Isaiah 53:11, commentary and pictures

The verse foretells the Messiah's first coming as the suffering Lamb of God, rejected and slain for sin rather than coming as a temporal ruler to free Israel from Rome.
His anguished labor for sinners will not end in defeat or be in vain but will accomplish redemption and secure salvation.
What contents Him is the saved themselves as the fruit and reward of His sacrifice, a multitude rescued from sin, renewed in His image, made holy, happy and immortal to dwell with Him forever.
He is the just, sinless and spotless Servant who as substitute and surety has guilt imputed to Him, bears the iniquities of many on the cross, and by His perfect obedience counted as theirs justifies and makes righteous all who believe.
This was the condition covenanted between Father and Son before the world was made, that if man fell the Innocent would bear the penalty and intercede for transgressors, and the Father is satisfied with that infinite price.
The prospect of that harvest sustained Him through Gethsemane and the cross, and those who labor with Him will share His burden now and share His satisfaction when souls are gathered into the heavenly garner.

Prophetic Setting and Wording

The chapter foretells the Messiah's first advent as the suffering Lamb of God, His rejection, suffering and death, not His coming as a temporal ruler to free Israel from Rome. The prophecy is fulfilled in the life, ministry and history of Jesus, who brings salvation through that atoning sacrifice. Having Scripture that could have shown the time and manner of that appearing, the people misread it and failed to recognize Him among them, and in rejecting and mistreating Him they fulfilled what had been prophesied.

It presents in detail His lowly, self-denying life in humanity, His character, work, reception and death, His refusal and rejection, the humiliation He would receive, the death He would die, and His rising again on the third day. Every specification was ordained in counsel between Father and Son and written beforehand by prophets and men inspired by the Holy Spirit, and every specification concerning Him was fulfilled. He opened the Scriptures to His disciples step by step to show this fulfillment, and what He suffered in His own person secures the salvation of the human race, so that the Old Testament truths vividly representing His suffering together with what the disciples witnessed are to be sacredly cherished. Its place among these prophecies supports the identification of Jesus as the promised Redeemer whose sacrifice fulfilled the meaning of the offerings.

He was slain as sin-bearer and laid in Joseph's tomb for all who accept Him as personal Saviour, bearing the burden of humanity and dying for the life of the world. His voluntary sacrifice as the offering for human sin gave His life as a ransom for guilty people and paid the redemption price for the fallen world, and heaven triumphed. His entry into Jerusalem as the Passover approached directed public attention to this coming sacrifice, and the joyful royal welcome faintly prefigured His future glory as Zion's King.

The verse points to Jesus of Nazareth as the true Messiah, the Son of God and the righteous Servant, innocent in His suffering and death at the hands of the Jews like the prophets killed before Him. When twelve years old and gone up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast, standing in the temple courts He received communication from His Father concerning His mission and work as Prophet of the Most High to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and knew with quick perception from what He saw on that first visit that He was its fulfillment. Its picture of bearing iniquities so that suffering brings justification to many convinced Joseph Wolff that the prophecy was fulfilled in Him.

Travail of soul is anguished burden and labor for sinners while they can still be saved. The passage as a whole belongs to the prophetic picture of Christ's rejection and suffering fulfilled, though it does not by itself explain its specific language about justifying many or bearing iniquities.

Satisfaction in Saved People

He shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied means his suffering and death as the offering for sin will not be in vain or end in defeat but will secure salvation and accomplish redemption. By his suffering and bearing of human iniquity the purpose of redemption is satisfied, and by his knowledge the righteous servant justifies many by bearing their iniquities. People throughout the world won back to loyalty to God are the seen result in which he is satisfied, and each person converted is a soul rescued from Satan and a sign he did not suffer and die in vain, bringing joy in heaven and the joy his followers are to share.

What satisfies him is the redeemed as the precious fruit, recompense and reward of his sacrifice: a multitude eternally saved, rescued from helplessness and sin, purchased by his blood, belonging to him, sharing his victory and glory with sorrows ended. Those redeemed by his blood and taught by his life stand faultless before God with exceeding joy, and their salvation is the recompense for his suffering. Their purity and perfection are the reward of his suffering, humiliation and love, and they add to his glory.

They stand renewed in his image and reflecting their King, pure and perfect, holy, happy and immortal, secured to dwell in his presence forever. The purity and joy of those he saved make the sorrow and shame he endured worthwhile, and the joy and glory of their salvation surpass what he bore. He endured the cross and its shame for the joy of bringing many to glory, presents them as the people for whom he suffered and died, and their salvation brings joy to him and glory to God throughout eternity, showing the great value of souls for whom the Father accepts the price paid. Their final elevation to God's throne is accomplished as God works in them and they strive to overcome, and the fruit is a world filled with holy, happy, immortal people.

That people is his church brought to completion and glorious perfection, finally ransomed in the Paradise of God, presented without spot or wrinkle, filling the places left vacant by Satan and his angels. Those who believe on him are his recompense, valued so highly that he forgets the anguish redeeming them cost him, and he is glorified in those who believe. Through all eternity the ransomed host will be his chief glory. He will find full satisfaction when he looks upon his redeemed children as the purchase of his blood and leads them through the pearly gates into the golden city, and those who follow him in patience, kindness, meekness, lowliness, service and concern for souls will share his joy and see with him the results of his soul's travail.

He is satisfied when the harvest of the earth is reaped and those for whom his workers have labored and prayed are gathered into the heavenly garner, and then those workers see the result of their toil and enter into the joy of their Lord. As he leads them into the New Jerusalem he sees the result of his soul's travail and is satisfied, and rejoices in the salvation he purchased for them. When he brings the redeemed to the gate of the city, after crowning the saints and giving them harps, he opens the gate for the nations that kept the truth, looks upon saints with faces radiant with glory, and declares his suffering has accomplished its purpose and he is content. His contentment means the rich glory of the city is theirs to enjoy forever, with sorrows ended and no more death, sorrow, crying or pain.

Full satisfaction comes at his second coming and final coronation, not in this present life, for while sin is forgiven now its results are not now wholly removed and holy flesh is not received while people remain on earth. With a great trumpet call the dead leave the prison house, this mortal puts on immortality and this corruptible puts on incorruption fashioned like his glorious body for heaven, and then he is admired in all them that believe. He looks upon the redeemed renewed in his own image, every heart bearing the perfect impress of the divine and every face reflecting the likeness of their King, beholds in them the result of the travail of his soul and is satisfied, then declares before righteous and wicked that they are the purchase of his blood for whom he suffered and died that they might dwell in his presence through eternal ages. In that day the redeemed cast their glittering crowns at the feet of their Saviour and all heaven rings with songs of praise, amid the marriage of the Lamb and immortal beings breaking forth in triumph, Worthy is the Lamb. His death is not in vain when people have a daily living experience of obedience, encourage faith, live by faith, partake of the divine nature and overcome.

He will not rest until victory is complete and his followers are led to perfect joy and glory. His sacrifice will bring triumphs that glorify God and the Lamb as the gospel reaches all nations and a people serve the Lord, though not everyone receives grace, and triumphs yet to come through his shed blood will give the heathen for inheritance and the uttermost parts for possession. Though people may refuse the gift and its invitation, refusal does not lessen salvation's value. His promised contentment is withheld when those for whom he paid so great a price never value what he did, after he left his royal throne, clothed divinity with humanity, and endured Gethsemane, midnight darkness, rejection, coldness, contempt, persecution, betrayal, crucifixion and the full flood of human woe to redeem fallen humanity and bring many sons and daughters to glory. The salvation of every son and daughter of Adam was purchased at infinite cost with abundant means and unfailing resources to finish the work begun so all might be saved, and the promise is fulfilled for those who do not refuse but respond to drawing love, come in humility and faith to know by personal experience, comply with the conditions, lay hold on eternal life and yield the will, and they will not perish but have everlasting life.

Bearing Sin Justifying Many

My righteous Servant is Jesus Christ, just and perfect, sinless, spotless and innocent in His suffering and death. On the cross He bore the sins of many with perfect meekness amid shame and disgrace, making His soul an offering for sin. By His knowledge He justifies many because He Himself carries their wrongs, and the fruit of His suffering satisfies Him and brings joy to believers who put self aside and trust Him by faith.

He suffers as substitute, surety, representative and head under divine justice, with the guilt of sinners imputed to Him though He came confessing no sin of His own and with nothing to repent on His own account. His perfect obedience, offered as their representative and substitute, is counted as righteousness for them, fulfilling every requirement of the law, magnifying it and making it honorable, and giving them a probation in which to return to loyalty by keeping the law. That suffering under justice reveals what justice means and what it is for sinners to stand before God without an intercessor.

In that identification He numbered Himself with transgressors, honoring baptism by submitting to it, taking the steps the sinner is required to take and doing the work the sinner must do. His life of suffering and patient endurance after His baptism is an example to converted sinners of what they should endure and patiently suffer in consequence of their transgressions and sins. Christ alone could do this, for His life alone could pay the debt of human sin and be accepted by the Father as ransom, where the life of an angel could not, because death had no power over Him. So the scapegoat in the solemn type represents Christ, not Satan, who cannot bear even his own sins, and Christ alone bears sin as the Sin-bearer.

By bearing iniquity He takes sin away, for Jew and Gentile alike, since all must have sins taken away by Him before entering heaven. He presents Himself to each sin-sick person as a personal Saviour, inviting all to look to Him and be made whole, with healing through the suffering laid upon Him. He holds out the remedy that cleanses the soul, forgiving and cleansing from all unrighteousness those who confess and put away sin, making them vessels unto honor who will meet the Sin-bearer with joy and not with grief.

When sinners realize He died for them that His righteousness may be imputed to them, they magnify the love of God in providing the plan of salvation. Believing sinners are cleansed and receive His righteousness, obtaining forgiveness for past sins through His blood, obeying God, made righteous and accepted. Through His divine merits all who believe in Him as the way, the truth and the life are presented faultless before God's glory with joy, welcomed as sons and daughters into the heavenly family, redeemed from bondage, restored to life and to the tree of life with eternal happiness secured.

That bearing of sin displays how much God loved the race, seen at Calvary where He died upon the cross. There the heinous character of sin appears, for sin as transgression of the law caused the death of God's dear Son, who bore griefs and sorrows, was wounded for transgressions and bruised for iniquities, with the iniquity of all laid upon Him. Beheld as Sin-bearer, Substitute and Surety standing at the head of the offending order and taking the stroke of justice to His own account, He teaches the grievous result of sin, the obligation of all to obey God's law, and God's justice and mercy in the destruction of the sinner, opening pardon to all who will receive it as the lesson essential to win a crown of life. Love for sinners led Him to pay the price of redemption, and by His knowledge He makes many right with God because He carries their wrongs.

His soul made an offering for sin leads to vindication and reward, with the Lord's purpose prospering in His hand as He intercedes for transgressors. As priest and intercessor He sees the saving result of His travail and is satisfied, with a continuing seed whose days endure fulfilling God's gracious purpose. He came to perfect a righteous character for many and to elevate the fallen race and lift up humanity, taking servant form though in the form of God, becoming poor though rich and crowned with glory and honor, coming not with commands and threatenings but with love without parallel that woos and wins the sinner and binds him repenting to the cross. That righteousness is offered to all, but only those who accept it and meet God's requirements receive its benefit, and only a few of the millions will do so. He bore those iniquities as His people's invisible leader, suffering most intensely because their transgression was against Him, not Moses.

Covenant Plan Before Time

The verse records the condition of the covenant made in the councils of the Godhead between the Father and the Son, that the human family should be tested and proved whether they would make Christ their righteousness, keep God's commandments and live, and that the Father gave to the Son all who would be true and loyal. Before man was created and before the creation of the world it was planned that man should people the earth, and the question was raised what would happen if man should sin as Satan had sinned. In answer God and Christ covenanted that if man fell Christ would bear the penalty of transgression, the infinite Son promising to give Himself and His own life as a ransom for the fallen race. That promise meant taking the transgression of humanity upon Himself, the Innocent bearing the sins of the guilty and standing to make intercession for transgressors.

Christ covenanted to redeem them from the power of Satan at the price of His own life, making His soul an offering for sin, bearing their iniquities and by His knowledge justifying many. When Adam fell He fulfilled that pledge, taking the sinner's place and espousing his cause with the plea to lay his guilt upon Himself. He presents the repentant sinner to the Father as guiltless, holding out His nail-printed hands and declaring the sinner graven upon His palms and the iniquity borne. By bearing iniquity He bridged the gulf made by sin, so that at the cross justice and mercy met together and righteousness and peace kissed each other, and God bows in recognition of the offering for sin saying it is enough. By that sacrifice the redeemed are laid under everlasting obligation to serve God with the whole heart.

By Christ the work upon which the fulfillment of God's purpose rests was accomplished, and He sees the travail of His soul and is satisfied as the pleasure of the Lord prospers in His hand. In giving Christ God gave heaven's choicest gift with all the rich blessings presented in the Word. His suffering and bearing of human iniquity satisfy the purpose of the plan of redemption, redeeming those given to Him who remain true and loyal and freeing them from Satan's power.

The Father is satisfied with the infinite price paid in yielding up His own Son to die for redemption, and with the atonement Christ made in giving His life and blood to pay the ransom for sinners. That satisfaction reveals wisdom, mercy and love in their fullness and proves the worth of those for whom Christ died. The value of the soul is known only by going to Calvary, for only through the cross and the mystery of the cross can it be estimated. The sacrifice of the Son was the only plan infinite wisdom could devise for salvation, accepted as the price for their salvation. Its compensation is the joy of peopling the earth with ransomed beings, holy, happy and immortal, to the glory of God throughout eternity.

Sustained Through Suffering to Victory

To redeem fallen humanity He left His royal throne, clothed divinity with humanity, laid aside kingly honors, and came to suffer and die, enduring Gethsemane, midnight darkness, rejection, coldness, contempt, persecution, betrayal, crucifixion and the full flood of human woe to bring many sons and daughters to glory. That redemption was the joy set before Him for which He gave up glory, honor, riches and life, and He will be satisfied when He looks upon those purchased by His blood, finding contentment only as those bought with infinite suffering appreciate and receive the gift in daily living experience, obedience, encouraging faith, living by faith, partaking of the divine nature and overcoming, so that His death is not in vain. When the redeemed cast their glittering crowns at His feet and all heaven rings with praise, His satisfaction comes to fullness, while it is withheld from those who never value what He paid, and followers facing disappointment, questioned motives and lack of human sympathy are to remember His agony and endurance and not grow weary and faint.

What sustained Him in betrayal, trial and a life of toil and sacrifice was seeing of the travail of His soul and being satisfied, catching a view of the expanse of eternity and looking beyond humiliation to the happiness, pardon, healing, peace and everlasting life of those who through His humiliation would receive life. His ear caught the shout of the redeemed and He heard the ransomed singing the song of Moses and the Lamb, and the sight of them praising Him and living with God satisfied Him. In Gethsemane when the cup of imputed transgression and guilt trembled in His hand in His hour of darkness, a mighty angel from God's presence and from the open heavens did not take the cup away but strengthened the divine-human Sufferer to drink it to the very dregs. The angel assured Him of the Father's love and of power greater than Satan, pointed Him to the souls to be saved as the result of His sufferings, and assured Him His death would save a multitude eternally saved, bring the utter defeat and discomfiture of Satan, give the kingdom of this world to the saints of the Most High, fulfill the demands of the divine law and glorify the Father.

Knowing the joy to follow He chose to endure the cross and despise the shame, looking ahead with cheer because His travail would not be for nothing but would restore in humanity the image of God, lift people from the dust, reshape character after the pattern of His own character and make it beautiful with His own glory. Although a baptism of blood lay before Him, although the sins of the world weighed upon His innocent soul, although the shadow of unspeakable woe was upon Him, He was wounded for transgressions, bruised for iniquities, bore the chastisement of peace and healed by stripes. His travail wins back the world to loyalty to God, for the earth is His purchased possession and purchased inheritance, and through His shed blood people are to become free, pure and holy as the character of God is holy. He hungered and thirsted for sympathy and cooperation that His kingdom might extend to embrace the whole world and stamp His character and image upon it, cheered in His earthly pilgrimage of toil and self-sacrifice by the prospect of giving His life for the life of the world, and He will not be satisfied until victory is complete. Triumphs yet to be accomplished through His blood will bring everlasting glory and joy to God and the Lamb as the gospel reaches all nations and the heathen are given Him for inheritance and the uttermost parts for possession, though not everyone receives grace.

Fruit already appeared on the day of His death when the centurion, the man who carried His cross, the criminal who died beside Him, and Roman soldiers moved by His conduct and silence under abuse each declared faith and confessed Him Son of God, giving evidence that even heathen idolaters were recognizing Him. He does not fail nor grow discouraged when work seems thrown away, for though many helped return to self-indulgence with no lasting benefit, as nine of the ten cleansed lepers did, He healed the ten for the sake of the one thankful stranger and Samaritan who appreciated the gift. Saving even one uplifted, ennobled soul fitted to shine in the courts of the Lord was worth His life of toil and humiliation and His death of shame, and gives cause for rejoicing. His earnest prayers offered while divinity was veiled with humanity were part of that same work, embracing all disciples then living and all who would believe through their testimony to the end of time, and when He shall see of the travail and be satisfied their value and result will be seen and realized.

Sharing His Travail Today

Christ's soul-deep travail for the world's redemption is the pattern believers are to behold and follow, making Him their all in all, putting self and self-exaltation aside, trusting Him by faith, praying much, rejoicing in assurance, and neglecting no means to advance the saving work. Through knowledge of Him as the righteous Servant who bears iniquities, many are justified, and that assurance satisfies God's heart with the fruit of His mission. Those who receive His grace and knowledge are to share His burden for the perishing and seek to bring them to Christ, for one who feels no burden for the lost is not living as a branch of the Vine. Those who labor with God share His compassion and travail as burden-bearers who help and strengthen others rather than tearing down or seeking praise.

Having travail of soul means carrying deep missionary concern for others, and that same concern should move disciples to communicate truth while angels work through them. Followers are to share that same travail by surrendering self to God's work and will, absorbed in religious themes, feeling responsibility to make the church prosperous, wide-awake and light-giving, imparting grace to those for whom He died so they too may be satisfied in fruit. Hardness of heart, indifference and neglect of this duty grieve Jesus and the holy angels, and in judgment the neglectful must meet the souls they neglected. Following Him as Pattern means arising from drowsy stupor to better understanding of Bible truth, devoting money and earnest labor under the Holy Spirit, and proclaiming the last mercy message to every nation, kindred, tongue and people in all parts of the world in cooperation with heavenly agencies.

Like Him, laborers together with God will see the travail of their soul in converted sinners and be satisfied, reflecting His joy and entering His joy. Their joy and gratitude well up and find expression in glowing appropriate words when travail produces conversion. In that sight anxious hours, perplexing trials and circumstances, sorrow over refusers of peace, and self-denial are forgotten, and heaven rings with praise and thanksgiving as they behold souls saved as monuments of mercy and love, eternally saved. Ministers who work with Him share that joy in seeing the redeemed and the results of self-denial and labor for souls.

Faithful servants who walk as He walked, share His longing, elevate others, and serve in patience, kindness, meekness, lowliness and concern for souls share that reward with Him. When He sees souls saved through His sacrifice and is satisfied, His joy is to see in His kingdom the people for whom He died, which calls followers to seek to save souls and present His sacrifice to the perishing. In harvest fields, in home missionary work, and in developing Christian character and sowing truth by good works, their labor will bear fruit and reach completion in eternal life, with self-denial outweighed by eternal reward. They are challenged whether they too will be satisfied with fruit, called to self-denial and sacrifice for His sake, to use influence, money and every power for Heaven, and to enter their Lord's joy seeing the redeemed fill the places left vacant by Satan and his angels.

He beholds the result of soul-suffering and is satisfied in medical missionary work when perishing beings are snatched as brands from the burning. That fruit appears when the church works on Christ's lines and conveys saving mercy without delay and without covering mercy with selfishness. He is satisfied when believers take kindly interest in the household of faith, minister to His suffering ones with necessities and cheering words when the soul is sick and courage low, and reveal the Saviour and reproduce Christlikeness by unselfish self-sacrificing actions from a heart where grace is incorporated, which counts as ministry to Himself and expresses love for God. The image applies to parents laboring for their children and preparing them for immortal life: in the kingdom fathers and mothers share His joy when children are brought to Christ through their efforts, the children receive the crown of life, and mothers are honored for winning them to Jesus.

He is satisfied when His life becomes a vitalizing power effecting genuine reform human effort cannot, giving power to resist inward and outward temptation. As spotless sacrifice He is the pattern for His children to be a living sacrifice holy and blameless in mind and body, preserving powers in best condition for service through self-mastery, purity and freedom from depraving appetite and defiling habit. He came and lived God's law as Physician of soul and body to give victory over warring lusts corrupting the soul, and His soul is satisfied when fallen beings regain self-control for character upbuilding and use every facility to gain mastery, completeness of character and zeal for good works. Then the body, the only medium for mind and soul, is brought into subjection, higher powers rule, passions are controlled by will under God, and reason sanctified by grace sways life, thwarting the adversary who degrades physical powers to surrender the whole being to evil.

The verse belongs to true service, thorough consecration and entire sanctification of soul, body and spirit. Faith in its words makes believers earnest, sincere and confident, working on the faith side to become vessels unto honor, colaborers inviting others to come, since by His knowledge the righteous Servant justifies many while bearing iniquities and the Lord's pleasure prospers in His hand. At a cost known only to God and Christ for rescuing brands from fire, He as great Sin-bearer uplifts the bloodstained banner in triumph before heaven and Satan's armies while rebuking Satan over chosen Jerusalem, calling ministers and every entrusted agency to engage heart, soul, voice and capability with Him. Telling what God has done so He did not die in vain gives purpose to service, for He was stricken for His people's transgressions that they could be saved.