About to write this post today and The Anthem by Todd Dulaney keeps playing in my head. It’s a beautiful song; you should check it out. It goes like this—“Hallelujah, you have won the victory, hallelujah, you have won it all for me, death could not hold you down, you are the risen King, seated in majesty, you are the risen King…by His stripes we are healed, by his nail pierced hands we are free, by His blood we are washed clean, now we have the victory..”
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When we read the story of the crucifixion, we often think, (well I often think) that it was very easy for Jesus to take all the beatings and humiliation he took on His way to the cross and eventually die, just because He is the Son of God. I never really think about the pain and the shame He endured. I never really think about the tears that He cried in the Garden of Gethsemane. I just reason, that well it is Jesus so He “gat” it.
But the Bible tells us otherwise. In the bible, Matthew and Luke capture the weariness He felt just before He was arrested. Luke takes it a little further in chapter 22 vs. 42-44 (NKJV), and it reads “Father, if it is your will, take this cup away from me; nevertheless not my will, but yours be done. Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground”.
Who has ever cried blood before? If you have, please let us know in the comments below (haha). He must have been in so much pain, thinking about the journey He was about to be on, in other to create direct access between God and us. Hebrews also says that He cried vehemently to the One who He believed could rescue Him from death. Although He didn’t go to the cross kicking and screaming, it wasn’t easy.
Bringing it back to the purpose of this post, every stripe that appeared on His body when He was being whipped was for a purpose. He endured the beating because He knew come many years later, if not months, Isaiah 54:5 (By His stripes, we are healed) had to be fulfilled.
With each lash He received, He thought about the woman who will be diagnosed with a brain tumor and how she and her family will have to cling to this very word to be able to live. With every stroke that landed on His back, He thought about the little children who will be laying down in the ICU with their only hope being this very word Isaiah the prophet, prophesied hundreds of years ago, before He came into the world.
He thought about the entire affliction people would suffer because of the world we live in, and He believed that it was worth it; just like Abraham (He considered his situation, and then considered it not), He endured the journey because He knew what was waiting on the other side of it. So anytime you feel down with something, just know that Jesus went through it all for you so you can be set free and have something tangible to hold on to, and by His stripes, we are healed.
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About The Author: Evi Idoghor is a Christian, writer and content creator on Letstalknationblog.com. She is a chemical engineering graduate from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Consumed by her love for writing and desire to effect change, she launched her online platform––Let’s Talk Nation––to tap into her creativity and start meaningful conversations that would make a difference around the world.
Most of her writing has been influenced by her time spent in America, where she lived for about 11 years. Also, she lived in Nigeria and South Korea and currently loves traveling the world while learning about other fascinating cultures. You can find her on all social media platforms with @eviidoghor.