True Healing
“When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:23-25
Insight
I hope you will answer this with honesty: how do you respond when someone does you wrong?
I love asking people who are not following Jesus this question because they will actually be honest. Those of us who follow Jesus tend to answer this with a little more buffer. But let’s admit that when someone wrongs us, we want to let them have it!
There is a switch that flips in us when someone attacks our party affiliation, sports team, family, friends, and even our faith. When that flip is engaged, we are more prone to actions we cannot undo, and words that cannot be unheard. The end result typically is a damaged relationship. Now, imagine if you HAD to be embarrassed, harassed, put through suffering, and even put to death. How would you respond?
You would not put yourself through that probably if you had a choice. We would like to think that for the right person we would go through misery. We MIGHT take it on for the person we love most, but would you go through absolute misery for someone who had done you wrong?
Thankfully, there was Someone who had a special love for all people. In fact, He is known as Love personified. The magnitude of Jesus’ love is found in His willingness to die for every human being. It would have been pretty incredible if Jesus would have suffered and died for those who treated Him with respect, honor and care. But the reality is that Jesus also died for those who treated Him with disrespect and cruelty. The magnitude of Jesus’ love is immeasurable by any metric we put against it.
We all know the costs of sin. It wreaks havoc on our bodies and our souls. Sin leads to death (Romans 6:23) and sin rots away our life (Psalm 32:2-3). But Jesus took the wages of death and the rotting of sin upon Himself on the cross, and with that brought healing.
These verses are a great reminder that Jesus can provide healing for any physical ailment that comes upon us, but more importantly, our relationship with our Father was healed through Jesus. His greatest healing for you and I was the healing of a relationship that was damaged beyond human control.
Consider the power of Jesus healing our relationship with God. A lot of people struggle when their physical body or a loved one’s is not healed. But physical healing is a limited solution for humanity. If Jesus’ death on a cross only removed physical ailments then we would have had great bodies but our relationship with God would still be limited. Jesus’ healing was on a level we cannot fully comprehend. When our physical body gives way, we still live. The new life we step into is a life of unhindered access to our Father. No physical healing on this earth will compare to the perfect restoration we will have with our Father one day.
Reflection
Have you ever considered the healing that Jesus’ wounds provided goes beyond our physical body?
Spend this week reflecting on the total healing Jesus provided with His suffering.
Prayer
Father, I have no case that I can bring to you that proves I am worthy of what You did on the cross. Yet, You desired restoration so much that You were willing to die for me. I praise You for the healing you can bring to my body, and for the healing You brought to my soul. You are a good and gracious Father. I thank You for being You. I pray in Your holy name, Amen.
Port City writer Davy Nance wrote today’s devotional.
