He was wounded for our transgressions

“He was wounded (pierced) for our transgressions”

The word “pierced” is found only in Isa.51:9, where it is used of the death wound to the dragon Rahab. The sword thrust of the soldier who pierced the side of Jesus was not a mortal wound because He was already dead. Jesus determined the moment of His own death - He committed His spirit to Father and thus released His spirit from His body. At this point as a man, he died, and His head inclined sideways and was cushioned on the wooden vertical beam of the cross. He had fought pain, mocking, rejection and had ultimately fought sin, satan and death and conquered all. His body was nailed by His hands and feet to the cross, He hung by nails which took the weight of his entire body which was racked with pain. From the beginning of His crucifixion, He had to fight for breath, - every breath he breathed was painful and yet in His dying He revealed the suffering love of the triune God. Throughout His ordeal He prayed in a ceaseless travail for the souls of men and women. Yes, He conducted Himself prudently despite His painful sufferings, but thankfully they were hidden from the view of His loved ones because they were endured in darkness. His body was rent, His skin torn and shredded. His body was in shock and bleeding profusely from the time of His flogging. Remember the words of Jesus when He shared the Passover Feast with His disciples, “This is my body which is broken for you …” He was crucified in weakness but was strengthened and enabled to endure as seeing Him who is invisible. In the three hours of darkness, Jesus Christ the eternal Son of God, fought and destroyed the powers of satan, He endured the wrath of God and paid the price of our sin. Golgotha was shrouded in darkness so that Jesus’ loved ones could not behold the Man of Sorrows dying in such agony for you and me.

The very fact that the Hebrews writer refers to “this MAN” emphasises the point to Christ’s humanity as necessary to the sacrifice of Himself as an offering for sin (Heb.10:5, 10). Further references to His “body” and his “flesh” also emphasise this,

“Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me” (Heb.10:5).

“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool” (Heb.10:12-13).

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us[a] to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit” (1Pet.3:18).

Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin (1Pet.4:1).

I am not suggesting that our salvation was accomplished through the physical sufferings and death of Jesus as a man, but these Scripture make it clear that Christ’s humanity was necessary to His gaining salvation. Alongside the verse in Hebrews read, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb.9:14).