“God is a just god; our sins cannot go unpunished. God is a merciful god; He would not allow us to suffer the death we deserved for our sins. But God is also a god of grace; and He would find a way to serve justice for our sins without allowing us to suffer its true consequences – by offering His son in our place.”
There are about 4200 religions estimated around the world. From that, with certain religions having more than one god, there are an estimated 8,000-12,000 deities known throughout history. These gods are worshipped by men, as they are seen and revered as perfect beings; a far cry from us mortals. There is one God however, who allowed Himself to be as vulnerable as we all are. Already a God, he came down to earth living amongst us. Experiencing fear, loneliness, abandonment, rejection, and all other negative emotions we humans succumb to. Physical pain was no exception. Excruciating pain was necessary. This god was eventually wounded, and died in the hands of men. There is no other god like this one. Jesus, as we Christians have come to know Him is the only wounded God known to mankind.
As a college student, excerpts from Henri Nouwen’s “The Wounded Healer” was a required reading. As I went through them, I fell in love with the Christ who was so much like me. Gods are meant to be looked up to, and to be chased even if they are supposedly unreachable. This god, the one we call Christ, seemed to be just by my side. Yes, he was deity. But He was also very human – a god I can not only identify with, but a god I can choose to break bread with everyday of life.
“In our own woundedness, we can become a source of life for others,” was the line that truly caught my attention. When we hurt, only a friend who has been through the same experience can effectively comfort us. Christ was the first wounded healer. People question how someone who called himself the King of the Jews, sent by the father Himself, and the Son of Man in the flesh, could allow such a tragic death to end His life. If He was truly god, He would have done something about it. But if He did, will we ever be able to relate to Him? Or will God continue to be a distant being that we are forever separated from because of sin?
We may never understand it fully, but the hanging of Christ on the cross was absolutely necessary. The greatness and goodness of our God makes Him unreachable for sinners like ourselves and needed an atonement like no other. For thousands of years, the Jewish people would offer sacrificial animals to make-up for their sins. Truth be told however, none of the animals they offered could really bridge us back to God. The sins of the world were so grave, that only an unblemished, holy of holiest being, could bridge the wide gap between God and man. God is a just god; our sins cannot go unpunished. God is a merciful god; He would not allow us to suffer the death we deserved for our sins. But God is also a god of grace; and He would find a way to serve justice for our sins without allowing us to suffer its true consequences – by offering His son in our place.
When you start to see sin as a suffering you need saving from, then Christ has touched your life in a way that no god can ever do. Such is the value of a wounded healer. When we take a good look at Him, His grace is so ever blinding, it reflects our true selves like a mirror does. We see how far we have fallen and are able to bow our heads down in humility. We learn to lift our faults to God instead of hiding them from Him in shame and guilt. This capacity is a gift that can only come from a god you know you can unite with one day. For He is a god of hope, and not a god that enslaves.
But why does evil continue to proper here on earth? Even if we choose to accept His grace, we continue to experience pain and suffering in our lives. Most would question why this is so, and walk away. For how can such a loving God allow these horrible experiences for His people? It just doesn’t make any sense at all. But neither does it make sense for a one year old to see his father pay a doctor to stab a needle under his skin even if it contained a very important vaccine. We all know this is necessary to prevent further turmoil in his life, but there is just no way for his tiny baby brain to understand this. In the same way, a shepherd would have to yank his sheep in the neck from time to time just to make sure it doesn’t stray away. At times, we may not be able to comprehend God’s work in our lives on earth. During such moments however, the image of Christ on the cross brings great calm and allows us to move forward as Christians. The fact that He himself went through it, then conquered death after three days makes me believe that the pain and suffering we question will cease when His love story for us comes to its eternal end. Such is the power of a wounded deity, a god like no other.
Competitive in Christ 