Soldiers came to the crucified thieves. They took mallets and broke their knees to cause them to die quickly. Jesus hung in the middle. They were about to break the knees of Jesus but He already appeared to be dead; His body hung limply on the cross. They needed proof so…
John 19:34
“…one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.”
Blood and water, not just blood, flowed out of His pierced side. This means that the heart of Jesus was punctured, pierced, destroyed.
Have you ever felt broken-hearted? May this word encourage you. Jesus, whose heart was shattered at the cross, received a whole new heart in His resurrection.
John 20:19-20
“So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and *said to them, “Peace be with you.” And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.”
The hands of Jesus bore the scars of the nails. The side of Jesus bore the scar of His piercing. But the heart of Jesus no longer flowed with blood and water. Thus, it was completely renewed. He had a whole heart once again, as if it had never been wounded. A new heart was given at the resurrection!
These past few years, I have felt beat up by others and by circumstances. My heart ached and even beat irregularly with the pain. I cried out to God for a new heart, one that was not triggered by the pain of the past, one that had not been broken, one that did not feel the need to guard from the hurt of others, one that could love and be loved.
On Resurrection Sunday, I was praying before the service began. I thought of the wounds of His hands and feet. I then pondered His pierced side proving a busted heart, a dead heart, a destroyed heart. Then, I suddenly realized: Jesus has a new heart. Jesus, the crucified one, received a new heart! The resurrection of Jesus proves He was given a new heart, beating vibrantly now with the life that could never be taken again!
That means when I am resurrected out of my trials, my pains, my difficulties, my heart will be made new as well. I do not have to live from the pain of death from my circumstances, from the situations and the people who broke my heart. Instead, my heart can be made new!
I do not know what broke your heart. But I can tell you that the new heart of Jesus is a promise to all of us. He keeps the scars on His hands, feet, and side but not on His heart. While we may bear scars from the pain of our lives, we do not have to live with a broken heart. He makes this promise:
Psalm 147:3a
“He heals the brokenhearted…”
The word for brokenhearted in Hebrew can mean broken in pieces, hurt, torn, or crushed. It is a picture of mass destruction, a heart so devastated that it no longer beats. Yet, God can heal, restore, make a broken heart new, as if it had never been damaged. The resurrected heart of Jesus proves this word in our lives.
Take your broken heart to the Resurrected Savior. No matter what losses you have experienced, He can make your heart beat like new, as if it had not been injured by others or circumstances. Let Him heal your wounds and give you a new heart today.