The word ‘stripes’ here is ‘chabbuwrah’ in Hebrew (pronounced ‘khab-boo-raw’), from the word ‘chabar’ (‘khaw-bar’), which means ‘to join (together), to have fellowship with, to join oneself together, to be coupled together, to come into alliance with, to be associated with’. In other words, the statement ‘by His stripes you are healed’ can mean ‘by His joining together with you, you are healed!’ Wow! You know what it means? When He died for you on the cross, He has also identified Himself with all your pains and sicknesses.
‘To identify’ means
‘to share with somebody, to be joined together with, to be recognized with
that somebody’, and that’s exactly what He has done for you on the cross! In
other words, He identifies with your
pains, and in exchange, you identify
with His healing and divine health!
The word ‘bruised’ in this verse is ‘daka’ in Hebrew, which means ‘to be crushed, to be broken in pieces’, and Isaiah 53:10 says ‘it pleased the Lord to bruise Jesus’, and it was done for your sake.
Not only He identifies with your pains and sicknesses, but He also identifies with your ‘death’ (or any ‘dead-end’ situation of yours), so that you can identify with His 'resurrection' and ‘life’! Do you see the divine exchange between Him and you at the cross?
In John chapter 11, Lazarus was already dead when Mary (the sister of Lazarus) fell down at Jesus’ feet and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died’ (John 11:32). When Jesus saw her weeping, He groaned and wept too. You see, Jesus loved this family very much, and He felt for them and identified with their pains. He then went to Lazarus’ tomb, and that’s when Martha (the other sister of Lazarus) said, “Lord, by this time there is (already) a stench, for he (Lazarus) has been dead four days.” But Jesus answered, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:39-40). He then cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” (John 11:43), and that's how Lazarus came back to life! Hallelujah!
People of God, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Today, there’s nothing (or no situation of yours) that He cannot identify with, no matter how ‘dead’ you think it may be. The same Jesus who groaned and wept (i.e. identified) with Lazarus’ family is the same Him in you today. And just as He loved Lazarus’ family very much, He loves you (and your family) very much too! Hebrews 4:15 says, ‘for we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses…’ He is your High Priest who can identify with every situation of yours. And today, I want to tell you that you are so very blessed because you have Him in you!
He is also never too late for you either. Lazarus’ sisters thought He was way too late to do anything by then, but to Jesus, this wasn’t the case at all! Today, He is also never too late for you. He is always on time for you, a very present help in time of trouble (Psalm 46:1). So, take heart, my friend, because whatever situation you may be facing at the moment, know that Jesus can identify with you and turn your ‘dead’ situation into ‘life’ again, just as He did for Lazarus’ family. Believing this, you'll receive. He IS (present tense) your resurrection and life! (John 11:25)
Recently, I heard this assurance from the Lord, and I know this is for you too: “Better days are ahead of you. Just don’t let the devil or anyone cause you to think otherwise.” Receive these words by faith for yourself (and for your loved ones too). And rest assured it’s never too late yet, because He is very much 'alive' in you today (see also Colossians 1:27). Amen!
