The Wounds of Jesus

Spurgeon meditates on the remarkable fact that Jesus chose to retain the marks of his crucifixion after his resurrection and into his glorified state in heaven, offering a rich series of reasons: they proved his identity to the disciples, they serve as the ornaments and trophies of his victory over death, they are his perpetual intercession before the Father requiring no words, they demonstrate that his priesthood continues unchanged, and they will stand as accusers against all who rejected him at the final judgment. He then draws three practical lessons from the wounds for believers: that suffering is necessary for every member of Christ's body since the head himself was not spared, that Christ's wounds are the ground of his perfect sympathy with every suffering saint, and that suffering is actually an honorable thing — the royal regalia of the kingdom, a blood-red crown of martyrdom — because Christ has made his own wounds into eternal glory rather than shame. He closes with warm encouragement first to the weak and wounded believer — that Christ took even his wounds to heaven and will not discard the broken parts of his body — and then to the trembling sinner who fears their sins are too great, pointing to Christ's outstretched hands and open side as proof that there is easy access to his heart, and the dying monk's final cry as the fullest possible gospel: Tu vulnera Jesu — "Your wounds, O Jesus!"Sermon delivered by Charles Spurgeon on January 30th, 1859.