Wounds That Heal
Today’s scripture selection: Isaiah 51-55
Key verses: Isaiah 53:4-5
It’s one of those scripture passages I find difficult to read: words about suffering; sacrifice; death. But for thousands of years Christians have understood them to speak about their savior. The suffering servant is the one who is wounded for “our” transgressions. And his name is Jesus.
Now, theologians argue and argue about the exact meaning of these scriptures. Were they really meant to speak of Jesus of Nazareth? How can passages from the Hebrew Bible speak about Christ’s suffering so long before He was even born? Could the “suffering servant” be understood in other ways? On and on it goes.
But people of simple faith have accepted the comfort of the words, well, on faith alone.
They accept that they are true. They accept that all of humanity has somehow “like sheep, gone astray.” And, when they read the poignant description of the one who has been wounded in their place – well, it sounds just like the story of Jesus recorded in the gospel narratives.
They may not understand all the arguments; they may not be able to articulate the complex ideas expressed by theological terms like “atonement” and “propitiation.”
They just gratefully accept that, mysterious as it may be, “by his wounds we are healed.”
I am with them. Even with a bachelor’s degree in religion and a master’s degree from an accredited seminary – much of Isaiah chapter 53 – remains a poignant mystery. I am still disturbed by the idea that my transgressions were covered by Jesus Christ a long time ago. But disturbed or not – I accept it on faith – and am grateful.
How about you?
Prayer: Father, thank you for loving me enough to cover my transgressions by your long suffering grace. AMEN.
By Paul Simrell
The Reverend Paul W. Simrell has served for over thirty years in a variety of congregational and institutional settings. He is a recognized minister with standing in the Virginia region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada and is nationally endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for specialized ministry in both pastoral counseling and chaplaincy. Ordained in 1982, he has served congregations in Kentucky, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. He currently serves as the pastor of Elpis Christian Church, a small, historic congregation located just a few miles west of Richmond, Virginia. Elpis is the Greek word meaning “expectant hope.” He also serves on the associate clinical staff of the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care, Richmond, Virginia, both as a pastoral counselor and a ministerial assessment specialist, specializing in executive, clergy and relationship coaching. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Lexington Theological Seminary and has done advanced clinical training in chaplaincy and pastoral counseling at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas and the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care in Richmond, Virginia. He is a Certified Pastoral Counselor, an ACPE Practitioner, and a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. He is a Certified Facilitator of the Prepare-Enrich relationship assessment and skills-building program and served as a volunteer chaplain for over twenty years with the CJW Medical Center campuses in Richmond, Virginia. His avocational interests include playing the piano and drawing. He is very happily married to his wife Elizabeth Yeamans Simrell, a free-lance writer, who is also a Certified Facilitator for the Prepare-Enrich program.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
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