Pleasant Stone Devotional Meditation: January 27

"... 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" ~ Isaiah 53:5

When our wounds are laid up against His wounds we are healed. Those of us who have tried this close, personal relationship with the living Christ know this is true. Those of us who have watched Him stand and wait until our anger dies down or until our selfish weeping is through, know that Jesus Christ was wounded for our iniquities. The same patience and love that held Him to the Cross keeps Him waiting now, while we run our little self-fevered courses of rebellion. This kind of selfless waiting is only possible with Christ. Only Christ is sinless. And so we know that it was for our sin that He was bruised. We also know that our sin still bruises that tender Heart of love. We know that it was "chastisement" to this pure, sinless, Son of God to hand there in such shame for our sin. But it is not chastisement of an angry Father that put Him there. Such distortion of the Heart of the One who gave His only begotten Son is blasphemy! God did not create sin. Sin is simply the ugly, diseased consequence of wrong action on the part of man. And wonder of Holy wonders, God holds Himself responsible for it! God was in Christ on Calvary reconciling us to Himself. He did it of His own choosing. He wanted us to be peaceful. He knew there could be no peace as long as sin separated us from Him. That's why the chastisement of our sin was upon Him. He was making "peace by the blood of His Cross."

"... with his stripes we are healed."