Bruised and bloody

He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).

In the days of Oliver Cromwell, a young soldier was sentenced to die at the ringing of the evening curfew. The woman who loved this soldier went to Cromwell to plead for his life, but he turned her down with an unsympathetic “no.” She then rushed to the sexton of the church who was to ring the curfew, but he too refused to help her. The fatal hour came, and they marched her beloved out to be executed. The sexton went to the bell tower and began to pull the rope.

But no shots were fired. Up in the bell tower the young woman clung desperately to the bell, while below the virtually deaf sexton kept pulling the rope, thinking that the bell was ringing. After the sexton had left, having done his daily duty, the woman came down from the tower and hurried to Cromwell, her hands bleeding and her body bruised. When Cromwell asked why the curfew had not rung, she told him what she had done to save the life of the man she loved. Cromwell then said to her: “Curfew shall not ring tonight.” From that day on, the young soldier was devoted to the woman who loved him. Because she had saved him, he would have been willing to anything for her, even at the cost of his own life.

Jesus’ body was bruised and His blood was shed when He hung on the cross for our sins. Our Lord endured this punishment so that we could be spared God’s condemnation for our crimes against His Law. Because Jesus offered up His life for us, we no longer fear death, because He has promised that death will be no more permanent for us than it was for Him. In response to this, it is only natural that we should be completely devoted to our Savior, dedicating our time and our skills to His service. Please join me in praying:

We thank You, Lord Jesus, for trading Your glorious throne in heaven for the terrible throne of the cross, so that by Your suffering our lives might be spared. Forgive us for all our sins, especially for taking Your sacrifice for granted. In Your Name we pray, amen.