Isaiah 53 is the great chapter in the OT that foretells God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. Former prophecies of the Messiah and the message of salvation were presented in veiled form. But here, for the first time, it is set forth with magnificent clarity. The prophecy was written in the past tense as if it already happened 700 years before the birth of Jesus. The crux of the revelation is that the sinless Messiah is the sacrificial offering as the substitutionary payment for the sins of all humanity, thereby providing atonement (reconciliation) with God for all those who believe. Simply stated, God’s plan for humanity’s redemption through Jesus Christ is foretold. The subject begins in the preceding chapter.

Isaiah 52:10. The LORD [Yahweh] has bared His holy arm In the sight of all the nations, that all the ends of the earth may see the salvation of our God.

Isaiah presents four sections called servant songs or servant psalms that speak about Jesus.¹ The fourth one begins in this chapter with verse 13. Chapter 54 could have started with this verse because it introduces
the subject.

Isaiah 52:13. Behold, My servant [Jesus] will prosper [act wisely, see ESV], He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted.

Jesus will act wisely and ultimately be lifted up and greatly exalted. So, before the servant’s suffering is set forth, his victorious glory is foretold. In chapter 53:10, after the sufferings are described, his glory again is stated. He will successfully complete the mission, and utter exaltation will come to him. This information about his eternal glory must have been vital and encouraging for Jesus to read and believe so that he could endure his suffering
and death.

Uncharacteristically in the Scriptures, Jesus’ appearance is stated twice–first, during his torture, recorded in 52:14-15, and second before his suffering in 53:2.

Isaiah 52:14. Just as many were astonished at you, My people, so His appearance was marred more than any man and His form more than the sons of men.

His form was so disfigured that he no longer resembled a man. The next verse again foretells Jesus’ glory that will ultimately come after completing his mission.

Isaiah 52:15. Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; for what had not been told them they will see, and what they had not heard they will understand.

Kings, the most exalted of men, will stand in awe speechless before him. When his suffering and death happened, no one understood what was really happening since God kept it a mystery. After his ascension, believers understand, and in the age to come, everyone will know.

Isaiah 53:1. Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD [Yahweh] been revealed?

Will we believe the great message of salvation? If we believe, the arm of Yahweh will be revealed to us. Following is the second description of Jesus, this one before his suffering during his early ministry.

Isaiah 53:2. For He [Jesus] grew up before Him [God] like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted
to Him.

Jesus did not dress like a prince or king; rather, he looked like a regular guy.

Isaiah 53:3. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

The Hebrew word for “sorrows” is also translated pain (2 Chronicles 6:29; Job 33:19; and Psalm 69:26…). The Hebrew word that is translated “grief” in verses 3 and 4 occurs 24 times and only here as grief. Everywhere else it is sickness (15), illness (3), disease (1), and affliction (1).² Our understanding of the word “grief” is much different than sickness or illness. Translating it as grief misleads us from understanding something of
great importance.

Jesus (the sinless, righteous, and loving one) in the days of his suffering was despised and forsaken by humanity. He was so marred people could not look at him. With the abundance of truth he taught and the thousands of people he healed, he should have been highly esteemed, but he was not.

Isaiah 53:4. Surely our griefs [sickness] He Himself bore, and our sorrows [pain] He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.

Again, the word “grief” could have been translated “sickness,” and the word “sorrows” as “pain.” The people concluded that Jesus deserved the torture and crucifixion as God’s punishment for his sin. They were terribly wrong for he suffered for their sins and ours.

Isaiah 53:5. 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.

The following acknowledges the changes mentioned above.

3 He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of pain and acquainted with sickness; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we [humanity] did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our sickness He Himself bore, and our pain He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed [thought] Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being [shalom] fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. Isaiah 53:3-5

The Hebrew word “shalom” was translated above “well-being” and most often is rendered as “peace.” However, “shalom” has a fuller meaning than just peace. It is an overall sense of fulness, soundness, and completeness in mind, body, and estate.

The subtle differences in translation have caused many to miss an important part of our atonement, our salvation. These verses reveal two very important accomplishments from Jesus’ substitutionary sacrifice. He bore our sickness and pain (vs. 3 and 4) and our transgression and iniquities (vs. 5). He endured what was necessary for our physical and spiritual well-being, our completeness. By his scourging, we are healed.

The New Testament clearly confirms that Jesus was the sacrifice for our sins and that through him we are now redeemed, forgiven, righteous, justified, and sanctified. The New Testament Scriptures also clearly support the inclusion of physical healing as part of our atonement, our salvation.

After Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law, the following happened.

Matthew 8:16-17. When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.”

The context is unquestionably physical healing and is a quotation from Isaiah 53:4. We have already acknowledged that this verse is accurately understood as follows. Surely our sickness He Himself bore, and our pain He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed [thought] Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. Healing and deliverance are indeed included in our atonement and salvation.

The book of Peter connects another verse with Isaiah 53.

1 Peter 2:24. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

The Greek word “sozo” is most often translated “saved” and considered to refer to spiritual salvation, the new birth, eternal life, but like the word “shalom,” it has a fuller meaning that includes physical healing and deliverance. The earthly experience of salvation that includes deliverance and healing is how the Greek word for salvation is most often used in the NT. “Sozo” means much more than going into the Kingdom. It means and is sometimes translated as healed, cured, delivered, set free, made whole, preserved, and many similar words.

Healing from sickness and disease plus deliverance from demons is part of what Jesus accomplished on the cross and, therefore, our salvation. The confidence we hold regarding our spiritual redemption should be matched when dealing with physical healing and demon deliverance. Will we believe this message?

Isaiah 53:1. Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD [Yahweh] been revealed?

Notes

¹ Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; and 52:13-53:12
² The Hebrew word translated “sorrows” is makob, and “grief” is choli.