Our Well-being

Isaiah 53 (pt 5)

But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities

The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him

And by His scourging we are healed.

Chastening, it actually sounds like a gentle term, but for Jesus, it certainly wasn’t.  Today we will deal with the sufferings of Christ to bring about our well-being, our wholeness.  The word well-being in this context, means: Peace, Completeness, Soundness, Welfare, Safety, Health, Prosperity.  But on a more interesting note, it means Friendship: in human relationships, and with God in Covenant.  I love it.  O, the Victories that Christ accomplished for us on the Cross.  So many areas of potential defeat in the human realm were carried and atoned for by Our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross.  People claim, all the time, that they have irreconcilable differences, but the Word of God begs to differ.

In this context, chastening means: instruction, correction, reproof and rebuke.  God has caused the chastening, the instruction, the correction, the rebuke, the reproof; that we ourselves need, to fall upon Christ on the Cross.  This bearing of our chastening makes the reconciliation of friendships and relationships extremely possible.  When we come to Jesus in a state of broken-ness, humility and seeking after Him, He reveals to us the areas of our lives that need correction, instruction, the areas that need change in order for our friendships with others and with God to be made whole.  Here is a quote from one of my favorite movies about relationships.

Shepard James ‘Shep’ Walker: You live with someone long enough, you can see what they’re trying to hide by the way they try to hide it. (Ya Ya Sisterhood) IMDb

We all have areas in our lives where we have been wounded by others, or perhaps by our own bad choices. But Jesus has made the way for restoration by bearing these broken places upon Himself on the Cross. By His chastening, we are provided the way to well-being, peace, completeness, soundness, welfare, safety, health and Prosperity. These are all personal benefits. But relationally, it’s even better; Jesus has made the way for restoration in friendship between people, relationships with family, and in the church. Another great quote from the movie:

Shepard James ‘Shep’ Walker: I think it can best be said… The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

Sidda: Well, what about the road back? What’s that paved with?

Shepard James ‘Shep’ Walker: Humility.   IMDb.

Through Jesus’ humiliation, we can choose humility in relationships, and seek restoration, by asking God to show us the areas where we need to change first. For God’s sake, people! Absolutely, for God’s sake, and for His Glory, let us do all we can to be reconciled to one another.   I will leave you with Ephesians 4 to ponder:

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, ³ being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.