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“Ouch! Ouch!”, my 7 year-old granddaughter yelled as I tried to reintroduce an earring into the piercing in her ear.  She doesn’t like to keep earrings in her ears but she likes it even less when I try to put the earrings back in after they’ve been out for a while. The longer the earring is not in that hole, the harder it is to put it back in. She squeals and squirms as I try to fit the post of the earring into the hole.

I remember when I had my ears pierced as a little girl.  Oh the pain!! Back in the day, ears were pierced with a sterilized needle and then a piece of straw from a straw broom.  The straw was broken, burned on both ends and pushed through the hole.  A week or so later, the piercer would thread a piece of string through the hole to make sure the hole did not close before the piercing was permanently set.  I remembered my pain as I was trying to keep her from pulling away from me. Suddenly, I could only imagine what it must have felt like for Jesus to be pierced!  Pierced for my sins. Pierced and crushed for the sins of the world.  He willingly bore that pain.  He didn’t resist it.

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.  Isaiah 53:5  NASB

Pierced through. Yes, pierced through for my sins and your sins.  Christ was “wounded” or “pierced”

(1) by the thorns;

(2) by the nails; and

(3) by the spear of the soldier.

Maybe you cannot relate to the piercing of the ears, nose, belly button, eyebrow, lip, etc., but can you relate to having a soul pierced by pain?  A broken heart is a very real emotion. When I as a mom and a grandmother see my precious babies hurting in anyway, I am undone. It feels like my very own soul is pierced. When they hurt, I hurt.  Jesus’ mother, Mary, dealt with this same thing. It was prophesied by Simeon that her baby boy would suffer. He would be a suffering servant. Mary would suffer with Him, because of the nearness of her relationship and affection for Him. Think about that. Not only was Jesus Christ’s body pierced, her soul would be pierced as well. Has your soul ever been pierced? Is the pain of that piercing still fresh?

And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed—and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” 

Luke 2:35

Mary would suffer much pain in watching her son be rejected. Pain as caused by a sword. Consider this from Barnes’ Notes on the Bible: “Yes, a sword … – The sufferings and death of thy Son shall deeply afflict thy soul. And if Mary had not been thus forewarned and sustained by strong faith, she could not have borne the trials which came upon her Son; but God prepared her for it, and the mother of the dying Saviour was sustained.” 

Mary needed strong faith because of what was to come – the crucifixion of her precious son.  We, too, need strong faith when our souls are pierced because of what happens to our children.  But, just as Mary put her son in God’s hands, we must do the same.  We cannot keep our loved ones from feeling/dealing with pain.  Our pain exists because we love them.

I’m so glad that God speaks through the ordinary, mundane tasks of my day (like putting in earrings). I’m thankful that He reminded me that the pain of piercing affects the pierced and and those who love them.  Thank You, Jesus, for enduring the piercing pain so that I might be healed.  This Easter, may we remember the piercing.

+First Look:  The Bible has many references of piercings.  Look up the following scriptures: Psalm 22:16; Zechariah 12:10; 1 Timothy 6:10; Revelation 1:7; Hebrews 4:12

+Through The Looking Glass: What might God be saying to you in these passages?  Does it change the way you think about piercing the soul? Why or why not?  How does His piercing affect your eternal salvation? Give thanks.