And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.
The Scripture was fulfilled when the soldier thrust his spear into Jesus' side after His death, marking Him as the pierced one. The flow of blood and water from that wound showed He had a true human body and was already dead. Those who drove the nails and spear will see Him again at His glorious appearing and at the raising of the wicked dead after the thousand years, beholding the nail and spear marks in terror and wailing, and those wounds of suffering will then be His glory. He was pierced in the sinner's place to bear the penalty of the broken law, so that through His death and resurrection every sinner may look to Him and live. To look on Him whom sin has pierced is to see what His sacrifice cost, to mourn personal guilt, and to be led to contrition, gratitude, wholehearted surrender, and a willingness to share His humility, reproach, and suffering rather than seek ease or hold back the heart.
Fulfillment at the Cross
The spear thrust into Jesus' side after He had already died fulfilled the Scripture that they would look on Him whom they pierced, marking Him as the pierced one foretold. The wound was a real injury in His side, inflicted by the soldier at Calvary, and the event to which the prophecy points. His death in this way presents His crucifixion itself as the fulfillment of that prophecy. The blood and water flowing from His side testify that He possessed a real body and was already dead.
This piercing belongs to the account of Christ's suffering and death, a chapter of special importance to believers that strengthens those who suffer for their faith. At His crucifixion He suffered most shamefully, with nails driven through His hands and His feet and His side pierced through with a spear. Though Pilate said he found no fault in Him, He was condemned as the Son of the infinite God, and Pilate must answer to God in the judgment for condemning Him. The piercing happened because Satan was raging against God, showing how men treated the Son of God in His suffering, and His blood shed there bought children with the precious blood of the Son of God and calls them to give their lives to Him.
Wicked Will See Him
Those who pierced Jesus — those who drove the nails into His hands and feet and the soldier who thrust the spear into His side — will look upon Him again when the wicked dead are raised at the second resurrection at the close of the thousand years. He will then appear and descend in glory and kingly majesty with the angels and the saints, and they will see Him. The marks of His crucifixion will remain visible on His body, the marks of the nails in His hands and feet and of the spear in His side. They will recognize Him as the one they crucified, and will face Him with terror and remorse and wailing because of Him. The wounds that mark His suffering will then be His glory.
Those who rejected and pierced Christ will see Him again and face the record of their words and deeds. He died to save sinners while preserving the honor and majesty of God's law.
Looking in Repentance and Consecration
He was pierced because of human sin, and all are called to look upon Him whom their sins pierced. At the cross the only-begotten Son of the Father dies in the sinner's place, bearing the penalty for breaking God's law in order to give the transgressor life. His death and resurrection make reconciliation with God possible, with the gift of holiness and eternal life, and every sinner may look to Christ and live.
To look upon Him whom sin has pierced is to recognize the suffering and sacrifice He gave for human redemption. Seeing His sacrifice reveals the wickedness of sin and the righteousness of Christ, and His life, love, and suffering reveal the depth of His love. That sight leads the sinner to understand the love and suffering given for redemption, awakening contrition, gratitude, and love unto repentance. Those who see what He has done should not withhold their hearts from Him nor resist His love when following Him requires conflict and self-abasement.
The repentant sinner looking upon Christ mourns that personal transgression caused His suffering. He sees that Christ suffered and died to save from guilt and despair and to bring happiness in His kingdom. This vision of the cost of redemption awakens love, gratitude, humility, repentance, and faith that works by love and purifies the soul. It calls for wholehearted repentance, surrender, and a life devoted to Him rather than joined with His enemies. It moves the sinner to put away sin rather than seek permission to continue in it.
Looking upon Christ whom sin pierced, with recognition of the cost of His sacrifice and His self-sacrificing, self-denying love, calls for willingness to share His humility, sorrow, suffering, humiliation, and reproach for the truth. It forbids seeking comfort, worldly ease, or an easier way into His kingdom. Looking upon Jesus whom human sin pierced puts earthly distinctions out of sight, for His self-denial, humility, compassion, and sacrifice expose pride and social caste and show that all people are objects of God's love.
The Scripture was fulfilled when the soldier thrust his spear into Jesus' side after His death, marking Him as the pierced one. The flow of blood and water from that wound showed He had a true human body and was already dead. Those who drove the nails and spear will see Him again at His glorious appearing and at the raising of the wicked dead after the thousand years, beholding the nail and spear marks in terror and wailing, and those wounds of suffering will then be His glory. He was pierced in the sinner's place to bear the penalty of the broken law, so that through His death and resurrection every sinner may look to Him and live. To look on Him whom sin has pierced is to see what His sacrifice cost, to mourn personal guilt, and to be led to contrition, gratitude, wholehearted surrender, and a willingness to share His humility, reproach, and suffering rather than seek ease or hold back the heart.
Fulfillment at the Cross
The spear thrust into Jesus' side after He had already died fulfilled the Scripture that they would look on Him whom they pierced, marking Him as the pierced one foretold. The wound was a real injury in His side, inflicted by the soldier at Calvary, and the event to which the prophecy points. His death in this way presents His crucifixion itself as the fulfillment of that prophecy. The blood and water flowing from His side testify that He possessed a real body and was already dead.
This piercing belongs to the account of Christ's suffering and death, a chapter of special importance to believers that strengthens those who suffer for their faith. At His crucifixion He suffered most shamefully, with nails driven through His hands and His feet and His side pierced through with a spear. Though Pilate said he found no fault in Him, He was condemned as the Son of the infinite God, and Pilate must answer to God in the judgment for condemning Him. The piercing happened because Satan was raging against God, showing how men treated the Son of God in His suffering, and His blood shed there bought children with the precious blood of the Son of God and calls them to give their lives to Him.
Wicked Will See Him
Those who pierced Jesus — those who drove the nails into His hands and feet and the soldier who thrust the spear into His side — will look upon Him again when the wicked dead are raised at the second resurrection at the close of the thousand years. He will then appear and descend in glory and kingly majesty with the angels and the saints, and they will see Him. The marks of His crucifixion will remain visible on His body, the marks of the nails in His hands and feet and of the spear in His side. They will recognize Him as the one they crucified, and will face Him with terror and remorse and wailing because of Him. The wounds that mark His suffering will then be His glory.
Those who rejected and pierced Christ will see Him again and face the record of their words and deeds. He died to save sinners while preserving the honor and majesty of God's law.
Looking in Repentance and Consecration
He was pierced because of human sin, and all are called to look upon Him whom their sins pierced. At the cross the only-begotten Son of the Father dies in the sinner's place, bearing the penalty for breaking God's law in order to give the transgressor life. His death and resurrection make reconciliation with God possible, with the gift of holiness and eternal life, and every sinner may look to Christ and live.
To look upon Him whom sin has pierced is to recognize the suffering and sacrifice He gave for human redemption. Seeing His sacrifice reveals the wickedness of sin and the righteousness of Christ, and His life, love, and suffering reveal the depth of His love. That sight leads the sinner to understand the love and suffering given for redemption, awakening contrition, gratitude, and love unto repentance. Those who see what He has done should not withhold their hearts from Him nor resist His love when following Him requires conflict and self-abasement.
The repentant sinner looking upon Christ mourns that personal transgression caused His suffering. He sees that Christ suffered and died to save from guilt and despair and to bring happiness in His kingdom. This vision of the cost of redemption awakens love, gratitude, humility, repentance, and faith that works by love and purifies the soul. It calls for wholehearted repentance, surrender, and a life devoted to Him rather than joined with His enemies. It moves the sinner to put away sin rather than seek permission to continue in it.
Looking upon Christ whom sin pierced, with recognition of the cost of His sacrifice and His self-sacrificing, self-denying love, calls for willingness to share His humility, sorrow, suffering, humiliation, and reproach for the truth. It forbids seeking comfort, worldly ease, or an easier way into His kingdom. Looking upon Jesus whom human sin pierced puts earthly distinctions out of sight, for His self-denial, humility, compassion, and sacrifice expose pride and social caste and show that all people are objects of God's love.