Christ Wounded For Us
Five wounds of Christ can be identified in the final scenes before Jesus death. The crown of thorns pricked at Christ’s head. A spear pierced Christ’s side. Whips tore at Jesus’ back. And nails punctured his feet and hands. Not a pleasant scene, but we cannot grasp the significance of the cross without reflection on Christ’s suffering.
Because of these wounds, and the suffering of Christ hanging on the cross, we know Christ relates to our suffering, our wounds and our woundedness.
All of us are wounded in some way, some in many ways. Being wounded is part of being human. Some wounds come from our own mistakes or sinful acts, leaving wounds and scars that we must deal with the rest of our life. Other wounds are inflicted on us by others. Intentional or not, the verbal barbs of others wound us as surely as the thorns pricked at Christ’s head. The actions of others can pierce us just painfully as the spear pierced Christ.
As I prepared ash for our Ash Wednesday service, the ash leftover from last year and spoiled, resulting in a tar like substance. As I cleaned up the mess, I reflected on how the ash represents our mortality and sin and our woundedness. If we let sin go unchecked we end up with a mess like that old ash that had not been tended. If we allow our wounds fester before seeking help, healing becomes much more difficult.
That is what Lent is about. Time to check on our sins and woundedness and see what needs attention.
For Christians know that sin and woundedness is only half the story. The message of the cross, that empty cross after Easter when Christ experienced resurrection and overcome his death and suffering, is that we too can experience healing of our wounds. We must seek to move beyond our wounds and to allow God to heal our woundedness. This is possible in Christ where we find reconciliation, healing and new life.
This is the focus of our Lenten series. Come and experience that which is only available at the foot of the cross: reconciliation, healing and new life.
Ron