Have you ever wondered what the Bible means by the verse that says, “By His stripes, we are healed?” Many people disagree on what this verse means in terms of healing—spiritual, physical, and otherwise. However, if we take a look at the Bible as a whole, we’ll see a pattern pointing both forward to and back to Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross—a sacrifice that bought our healing.

In the Old Covenant, God’s people were instructed to observe certain feasts and rituals that pointed forward to Jesus. For instance, on the Day of Passover, they would eat unleavened bread—this bread had stripes, burnt places, and the like; and it foreshadowed Jesus, who called Himself the Bread of Life. Additionally, on the Day of Passover, the Israelites put the blood of a spotless lamb on the doorposts, so that the angel of death would pass over them. John called Jesus the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

All of these types were looking forward to Jesus. When they offered a lamb for sacrifice, God credited them with what Jesus would do in the future. When we look back to the cross and believe in Christ, God also credits us with what Jesus did in the past! God’s not linear like we are—we see past, present, and future. But God sees the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). He sees everything at one time. It’s not deep for God to tell us the future, because He sees the future from the past.

So just as the Israelites were healed and cleansed by looking forward to Jesus, we are healed and cleansed by looking back to Him. At the cross, Jesus paid the price—not only for our salvation, but for the healing of our bodies. He was striped, He was burned, to pay the price. He was the slain Lamb, that gives us victory over death, sin, and the grave.

When it comes to healing, I’m not trying to get healing. I already have healing. I’m just coming to obtain that which He already purchased. So even despite the lies that the enemy tries to throw at me, I’m going to hold on to God’s unchanging hand. I’m going to trust Him; I’m going to take Him at His Word, believing it’s already done. By His stripes, I was healed!

Live Big!

Dr. Derek Grier