Prior to the crucifixion of Jesus, he was brutally beaten with what is called a cat of nine tails. The skin was ripped from his back. It is even possible that some of his bones under the skin were exposed. It would not be unusual for a person to die by such a whipping. It would be to our advantage to look closer at what the Bible says, “By His stripes we are healed.” We know that Christ dying on the cross was for our sin, but how did his beating before the crucifixion become relevant to our healing.
On the cross Jesus was identified with criminals or evildoers. Prior to that his beating put him in a position in which he identified with slaves who were potentially beaten by their masters. In such a case, the victim would certainly need healing from his wounds. Before salvation every one of us is a slave to sin. Therefore, Christ took upon himself the need for payment of our sin while he took upon himself the need for our healing.
In a unique sense of the word, we all needed to be healed from sin. Recall that God warned Adam in the Garden of Eden the day he disobeyed he would die. When he did disobey, death became rampant on his body leaving an injury to his soul. If sin had not entered the world, there would be no need for healing. God provided for us the means of healing from sin as well as sickness as well as death by his beatings, by his crucifixion, and by his resurrection.
In the Old Testament animals were sacrificed repeatedly because none could pay the ultimate sacrifice from innocence as did Christ. He was the ultimate and last sacrifice. By experiencing the most horrible treatment from mankind at the inspiration of Satan, we all needed a special kind of healing that only he could provide. The stripes he experienced from the beatings brought an eternal relief for all who will believe.
Since all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God, Christ came to us out of empathy and love because every person is in a state of injury. Every person’s life has been injured by the circumstances under which he lives whether it be addiction, grief, relational issues, or fear. There is not one person that has ever been born that has not been injured by sin. Jesus took that injury upon himself so that our needs could have resolution.
Any person that ever experienced such a beating would have trauma and significant scaring left. From the very beginning of our lives every one of us has been damaged by sin. It could be by an alcoholic parent, an abusive adult, or a situation in which we are mentally scared. By the healing that Jesus has provided us, we can then thank God for the transformation from a former state of injury.
In the same way Jesus suffered on the cross for our sins, he suffered in his beatings for all the sickness that we bear within our minds and bodies. How magnificent it is that our Lord had compassion for us. The stripes that was inflicted on him causing horrendous pain were the same stripes by which we are healed. Let us praise God that Christ stood in our behalf to resolve all the needs we have that encompasses every part of our lives whether it be physical, spiritual, mental, or emotional. Let us enjoy and appreciate the healing he provides when we accept him as Savior.
Christian Writer 