Bearing The Wounds of Jesus

by Arlene Ghilardi

s Christians who desire to be conformed to the image of Christ, it doesn’t take long before we are drawn into a walk with the wounded Lamb of God. It is tempting to embrace just the beginnings of our faith and make that the whole. We want to believe because Jesus was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities that we as believers are never called upon to bear wounds or suffer because we have become a Christian. A closer look into the scriptures will reveal the awesome truth that if we are indeed called Christians we are called to go through the same things Jesus went through when here on His earthly pilgrimage.

We are crucified with Christ. We are buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him in newness of life. Is that the extent to which we will be with Him? If we say we want to be with Him eternally then what makes us think we will not be called upon to bear His wounds in the earth today? Paul knew this walk of identification. Colossians 1:24 speaks of Paul’s experience of suffering. As he walked with the Lord and laid down his life to serve God’s church he was aware that he was filling up the afflictions of Christ in his own flesh.

John 6: 48-69 gives us the picture very clearly. These words are spoken by Jesus just after He multiplied bread and fish to sustain 5,000 people. What a blessing! What a joy to be with Jesus that day! As they followed Him for more He began to explain that the bread worth living for was not the physical bread that ministers to the needs of the physical body, but rather Jesus Himself. He goes on to say the unthinkable: “Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.” (John 6:54-56).

How does this translate to our lives today? We feel the real emptiness of the vain pursuit of material life. Time after time our chase for physical comfort or in some cases mere physical survival leaves us empty and looking for more to life. Jesus told the crowd that he that comes to Him would never hunger and he that believes on Him would never thirst. Why are we so empty searching here, there, and everywhere for fulfillment? The wounded hands of Jesus bid us come; come to be with Him. To eat His flesh and drink His blood is an invitation to do; not just dream about nor just talk about; but actually do His will. Jesus’ meat was to do His Father’s will. (John 4:34). This is where the suffering comes in.

Sometimes our loving heavenly Father’s will is not our first choice. He leads us in a path that we find uncomfortable, unknown, unsuitable and unpalatable. God’s way offends us. This is why Jesus exhorts the disciples to believe. (John 6:61-64) It takes tenacious faith to believe what He says when it is not what we want. If we want more of Him this is the walk. If we want Jesus to fill the emptiness there is only one way: Not my will but Thine be done! This declaration will invite divine interference like never before. Our will becomes His in the daily events of life. Onlookers do not understand this way. They would not want to follow a God who makes His children suffer so. They cannot embrace the way but our fulfilled hearts cry out, “Thy will be done, Thy kingdom come in earth (in me) as it is in heaven.”