Isaiah 53:5

Wounds and bruises were the consequences of sin, what we deserved and what we had brought upon ourselves, ch. i. That these wounds and bruises, though they are painful, may not be mortal, Christ was wounded for our transgressions, was tormented or pained (the word is used for the pains of a woman in travail) for our revolts and rebellions.

But he was wounded for our transgressions,....

Whereas by sin we had become odious to God's holiness and obnoxious to his justice, through Christ God is reconciled to us, and not only forgives our sins and saves us from ruin, but takes us into friendship and fellowship with himself, and thereby peace (that is, all good) comes unto us, Col. i. He is our peace, Eph. ii.

But he was wounded - Margin, ‘Tormented.’ Jerome and the Septuagint also render this, ‘He was wounded.’ Junius and Tremellius, ‘He was affected with grief.’ The Chaldee has given a singular paraphrase of it, showing how confused was the view of the whole passage in the mind of that interpreter. ‘And he shall build the house of the sanctuary which was defiled on account of our sins, and which was delivered on account of our iniquities. And in his doctrine, peace shall be multiplied to us.

wounded--a bodily wound; not mere mental sorrow; literally, "pierced"; minutely appropriate to Messiah, whose hands, feet, and side were pierced (Ps 22:16). The Margin, wrongly, from a Hebrew root, translates, "tormented." for . . . for-- (Ro 4:25;

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase+unbalanced-parens

IT is well for the preacher, every now and then, to go back to the very beginning and once again traverse the whole ground of the Gospel, just as the schoolteacher does when, after his pupils have advanced to some of the higher branches of study, he deems it desirable to make sure that they are well grounded in the very elements of knowledge, for he knows that it is quite possible for him to be doing mischief in leading them on to the higher forms of study unless they are thoroughly familiar with the first principles.

I RECEIVED, one day this week, a short communication worded on this wise: "Wanted, a cure for a weak and doubting faith, especially when Satan disinclines to pray." Anxiously desirous to prescribe cures for such maladies, and for any others which may vex the Lord's people, I began to turn over in my mind what were the sacred remedies for such a case, and I could only remember one, "The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." Our Lord Jesus is to us a Tree of Life, and by the leaves, I suppose, the Holy Spirit means the acts, words, promises, and lesser griefs of Jesus— all of which are for the healing of His people. Then my mind reverted to this kindred text: "With His stripes we are healed." Not merely His bleeding wounds, but even those blue bruises of His flesh help to heal us. Not alone the work of the nails and the spear, but the cruel handiwork of the rod and the scourge. Out of all this throng of Believers, there are none quite free from spiritual diseases—one may be saying, "Mine is a weak faith." Another may confess, "Mine is distracted thoughts." Another may exclaim, "Mine is coldness of love!" And a fourth may have to lament his powerlessness in prayer. One remedy in natural things will not suffice for all diseases, and the moment that the quack begins to cry up his medicine as healing all, you shrewdly surmise that it heals none. But in spiritual things it is not so—there is a catholicon, a universal remedy provided in the Word of God for all spiritual sicknesses to which man can be subject to—and that remedy is contained in the few words of my text—"With His stripes we are healed." I. I shall invite you, then, first of all, this morning, to consider THE MEDICINE ITSELF WHICH IS HERE PRESCRIBED—the stripes of our Savior.

I RECEIVED, one day this week, a short communication worded on this wise: "Wanted, a cure for a weak and doubting faith, especially when Satan disinclines to pray." Anxiously desirous to prescribe cures for such maladies, and for any others which may vex the Lord's people, I began to turn over in my mind what were the sacred remedies for such a case, and I could only remember one, "The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."

EVER since the Fall, healing has been the chief necessity of manhood. There was no physician in Paradise, but outside that blissful enclosure professors of the healing art have been precious as the gold of Ophir. Even in Eden itself there grew herbs which should, in after days, yield medicine for the body of man. Before sin came into the world, and disease which is the consequence of it, God had created plants of potent efficacy to soothe pain and wrestle with disease.

EVER since the Fall, healing has been the chief necessity of manhood. There was no physician in Paradise, but outside that blissful enclosure professors of the healing art have been precious as the gold of Ophir. Even in Eden itself there grew herbs which should, in after days, yield medicine for the body of man. Before sin came into the world, and disease which is the consequence of it, God had created plants of potent efficacy to soothe pain and wrestle with disease. Blessed be His name, while thus mindful of the body, He had not forgotten the direr sicknesses of the soul—for He has raised up for us a Plant of renown, yielding a balm far more effectual than that of Gilead! This He had done before the plague of sin had yet infected us. Christ Jesus, the true Medicine of the sons of men, was ordained of old to heal the sicknesses of His people. Everywhere, at this present hour, we meet with some form or other of sickness. No place, however healthful, is free from disease. As for moral disease, it is all around us and we are thankful to add that the remedy is everywhere within reach. The Beloved Physician has prepared a healing medicine which can be reached by all classes which is available in every climate, at every hour, under every circumstance and is effectual in every case wherever it is received. Of that Medicine we shall speak this morning, praying that we may have God's help in so doing. It is a great mercy for us who have to preach, as well as for you who have to hear, that the Gospel healing is so very simple—our text describes it— "With His stripes we are healed." These six words contain the marrow of the Gospel and yet scarcely one of them contains a second syllable. They are words for plain people and in them there is no affectation of mystery or straining after the profound. I looked, the other day, into old Culpepper's Herbal.

BEING one evening in Exeter Hall, I heard our late beloved Brother, Mr. Mackay, of Hull, make a speech in which he told us of a person who was under very deep concern of soul and felt that he could never rest till he found salvation. So, taking the Bible into his hands, he said to himself, "Eternal life is to be found somewhere in this Word of God; and if it is here, I will find it, for I will read the Book right through, praying to God over every page of it, so, perhaps, it may contain some saving message for me." He told us that the earnest seeker read on through Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and so on—and though Christ is evidently there —he could not find Him in the types and symbols. Neither did the holy histories yield him comfort, nor the Book of Job. He passed through the Psalms, but did not find His Savior there. And the same was the case with the other books till he reached Isaiah. In this Prophet he read on till, near the end, and then, in the 53rd Chapter, these words caught his delighted attention, "By His stripes we are healed" "Now I have found it," he said. "Here is the healing that I need for my sin-sick soul and I see how it comes to me through the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ! Blessed be His name, I am healed!" It was well that the seeker was wise enough to search the sacred volume. It was better, still, that in that volume there should be such a life-giving Word and that the Holy Spirit should reveal it to the seeker's heart.

Brothers and Sisters, whenever we come to talk about the passion of our Lord—and that subject is clearly brought before us, here, by the two words, "His stripes"—our feelings should be deeply solemn and our attention intensely earnest. Take off your shoes when you draw near to this burning bush, for God is in it! If ever the spirit should be deeply penitential and yet humbly confident, it ought to be when we hear the lash falling upon the Divine and human Person of our blessed Master and see Him wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. Stand still, then, and see your Lord and Master fastened to the Roman column and cruelly scourged! Hear the terrible strokes. Mark the bleeding wounds and see how He becomes a mass of pain even as to His blessed body! Then note how His soul, also, is flagellated. Hark how the whips fall upon His spirit till His inmost heart is wounded with the tortures, all but unbearable, which He endures for us! I charge my own heart to meditate upon this solemn theme without a single wandering thought—and I pray that you and I may be able to think together upon the matchless sufferings of Incarnate Love until our hearts melt within us in grateful love to Him. Remember, Brothers and Sisters, that we were practically there when Jesus suffered those terrible stripes— "'Twas you, my sins, my cruel sins, His chief tormentors were! Each of my crimes became a nail, And unbelief the spear." We certainly had a share in His sorrows. Oh, that we were equally certain that "with His stripes we are healed." You smote Him, dear Friend, and you wounded Him—therefore do not rest until you can say, "with His stripes I am healed." We must have a personal interest in this suffering One if we are to be healed by His stripes.

IT is well for the preacher, every now and then, to go back to the very beginning and once again traverse the whole ground of the Gospel, just as the schoolteacher does when, after his pupils have advanced to some of the higher branches of study, he deems it desirable to make sure that they are well grounded in the very elements of knowledge, for he knows that it is quite possible for him to be doing mischief in leading them on to the higher forms of study unless they are thoroughly familiar with the first principles. So he goes back to the beginning over and over again—and a wise preacher will do likewise. As for myself, it is not at all grievous to speak, in the simplest terms, of Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation and, for you, it is safe as Paul said in writing "the same things" to the Philippians. I have always noticed that those who love Christ best and who know the most about His great salvation are just the very people who delight to hear again and again— "The old, old story Of Jesus and His love." To persons of that sort, the Gospel message never grows stale! It is like that familiar song, "Home, Sweet Home," which had such a strange influence over our soldiers in the Crimea, only that whereas the playing or singing of that tune brought on such an attack of homesickness that the men who heard it, when far from their native land, were rendered quite unfit for duty! In our case, the familiar story of Jesus and His dying love, and His substitutionary sufferings will never cease to charm our ears and fire our hearts with holy ardor in His blessed service. I am also quite sure that to those who least relish the Gospel and who know the least about it, it is beyond measure important that they should hear it as often as they possibly can—for it may be that one of these days it will find an entrance into their hitherto closed hearts.

BEING one evening in Exeter Hall, I heard our late beloved Brother, Mr. Mackay, of Hull, make a speech in which he told us of a person who was under very deep concern of soul and felt that he could never rest till he found salvation.

Brothers and Sisters, whenever we come to talk about the passion of our Lord—and that subject is clearly brought before us, here, by the two words, "His stripes"—our feelings should be deeply solemn and our attention intensely earnest. Take off your shoes when you draw near to this burning bush, for God is in it! If ever the spirit should be deeply penitential and yet humbly confident, it ought to be when we hear the lash falling upon the Divine and human Person of our blessed Master and see Him wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities.

The chastisement of our peace “The chastisement by which our peace is effected” - Twenty-one MSS. and six editions have the word fully and regularly expressed, שלמינו shelomeynu; pacificationum nostrarum, “our pacification;” that by which we are brought into a state of peace and favor with God. Ar. Montan.

Faith in the shed blood of Jesus. Faith in the fact that He took our weakness upon Himself, has borne our sicknesses and carried our pains, and that He is our life today.