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This is a special study. We’ll be learning more about the wounds of Christ and how they were foretold from the very beginning, as the Bible says:
Revelation 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
So, let’s find a good place to start and lay the foundation for this study…
In these verses, Christ shows up after His crucifixion and resurrection and uses the wounds He received as proof that He is indeed physically risen from the dead. Let’s continue reading…
Luke 24:43-46 And He took it and ate in their presence. Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. 46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day
There is something very significant about Christ’s wounds. You’ll notice that Christ still has them, even after He has been resurrected with a NEW body. WHY? The first reason is that they are a fulfillment of prophecy. His wounds verify that He is indeed “the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world.”
They second reason is that they are His trophies. They prove to all the UNIVERSE that He has not only died for our sins but also conquered death and the grave. So, now let’s take a closer look at His wounds and see what we can find. We’ll start with those prophecies.
First wound- beaten on the back and face -700 years before Christ
Isaiah 50:6 I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.
FULFILLMENT
Matthew 26:67 Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands,
Matthew 27:26 Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.
A scourge was a small, multi-corded whip with pieces of metal tied to the leather cords that would dig into the flesh of the victim they struck. The victim’s back would be torn to shreds, often exposing bone and severing arteries. If someone survived the actual scourging, they would often succumb to their injuries or infection, after the fact. This was the first step towards Christ’s crucifixion, and it was prophesied centuries before.
Second wound- Crown of thorns 2000 years before Christ
Genesis 22:13-14 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
FUFILLMENT
Matthew 27:29 When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
An interesting fact is that the Hebrew word translated as “ram” in Genesis 22:13, can also mean juvenile lamb. The context of these verses is Abraham offering his son Isaac as a sacrifice and God sending the ram to take Isaac’s place. Not only does this verse foreshadow a father offering his son as sacrifice, but it also offers a prophetic insight of the crown of thorns the true sacrifice would wear. Amazing!
I’d like to pause here for just a moment in our journey of Christ’s wounds to dig out a hidden gem in scripture…
John 19:19-22 Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. 21 Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.” ’ 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
In Jewish hermeneutics, (which is the study and interpretation of scripture), there’s a tool used to reveal obscure truths within scripture. It’s called a REMEZ, and it means “hint”. There are many, many examples of REMEZ in scripture, and believe it or not, a really powerful hint, (or Remez) is hidden in this verse.
Something interesting about the ancient Hebrew alphabet is that it had no vowels, only consonants. Because of this, ancient Jews would often create acronyms by using the first letter of each word in a phrase, they would create a new word which held all the meaning of the entire phrase. The O. T. is a great example of this. In Hebrew, it’s called the TANAKH, which stands for the Torah (Law), Neviim (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). T-N-K, Tanakh. We have something very similar in our language, especially in our texts… ASAP, WYD, IDK, LOL are just a few.
The chief priests wanted Pilate to write “He said” I am King of the Jews instead of “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS” This is why…
When “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS” is written in Hebrew, it uses just 4 words. The first letter of each of those 4 words spells out YHWH, the divine name of God! No wonder the high priests wanted to change it.
Alright, that was an awesome rabbit trail, but let’s get back to Christ’s wounds.
Third through Sixth wounds-hands and feet pierced 1000 BC
Psalm 22:16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet;
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
FULFILLMENT
Luke 23:33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.
Seventh and final wound- Pierced in the side 700 BC
Zechariah 12:10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
Psalm 34:20 He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken.
FULFILLMENT
John 19:34-37 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”
Christ’s wounds have a special purpose, because they represent US. We are His body. We were damaged. We were torn. We were bruised and bloody, but by HIS sacrifice, we are alive and well. We are healed. We are Christ’s hands and feet. We are His heart. We are the wounds on His back and head. Every time Christ shows His hands, He is making a STATEMENT of ownership. He is saying “I DIED FOR YOU.” All the pain and suffering He took was just for us. By His stripes we are HEALED! Amen.