The Wounds of Jesus: A Meditation on the Crucified Saviour

by Christina Baxter

Bring depth and spiritual enrichment to your understanding of the passion of Christ with Christina Baxter's The Wounds of Jesus. By examining the passion from the perspective of each of the wounds of Christ, readers gain a more meaningful understanding of the Lord's life and gift of sacrifice, as well as what his suffering means for us today. Each chapter includes a thorough description of one of six divine wounds (back, feet, hands, side, head, and heart) to deepen readers' understanding of the cross. In further exploration, Baxter sets each of the wounds of Jesus in the context of a major theme used by the New Testament to explain the theology of the cross. Practical applications are encouraged through discussion and reflection questions.

Paperback

Published January 18, 2005

Reviews

[Ames · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very promising at first, but fails to deliver on that promise. The Back chapter was informative and moving, and some of the reflective questions and exercises are quite interesting. I imagine this could be valuable to believers who have never really personally deeply reflected on and engaged with the Passion. However, from my perspective, this overly sanitized account of the wounds of Jesus frequently veers off topic, repeats itself, and refuses to engage with the more mystical, less practical and concrete aspects of the topic. It hovers on the surface, only occasionally touching on the rich spiritual potential of the subject.

The discussion of possible medical explanations for Jesus bleeding when his side is pierced after he has died, in a chapter on the side wound that does not even deign to mention the significance of this wound in mysticism and medieval iconography, with its sex-binary-defying (and erotic) implications, was the final nail in the coffin of this book for me.

Still, it gets 3 stars and not 2, because I think a big part of the problem is simply that I am not the right audience for this book.

[Jason Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoughtful Lent mediation

[Derek Winterburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an exploration of different wounds inflicted on Christ. As well as a depth of historical background, Baxter thinks through imaginatively how the physical wounds connect with other pains that Jesus suffered. Each chapter is clearly structured and contains bit individual and corporate applications. There are materials for study too. Baxter is a good guide and rarely indulges in fanciful connections: I did find the chapter on Jesus's heart extraneous, the material could have been included in the head chapter. I used this book as preparation for delivering meditations on Good Friday.

[Peg - The History Shelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my choice for my daily Lenten readings this year. Just begun, but enjoying already.