The Eternal Wounds

Over five thousand years ago, give or take a millennium, a cosmic wound was struck that started a chain of events that altered mankind’s history and destiny. The mighty blow was flung ever so gently by innocent little hands. As a naked Eve stood next to an equally unclothed Adam, her outstretched hands finally touched the very “apple of her eye”. It was in that moment; a gentle touch became a vicious act against the Creator of the world. All the while, a naked couple stood there not understanding what just happened. Unfortunately, today, many people still do not comprehend it. In Genesis 3:3, the scripture tells us, “but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die”. For thousands of years, preachers have talked about the impact of that moment on humanity. Yet, no one speaks about the wound it gave to God. I know, some of you may stop reading this and balk at it with charges of heresy or trash it as unbiblical. Why? For God cannot be wounded. Correct? Wrong!

In Isaiah 53:5, the prophet writes, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities”. The physical wounds at Calvary reflected the spiritual wound in the Garden of Eden. Jesus Christ is God incarnate (John 1:14). Christ came to earth to reveal the divine nature of God the Father. In life, the ministry of Christ was a demonstration of God’s love. Now juxtapose the torture to death crucifixion. The physical wounds Christ sustained gives a visual of the wounds we inflicted on God’s love for us, as we gripped forbidden fruit. For the sacrificial death alone was the payment for our sins. Never in Jewish history had a sacrificial animal been required to be tortured first. A simple slit of the throat was sufficient to release the blood offering.

Yet in Christ, the wounds He bore provided a graphic consequence of sin against a loving Father. It is the pictorial impact of rejecting His love each time we prefer self-gratification, pride, greed, or worse. This explains why the brutality of Jesus' body was clearly essential. The excoriating wounds are now seared into our consciousness as a picture of sin’s impact on our Heavenly Dad. It is all too convenient to view God as Creator, Almighty, Terrible, and Just. Yet we sometimes forget that He is equally a loving Father who desires to walk with His children. He appreciates the Spirit within us as we release cries of abba, Father. It is in those moments that He relishes the paternal relationship with His creation. For God is not a distant, abstract force who has no feelings. He is an ever-present Father who loves us beyond measure. Each time you consider rebelling against Him, remember the eternal wounds inflicted on Christ as the outcome of your choice.

Be encouraged,

Thomas Knowles, Minister of the Gospel of Christ Jesus