Isaiah 53:5
“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5
A man concerned by his sins had a vivid dream in which he saw Jesus brutally whipped by a soldier. The observer cringed as the harsh whip fell onto Christ’s back, for the awful cords caused hideous, gaping sores on His bleeding, swollen body. When the wielder of the lash raised his arm to strike the Lord once again, the guy raced forward to stop him. The soldier turned as he did so, and the dreamer was surprised to see his own face! He awoke in a cold sweat, aware that his sin had resulted in this heinous punishment of the Savior.
Only Jesus Can Save Man
Every year close to millions of people join armed forces all over the world. It is estimated that over 1.5 million men and women have been injured while serving in the army. Many of these people’s lives were never the same after the injuries. Families break up, and others even go into depression. We are grateful for the many injured soldiers while serving to protect the freedom of the people and the countries they serve. However, only one man was wounded to redeem man from his sins. He was the only one pure enough; only Jesus was righteous enough to suffer and die for the sake of man’s redemption. The prophet Isaiah says “He was wounded for our transgressions” in anguish some 700 years before the birth of Jesus.
The Substitution
The full regard of Jesus’ suffering is to be put aside for us to look at it from a different point of view. Let us look at it as if we are the people and the only ones for whom He endured all this. It is only at this moment that we can apply the atoning work of Christ to ourselves. Then afterwards, we can enjoy the comfort, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. In simple terms, the theory of substitution is as follows: someone takes the punishment of others for the sake of those to whom it was due, allowing them to go Scot free (1 Peter 2:24). This mind-boggling truth is exactly what Jesus did for the sake of our sins.
By His Stripes, We Are Healed
Chastisement is the act of scolding or punishing someone. Watching Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ gives us a perspective of the vastness of sufferings and the great agonies that our Lord had to pass through. Nevertheless, due to the sinfulness of man and our numberless transgressions, Jesus Christ had to endure it all so that we could finally be saved. He was chastised so that we might have peace. When we believe in Jesus, we accept Him as our spiritual physician, and we get under His care.
Jehovah Rapha heals us of our spiritual and bodily sickness. “By His wounds we are healed”, these are marks of divine judgement. The healing, the spiritual health we have received, is contrasted with the wounds and stripes to which He was subject. Have you been wounded by sin, rejection, loss or betrayal? Only Jesus can heal that and give you His peace.
King James Version (KJV)
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
New International Version (NIV)
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.”
New American Bible (NASB)
“But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; The punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him,
And by His wounds we are healed.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”
The Living Bible (TLB)
“But he was wounded and bruised for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace; he was lashed—and we were healed!”