But He was wounded for our transgressions, He
was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our
peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 (NKJV)
As this Easter Day draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on this
powerful verse. Certainly, it is the central theme of this Passion season—that as
a result of Jesus Christ’s sacrificial suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection,
the price for mankind’s redemption from sin and death has been fully paid. However,
it is the word “healed” that fascinates me. What exactly was Isaiah referring
to? Was it the healing of our souls? Or perhaps the healing of our broken
relationship with God Himself?
I believe I found some answers to this question in the lyrics of an old
folk hymn. It was one we used two nights ago to open our Good Friday service. I
actually had the privilege of participating in a small sixteen-voice ensemble
that presented it as the opening number for our time of contemplation and
reflection. O Dearest Lord, Thy Sacred Head, is a simple, but moving
number arranged by David Johnson from a melody taken from the Supplement of
Kentucky Harmony, a 19th century collection of shape-note folk hymns.
The lyrics were written by Father Andrew (also known as Ernest Hardy) in 1930. They
are as follows:
O dearest Lord, thy
sacred head
With thorns was
pierced for me;
O pour thy blessing
on my head
That I may think for
thee.
O dearest Lord, thy sacred
hands
With nails were
pierced for me;
O shed thy blessing
on my hands,
That they may work
for thee.
O dearest Lord, thy
sacred feet
With nails were
pierced for me;
O pour thy blessing
on my feet
That they may follow
thee.
O dearest Lord, thy
sacred heart
With spear was
pierced for me;
O pour they Spirit in
my heart
That I may live for
thee.
What strikes me about
these words is how they create a link between the wounds of Christ and specific
healing I can experience. Far from being a broad, generalization, they help me
understand how four fundamental aspects of my identity are forever transformed when
I accept the gracious gift of Christ’s atonement.
The first healing transformation
is with my thinking. As Christ pours his blessing on my head, I find that my
entire thought paradigm is changed. Instead of being trapped in self-defeating
patterns of anxiety or unbalanced self-esteem (too high or too low), I am
instead freed to think in new and noble ways as a steward of the Master of the
Universe.
The second healing
transformation is focused on the work of my hands. Here, the change is not so
much the activity my hands actually do (i.e. the particular type of career I’m
in) but it is the reason for which that work is done that changes. The song says,
“That they (my hands) may work for thee.” When I am conscious that what I am doing,
mundane as it might be, is ultimately something that can bring glory to God, it
changes everything.
The third healing
transformation is about my feet which symbolizes the trajectory of my life. Following
the Master, wherever He may lead, can very often change the direction of my
professional pursuits, as has happened multiple times during my own career.
Those sorts of major shifts can be daunting and even debilitating, if done strictly
within the context of our own perspective. But when I know the “bend in the
road” has been prescribed by the One who told me to follow him, I need not be
alarmed. I need simply trust and obey and look with anticipation what new thing
He has in store around the corner.
The final healing
transformation is about my heart and the ultimate essence of my life-purpose. To
“live for thee,” is to let my identity as a Christ-follower take precedence over
all other demands and callings. I must never forget, as Steven Curtis Chapman’s
song lyrics so aptly state, “God is God, and I am not.” However, I am God’s child, His servant, and His
steward and within these phenomenal relationships, I can find true and lasting
life-purpose.
One final image this
song offers comes from the words pierced and poured.
It is from Christ’s wounds experienced through piercing that blessing and
transformational power is poured out on someone like me. It makes me think of
the anointing that took place in the Old Testament, such as this one
recorded in 1 Samuel 16:13 - So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day
on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.
That’s why I like the
imagery of this historic hymn. It helps me envision Christ as God’s “horn” or vessel
full of unquenchable resource that had to be pierced in order that the oil of blessing
could be poured out on me—on my head, my hands, my feet, and my heart.
May the hope of this blessing
and potential renewal encourage you and me alike as we move ahead into the rest
of this year remembering these lessons from an old Easter Hymn.
