By His Stripes we are healed;Sozo; saved
“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:3-5 KJV
The Significance of Jesus’ Wounds
1. Stripes on His Back
Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. (John 19:1, ESV)
In an effort to appease the people, Pilate ordered the lictor (a trained expert in the art of torture) to whip Jesus, a punishment for criminals. This was done so that scripture might be fulfilled (see Isa. 53:5, Isa. 50:6). Even Jesus predicted this in Matthew 20:19. This is a physical representation of the spiritual act of propitiation, that is, Jesus took our place. Just as the blood was sprinkled on the altar in Exodus 29:15-16, Jesus blood was sprinkled each time the whip dug into His flesh.