By His Wounds We Are Healed
A Friday Meditation
In what is probably the earliest complete commentary on the Gospel of Mark, an ancient Christian writer comments on the suffering and death of Jesus:
This was so that by his guilt he might remove our guilt; that by the blindfold on his face, he might take the blindfold from our hearts; that by receiving the spits, he might wash the face of our soul; that by the blows by which he was struck on the head, he might heal the head of the human race, which is Adam;...that by his cross he might eliminate our torment; that by his death, he might put to death our death...The insults he received remove our shame. His bonds made us free. By the crown of thorns on his head, we have obtained the diadem of the kingdom. By his wounds we have been healed. By his burial we resurrect. By his descent into hell we ascend into heaven.