Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Isaiah 53:5
Bearing our Griefs
Isaiah the Prophet writes many things about Jesus Christ at the very end of Isaiah 52, but all of chapter 53. One important thing he writes about is that Jesus “has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4a). We should thank God for this because we cannot carry someone else’s grief or take up someone else’s sorrow. We can’t even do that for ourselves. It took the Lord God Himself by sending Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Only He could have “bourn our griefs and carried out sorrows.”
Esteemed to be Stricken
What Isaiah might mean by his writing that they “esteemed him stricken” (Isaiah 53:4) was the fact that any one that was hung on a tree, in this case the cross, must be under a curse from God. Many must have believed that God was punishing Jesus, and to an extent, He was because He became a curse for us (Gal 3:13). He was stricken by God as He took the wrath of God that was our due.
Pierced for Transgressions
Clearly, if you understand the context of Isaiah 53, it is Jesus Who “was pierced for our transgressions” (Isiah 53:5a), which means He took the fall for us. He was literally pierced in the side with a sword, and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen” (Rev 1:7). That piercing should have been ours, but Jesus stepped in for us all.
Crushed for Iniquities
When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed so hard and was in such agony, that drops of blood came out of his skin. It was a mixture of blood and water, another mixture that would be poured out on Calvary Hill where they would pierce His side to ensure He was dead. The interesting thing is the garden’s name, “Gethsemane” means “oil press place” which is what you get from crushed olives, and the Garden of Gethsemane was a large olive grove too, and by the way, the olive tree was symbolic of ancient Israel.
Healed by His Wounds
Isaiah then writes, “upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5b). The ultimate healing was spiritual when our sins were taken away and God esteemed us as having Jesus’ righteousness (2nd Cor 5:21), so we are now at peace with God because of His wounds. The Apostle Paul writes, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1), and by His wounds, there is no more condemnation (Rom 8:1).
Conclusion
Think about what Jesus did for you and for me. He bore all our griefs and sorrows; He took the curse for us; He was pierced for our sakes; He as crushed for our sins; therefore, we are healed by His wounds, and someday, it brings an end to all sorrow, suffering, pain, and even death, because all of those things will have passed away (Rom 21:4), but only because of Christ.
