If you’re like most women reading this, you are a “woman of faith”, a Christian who loves Jesus, loves her family, and mourns at death of friends. Since it’s now Tuesday before the 4th Thursday of November, if you’re in the US, you likely have a turkey thawing in your refrigerator, or a menu that you keep looking at. You may be dreading a trip to the grocery. (Can you forego the green bean casserole this year since you forgot the green beans or do you REALLY have to get back out? Short of having a grocery delivery available, I say “yes, forego the casserole”, but it’s your traditions to maintain. Your call.)
Grab your favorite drink and read a bit. You’ll need fortification to go back to the grocery.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the three different events of redemption over that weekend we now call Easter. Jesus took care of sin in all its areas. That’s worthy to make the “I’m thankful for ____” list at Thursday’s dinner party.
Then I asked myself, “What exactly do the benefits of the beating portion of redemption look like? Picture this if you can. Jesus’ earthly body experienced pain like any of ours. He was confined to a post, and Roman soldiers, who were trained to inflict damage just short of death when ordered to do so, took a whip in their hand. Jesus heard the crack of the whip before the first stripe was laid. He felt the skin being pulled from His pure, yet fleshly back.
That happened once and then 38 more times. The Bible tells us that Jesus’ appearance was marred more than any man. At the conclusion of that torture, Jesus did not look human. His body was deformed and who among us can even imagine the extent of His pain? Did His humanity weep while His purpose remained strong?
With every stripe, sickness and disease was eradicated with the blood that splattered the ground and poured out from the body of our Lord. Can we say “Thank You for all You endured” by refusing to accept sickness into our body? Yes.
By His stripes, we WERE healed. If we believe in spiritual salvation from sin, which we cannot see, will we not accept physical salvation which we can? It was the same blood from the same sacrifice.
Jesus is worthy to be believed. His choice to live pure for all His life is what enabled Him to be the sacrifice. He could have called angels and escaped but He did not. This is what Thanksgiving, and (I would add) communion, are about.
One step away from death is where Jesus was after the beating He endured. And that was just phase 1. Psalm 107:20 tells us that “He sent His Word and healed them, and delivered them from all their destruction.” Prophecy of the purpose of redemption and what it would accomplish. Sin brought sickness aimed at destruction. Jesus chose to destroy what sin brought. The price was the torment of the beating.
The act of redemption that Jesus chose had three goals, not just one. And each phase of that three day torturous event had a different purpose.
The whipping post bought the healing. As I am honored to have recently been taught the truth about Communion that took the bread and juice out of being tradition to a clearer understanding of “do not take unworthily” I am reminded each time I take part in it that Jesus’ broken body at the whipping post is the reason I am here in health and strength after experiencing two strokes more than three years ago now.
Before i was ever sick, before you and I ever experience a symptom, our freedom (redemption) from sickness has already been bought. It was paid for in that beating. I believe only a firm commitment to us and to the Father’s love for us gave Jesus the power to live through that experience. He first loved us. With His blood, He loved us. Before we were born, He knew us. Loved us.
Ephesians 3 contains the prayer that we will know the love of Christ which surpasses (human) knowledge. I pray that each of us comes to see the extent of the love Jesus has for us as shown in the acts that brought (and bought) our redemption, that we will not tolerate sickness because of His commitment to take sickness away from us.
The whipping post had nothing to do with cleansing from sin. The whipping post was Jesus’ victory over sin’s damage and consequences. The blood from the stripes bought back our health that existed before sin came.
If Jesus had died during the beating, sin would have remained ours to bear. The first event of redemption was for our physical healing from disease and sickness that entered the earth when sin came. Once Jesus had risen from His death, He gave the power and ability to heal the sick to each of us, and He told us to go.
Next week, I’ll talk about “why the cross and not a sword?”
Happy “Give thanks well” week! (Refrigerate the leftovers)
For His Glory 