all ask is, why was it necessary? Why so much cruelty against him? How much was done? Why was so much 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’s doing it on our behalf.
So, we look at all four kinds of suffering and the benefits. The first one: he was wounded for our transgressions. A transgression is a sin, a very intentional act when you are really going out of your way of God’s path. You have veered totally from the right path; that’s a transgression. And the passage says he was wounded. The word that is used there refers to deep openings in the skin. It’s not just that he was beaten for a mark on his skin, but his skin was actually torn away; he was wounded, a deep opening in his skin.
So, that in our waywardness, God will bring us back unto himself. He was bruised for our iniquities. To be bruised is to be beaten, to be humiliated through beating. This means you punish the person so that publicly, the person will feel humbled. Jesus was bruised; he was beaten in such a way that he would feel small; he would be belittled with the punishment. And the Bible says it was done for our iniquities, so Jesus went through humiliating suffering so that our deep sins will also be forgiven by God.
And the third one: he was chastised for our peace. He was tortured; he was handled in very, very despicable ways. A crown of thorns was pressed on his scalp; he was mocked. People slapped him about, asked him questions while they were slapping him, and he went through all of that for our peace. So that we have peace of mind. And the final one: by his stripes we are healed. The stripes were the lashes that were meted out on Jesus Christ. Roman law required that a person be given 39 lashes. Jesus suffered 39 lashes so that our bodies will be healed. So, in all that he goes through, all the suffering he endures, the beneficiary is not himself; the beneficiary is those he’s dying for, those he’s suffering for, those he’s being beaten for, 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’ll be looking 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.