Sermon Snippet – The Wounds of Jesus
INTRODUCTION – As we remember our Lord’s institution of Communion (I Corinthians 11:23-26), we are confronted with the uncomfortable reality that He shed His blood to atone for our sins. When we speak of Jesus shedding His blood for us, we are speaking ultimately of His death. Let us reverently consider His wounds – His bleeding wounds.
1. JESUS BLED FROM HIS FACE
Even before the Cross, Jesus was bleeding for us. Luke 22:39-46 records His impassioned prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane: “His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (verse 44). Because He was kneeling (verse 41) and the blood fell to the ground, we conclude that this blood came from His face. Since Jesus was fully human, He may have been suffering from hematidrosis, a rare condition in which, under severe duress, small blood vessels rupture in the sweat glands and secrete a mixture of blood and sweat. Of course, since Jesus was and is fully divine, this event could be a supernatural manifestation. Either way, we are reminded of Genesis 3:19, where because of sin Adam was told, “In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread,” indicating exhausting labor merely to survive. Jesus reversed this curse with something worse than sweat – His precious blood. The intensity of this event indicates that it was no casual transaction. It was a transaction: Jesus’ righteousness replaced our sins. As the hymn “O Happy Day!” rejoices, “’Tis done, the great transaction’s done – I am my Lord’s and He is mine.” However, this was not a light thing. The song “My Savior’s Love” speaks the sad truth: “He had no tears for His own griefs / But sweatdrops of blood for mine.” Jesus bled from His face for us.
2. JESUS BLED FROM HIS BACK
John 19:1 starkly states, “Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged Him.” This Roman flogging was so vicious that people sometimes died from it. Muscle and bone would be exposed, and blood would flow. Isaiah 53:5 said of the promised Messiah, “With His stripes we are healed,” and I Peter 2:24 confirms that Jesus fulfilled this prophecy. The chorus of “The Healer” correctly closes with these Scriptural words: “And by His stripes we are healed.” Jesus bled from His back for us.
3. JESUS BLED FROM HIS HEAD
John 19:2 reveals that the Roman soldiers placed “a crown of thorns” on Jesus’ head. These thorns were not the prickers that are common around here; they were strong and sharp and were savagely smashed into our Savior’s head. “O sacred Head, now wounded, / With grief and shame weighed down!” Genesis 3:18 specifically states that “thorns” would flourish due to Adam’s sin; our Lord’s resulting suffering reminds us of the sad outworkings of sin. Of course, the soldiers unwittingly confirmed that Jesus is the King (John 19:3). It is our Savior’s intent to reward us with crowns in heaven (I Thessalonians 2:19; II Timothy 4:8; James 1:12; I Peter 5:4). Since He has borne our crown of thorns, it is only appropriate that in worship of Him we will cast these crowns before Him in eternity (Revelation 4:10). Jesus bled from His head for us.
4. JESUS BLED FROM HIS FEET
John 19:17-18 simply says that “they crucified Him.” Nails (possibly wooden pegs) were driven into those “beautiful…feet” (Isaiah 52:7) that walked on water and carried the Gospel message throughout Israel. As we sang earlier today, “See, from His head, His hands, His feet, / Sorrow and love flow mingled down.” Jesus bled from His feet for us.
5. JESUS BLED FROM HIS HANDS
Those strong hands that blessed little children and performed a multitude of miracles were nailed to the Cross when “they crucified Him” (John 19:18). Those gentle conduits of compassion were hammer-harmed and spike-shattered. The hymn “My Hope Is in the Lord” reveals an eternal truth: “And now for me He stands / Before the Father’s throne: He shows His wounded hands and names me as His own.” Jesus bled from His hands for us.
6. JESUS BLED FROM HIS SIDE
The death of Jesus was confirmed by the thrust of a Roman soldier’s spear (John 19:33-37). Even this callous act fulfilled Old Testament prophecy (Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12; Psalm 34:20; Zechariah 12:10). Moreover, the resulting scar became another identifying feature of our resurrected Lord (John 20:25-28). “Crown Him the Lord of love: / Behold His hands and side – / Rich wounds, yet visible above, / In beauty glorified.” Jesus bled from His side for us.
CONCLUSION – Before the Cross, on the Cross, even after His death on the Cross, the wounds of Jesus bled for us. May each of us trust in Him alone for salvation, and may our love for Him deepen. “Love so amazing, so divine, / Demands my soul, my life, my all.”