Stripes for Sickness

‘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

I’ve never sat down to watch The Passion of the Christ all the way through. First, it’s in another language. But more than that—my heart can’t take it. To some, it might just be a film, but knowing it depicts Jesus’ crucifixion? That’s painful. The flogging scene alone—the sound design, the slow motion, the brutality. And when Jesus collapses under the weight of it? I’ve only seen clips, but that was enough.

Jim Caviezel (who played Jesus) once shared in an interview that some of the stripes were real. During the first take of the flogging, the actors playing Roman soldiers got carried away—their whips struck him multiple times by accident. Caviezel felt that pain. And, if that’s how it was for Jim—just an actor, with people pretending to hurt him—imagine what it was like for Jesus.

It Hurt To The Muscles

The whip they used on Jesus was leather twisted with bone and metal, designed to rip flesh open. And the flogging was a normal step on someone’s crucifixion. A very unnecessary if you ask me. It’s just pure wickedness—tufiakwa ndi Rome.

Scripture tells us Jewish law limited flogging to 40 lashes (Deuteronomy 25:3). But the men who flogged Jesus weren’t actors holding back. They struck with hatred, with venom. They flogged until the person was barely alive. Many didn’t even make it to the cross.

But the amazing thing is that the Bible doesn’t even dwell on this phenomenal event of great pain. Matthew just says, “Pilate handed Him over to be scourged” (Matthew 27:26). No details. No slow-motion close-ups. Just… “He was flogged.” Like it was a footnote. I believe it’s because the pain wasn’t the point. The purpose was.

All For You

Beloved, every stripe, every lash – He bore them for you. Not just the physical agony of the whip tearing His flesh to the muscle, not just the humiliation of the flogging pole, but the very torment that killed other men – He endured it all. For you. Others died from less, but Jesus refused to succumb. Why? Because His love for you anchored Him through that unspeakable pain. He held on through the torture that should have killed Him, because His mission wasn’t complete until every last stripe was laid – until His body was fully broken so yours could be made whole.

This is the divine exchange: His brutal beating purchased your complete healing. His shredded flesh secured your wholeness. When that whip tore into His back, it wasn’t just Roman soldiers wielding it – it was your sickness, your disease, your infirmity being placed upon Him.

So now when pain tries to claim what Christ has redeemed, remember: Every stripe He took was a declaration over your body – “By these wounds, you are healed.” That whip didn’t just break His body – it broke the power of sickness over yours forever.

Prayer

Father, I thank You—Your stripes bought my healing. Every wound Jesus endured secured my wholeness. So now, I speak to my body: By His stripes, you are healed. Function as God designed you to!

I rebuke every spirit of infirmity—in Jesus’ name, you have no place here! I command every sickness to flee my body and my household. By the blood of Jesus, I decree: Divine health is mine! Amen.

Shalom