The way the sin of the world could be cancelled out is not by man. Although men try to they keep hitting a brick way. Our sense of purpose, our only hope in life, and our hope for the afterlife end in nothing by the ways of man. They have nothing as they live and nothing when the die. I once was lost but not I’m found. The Bible declares that those without Christ as lost.
We rarely go through a day without a wound of some kind. We’re not our own healer of wounds. It is Jesus. He still has the scars of the wounds in his glorified body. Those scars are a testimony. Jesus answers the question of what are these wounds. It pays us all to take a look at our wounds and go to Jesus with them. If there is an affliction because of Satan or just being in this temporal body Jesus can heal them. If you’ve sinned against God the wounds are on your soul. Jesus said for all who are burdened to come to him; his yoke is easy and his burden is light (Matthew 11). How? He’s already suffered for us. We can find relief in the one bruised for iniquities because by his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53).
Zechariah 13: 6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. 7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.
Jesus arose on the third day after being wounded in so many ways. From the betrayal kiss of Judas to the smiting of his face to the cross as it ended Jesus was wounded to death. He was almost unrecognizable. From a crown of thorns on his head to nails in his feet and being beaten the people saw their precious Lord wounded head to toe. He died succumbing to the wounds. He didn’t have to do that. He could have picked up his head, healed all his wounds and destroyed this entire world. His death was not suicide but a voluntary receiving of sins.
There are not small and big sins. Every sin wounded Jesus. Many people have died from a little cut that got infected. It doesn’t take a great big one to kill. I’ve sinned more than once. Some might say “I’m not as bad as others.” Sin wounds whatever it is. We’d be in hell if someone hadn’t been wounded for us. I’ve heard people say if they had been there that day they would have done something to stop it. I think our own need for a Savior would have stopped anyone from getting in the way.
Even though we’re saved we get wounded by the devil. It was either us who paid for the wounds or the perfect Son of God. He didn’t have a heart attack on the cross; he was wounded to death. We can be wounded in a lot of ways. Without a Savior it would be chaos. The only reason the world is still in existence is the grace of God. What are the wounds in his hands? Jesus prayed hard in Gethsemane that he sweat drops of blood. He agonized until his capillaries burst releasing the first blood that he shed for us. People have wounded us. We have wounded others. Jesus said if we’re his disciples we have to love one another. He bore our sins and was wounded for us. The ones inflicted on us and the ones we’ve inflicted were borne by Jesus. Don’t carry your wounds a moment longer. Why go on bearing them? Look at Jesus. You’ll see the wounds you carry.
We couldn’t bear them because they would take us to hell. He bore them so we could go to heaven: wounded to death so we could live. He took all the injuries sin could inflict on us. He bore every wound. We’re shot full of holes due to the injuries of sin. Jesus makes us whole again. We’re going to sin. Thank God we have a Savior! We can pray and ask God to forgive us. Ten years from now we’ll still have a Savior. We won’t make it without him. Verse 7 says smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. Without the smiting of the Shepherd we won’t make it. We have a Shepherd that was smitten for us.
If you have wounds now is the time to come to Jesus. He has delivered. He delivers now. He will deliver. Why? How? Because he bears the scars of the wounds. Love him and turn it to him. You don’t need to die lost.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 