'Look Unto Me' Devotional (what Jesus suffered for me)

By his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

Pilate delivered our Lord over to his executioners to be scourged, and a Roman scourging whip was an incredibly dreadful instrument of torture. It was made of the tendons of oxen cut into straps, with sharp pieces of bone interspersed along each strap. So every time the straps hit the flesh, the pieces of bone inflicted horrible lacerations, literally ripping the flesh from the bones of the victim. There can be no doubt the Savior was tied to a pole and severely beaten in this way. He had been struck and beaten before, but this beating by the Roman executioners was probably the most severe of His beatings.

Dear believer, imagine this scene, then stand over Him, weeping for His poor stricken body. Can you gaze on Him without shedding tears, as He lies before you as the perfect representation of agonizing love? At the same time He is as fair as a lily in His innocence and as red as a rose with the crimson color of His own blood. As you sense the certain and blessed healing "his wounds" have fashioned in you, doesn't your heart instantly melt with love and grief? If you have ever loved our Lord Jesus, surely now you must feel that affection for Him brightly glowing within your heart.

See how the patient Jesus stands,
Insulted in His lowest case!
Sinners have bound the Almighty's hands,
And spit in their Creator's face.

With thorns His temples gored and gashed
Send streams of blood from every part.
His back with knotted scourges lashed,
But sharper scourges tear His heart.
Samuel Hart, 1845-?

We would rather stay in our room this morning and weep, but our work calls us away. Before we leave, however, may we first pray that our Beloved Savior imprint the image of His bleeding body upon the tablets of our heart all day long. Then at nightfall may we return to commune with Him, with true sorrow that our sin cost Him so dearly.

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

Redemption is defined as "freedom obtained through a price paid." Today we have considered that price, but who can fully calculate Jesus' pain and suffering, or the value of even one drop of His blood!

We think of so-called precious metals as having great value, but the truth is they have no eternal value. In fact, since the word precious literally means "priceless or beyond the ability to value," metals such as silver and gold are not truly precious. And as we see from the following, they are indeed perishable:

"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Pet. 1:18-19).