Isaiah 50:6, commentary and pictures

Christ spoke these words through Isaiah as his own prophecy of what he would suffer in his earthly life under the plan laid beforehand for salvation. To give back, cheeks, and face means willingly yielding without hiding, turning away, or resisting to beating of the back, tearing of the beard and striking of the face, and public shame and spitting. This was fulfilled when the sinless one was condemned in the judgment hall and scourged, struck with hands and blows, mocked and insulted, spit upon, and crowned with thorns until blood ran down his face and beard. He endured it without retaliation or use of divine power to free himself, though he could have called legions of angels, while Satan urged the cruelty in hope that one failure to bear the test would make the offering imperfect and cause redemption to fail. He bore this humiliation as the substitute for condemned sinners under sentence of death, for mere death could not meet the broken law, and only a shameful death as a malefactor numbered with transgressors could carry the sins of the world. The King whose face filled heaven with admiration let weak men mar it, but those who despised and disfigured him will see that same face bright as the noonday sun in his Father's glory and in terror seek to flee from it.

Willing Suffering Foretold Fulfilled

The words are Christ's own, spoken through Isaiah about himself and his earthly life, given as part of the plan for salvation known beforehand and proving that he must suffer and then rise. To give the back, the cheeks, and the face is willing, voluntary submission to beating of the back, to plucking of the beard and abuse of the cheeks and face, and to public shame and spitting, without hiding, turning away, or resisting. The striking, beard-pulling, shaming and spitting were endured by him as Lord and Saviour.

It was fulfilled when, though sinless, he was rejected and condemned in the judgment hall, scourged, struck in the face with hands and blows, mocked, derided, insulted, and spit upon, with the crown of thorns pressed into his temples until blood ran down his face and beard. The fulfillment extended through a whole life of humiliation, self-denial, poverty, toil, and reproach ending in crucifixion, including being betrayed, denied, crowned with thorns, forced to bear the cross, and enduring jeers, taunts, and revilings on the way to Calvary until he bowed his head and died, exposed between heaven and earth to a debased multitude. Unlike Isaac, no angel was permitted to bear the joyful commission to stop that shameful death, though legions of angels sorrowfully waited hoping God would prevent it at the last moment.

From the cradle to the grave he embodied nonresistance to evil, offering no retaliation, performing no miracle to free himself, and showing forgiving love alone. Though faint, weary, and wounded he could have called legions of angels and struck down his tormentors by divine power, yet he left heaven to bring life and the bread of life to his enemies, prayed from the cross for his murderers, and spoke hope to the dying thief. Satan prompted the cruelty by influencing people with his own attributes and leading the soldiers, hoping to provoke him to retaliate or use divine power to release himself. One stain or failure to bear the test would have made him an imperfect offering and caused redemption and the plan of salvation to fail and break up.

The King of glory whose face filled heaven with admiration let poor, weak, miserable men mar that face with spitting, blows, and cruelty amid brutal triumph over the degrading insult. But those who despised, spit upon, and disfigured him will one day see that same face bright as the noonday sun in the grandeur of heaven and his Father's unsurpassed glory. In terror they will seek to flee from before it and wail because of him.

Death as Substitute

He bore the spitting, shame and abuse, and the shameful death itself, as humanity's substitute, dying in the place of condemned sinners to lift them from moral degradation. Man stood as traitor and rebel and criminal under sentence of death for transgression of the law, and the Substitute took the place of traitors with all their treasured sins upon His divine soul. What He undertook was to rescue fallen man from utter ruin for the sins of the world, ending a life of humiliation, self-denial, poverty, toil and reproach in the agonizing death of crucifixion, with no angel permitted to stop it. Mere dying was not enough to meet the demands of the broken law and to bear the sins of the world; He had to die not only death but a shameful death. That meant dying as a public malefactor numbered with transgressors, submitting to insult, reproach, shameful accusations, abuse, mocking, scourging and public exposure on the cross.

Though pure, holy, undefiled and arraigned as a criminal, He was not insensible to contempt and ignominy. He felt its bitterness fully, as no other being could feel it, while sinless yet rejected and condemned in the judgment hall, spat upon and struck in the face. After becoming man He voluntarily went lower and lower, accepting insult, reproach, shameful accusations, abuse and a shameful death, until no lower depth remained. He endured the cross and despised the shame, counting that humiliation small in view of the results for the inhabitants of this world and for the whole universe God created. It was borne to lift guilty, condemned man from moral degradation and from degradation itself.

His suffering and death came at the hands of those He came to redeem, and thereby reveal God's love for sinners. They show in His life and death what sacrifice heaven was willing to make so that humanity might not perish but have everlasting life. For He came not to condemn the world but to save, heal, uplift and bless it, even while mocked, struck in the face and insulted.

Study Surrounding Instruction

Isaiah 50:6 stands in Isaiah 50 through 58, which those leading the cause and those connected with institutions need to study. Those chapters bring reproof for disregard of light, for accepting only chosen parts of the word without thorough consecration, and for neglected duty to warn the people what is truth. The verse stands within Isaiah 50 through 56 which, together with Isaiah 60 through 63, contains precious instruction and assurances carrying the principles underlying the word to be impressed on mind and heart. That teaching is to be appreciated as the highest instruction for every age and every line of work. It strengthens spiritual eyesight and firms faith in the word at a time when every conceivable thing is brought in to confuse, since his words and teachings are the words and teachings of Jehovah and contain the highest instruction it is possible to gain.

Heeding those chapters together with Isaiah 60 through 65, and stopping all complaining and every evil work, brings understanding and manifestation of power in conviction and conversion of souls. Isaiah 50 read together with the whole of Isaiah 35 gives promising words of inspiration to be claimed for encouragement of the churches in times of emergency. The same pairing is for encouragement amid disappointment over spiritual lack seen in churches and in individuals, halting and disaffection among believers, unwillingness to be helped and strengthened, unbelief, and strange spirits counterworking the Spirit in meetings. Isaiah 50 shows in the life and death of Christ what sacrifice heaven was willing to make that humanity might not perish but have everlasting life.