A VISION OF THE JESUS AT THE WHIPPING POST
The following story is an excerpt from the Book, “What You Say Is What You Get”, pp 136-138, by Don Gossett, published in 1976 by Whitaker House
Henry Gallers of Wanganui, New Zealand, related this poignant account to me recently when I was overseas conducting crusades.
“On April 25, 1952, some believers were having a tarrying meeting in Wanganui. This kind of meeting often follows a formal kind of meeting. The emphasis of the ministry that evening had concerned the Holy Spirit. It had been brought out that there is no teacher so powerful as the Holy Spirit. He alone searches out the deep things of God and reveals them to us.
A Young lad of fifteen had received the Holy Spirit, and joy filled the congregation. As his mother looked at the boy, however she was disturbed. He seemed anything but joyous. His face looked pained and drawn and white. She wondered at his unusual appearance.
Later that boy explained to us what had been happening with him. As he had been thinking of the great sacrifice that Jesus had made for him, he had a vision of the scourging of Jesus. That’s why he wasn’t so joyful. He saw our Lord tied up, hanging by the wrists, suspended so that His feet just touched the ground. He saw the Roman soldier inflict on Jesus the first blow with that whip.
That young man, like many other people, had had the idea that because Jesus was meek, he must have been a rather frail-looking, slightly-built man! Not at all! The miles that Jesus strode over those hot dusty Galilean hills demanded a strong and able body. Also, sometimes people forget that Jesus was only thirt-three when He was crucified.
In his vision the lad saw Jesus young back and his massive and muscular shoulders, muscular enough to enable Him to carry that heavy cross. No matter how strong His body, However, that cat-o’-nine-tails cut Him and pained Him just as it would either you or me. The roman soldier’s lash cut a deep furrow across Jesus’ back that day. It chopped His flesh and scattered blood. But Jesus was able to bear it.
The lad’s previous knowledge of the scourging of Jesus had been very limited. When he knelt to pray, he hadn’t really had any idea of what a scourging was like. Unexpectedly, though, right before his closed eyes came a symbolic vision of what had happened on the spiritual level those centuries ago. In his mind’s eye, he saw a great mob of people standing around. It was not a mob such as had actually witnessed that flogging in Jerusalem. Rather, he saw standing there a great crowd of cripples and ailing people. Some had crutches. Some had other means of support.
He saw only one of the thirty-nine blows our Lord received,but as the whip recoiled from that cutting blow, pieces of flesh and flecks of blood flew our over the mob. Miracle of miracles, and with all glory to God, anywhere that the tiniest particle of flesh or the merest fleck of blood fell the person upon whom it landed was instantly healed; he was made perfectly whole!
Thepeople were dropping their crutches and walking about, demonstrating their healing. Here was the Body broken, and here was theBlood shed for their healing.
The smallest imaginable droplet of blood from that blow was charged with the power to heal. When you know that Jesus bore not one, but thirty-nine stripes and you know the suffering that He endured, you can realize the healing power which will yet flow for all who will only say and mean, “With His stripes I am Healed.” The lad’s vision was symbolic. The crowd he saw wasn’t the crowd that actually witnessed Jesus’ flogging. We were among the ill and crippled healed by His stripes.
When the lad rose to his feet, joy flooded his face. He no longer dwelt on the blood and the open wounds of Jesus. He dwelt on the love that Jesus has for us; for in permitting His blood to pour out, He made healing available to all of us.”
“Surely our sicknesses He Himself bore, and our pains He carried. Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
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.
Is 53:4-5 NASB