Healing Is a Part of Redemption
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bruised for our iniquities,” not His, “the chastisement of our peace was upon him.” He deserved
no punishment; we did. If He took my punishment, do I have to have it anyway?
Think about this. It’s so obvious. Let’s say you’re in another country. There are still numerous
countries where if you break one of their laws, they’ll take you right out on the street, tie you up,
and beat you with a stick. Let’s say you and I were circling the world on vacation, and you broke
someone’s rule and didn’t mean to. The next thing you know, they’re going to take you out, and
they’re going to beat you silly, maybe until you die, and I say, “Wait! Can I take their place?”
Let’s say maybe I was younger than you, or I was a little stronger that you. “Can I take their
place?”
They say, “Yes. It’s accepted under our law.”
What if I went and they beat me, and it took me three weeks to get over it, before I could walk,
and yet they show up at your house right after that and say, “Come get your beating. We came to
beat you. You broke the law. You deserve it.” What would you say?
You would say, “No! Keith took my beating.” If you let them beat you anyway, why did I do it?
What good did it do me to take that if you let them beat you anyway?
By His beating, we’re free. By Him taking our punishment, legally we should not be punished,
even though we’re the ones who committed the sin. Because even though He didn’t commit the
sin, He took the punishment.
Get this. This gets stronger as you go.
Verse 6 continues, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own
way; and the L
ORD
hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was
afflicted, yet He opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep
before her shearers is dumb…” “Dumb” means “not talking, silent.” “So he openeth not his
mouth.” It said it again.
Say this out loud:
“He opened not His mouth. He opened not His mouth.”
Go back to the scenario I gave you. We’re in this other country, you got into trouble, and I let
them beat me to keep you from being beaten. They come to your house the next day to beat you.
What if you don’t open your mouth? Then you’re going to get beaten. Why? Did you have to get
beaten?
Some would say, “Well, you learned something through it.” Well, you weren’t supposed to.
If you were beaten, then I took the beating in vain, for no reason. The Gospel is substitution.
Redemption is exchange. Do you know why you’re not going to hell? Because He went. Do you
know why you’re not going to pay the price for your sin? Because He did. Do you know why
you don’t have to be sick? Because He took it. It’s exactly the same through the whole realm of
life.
