Isaiah 52:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

6:3)?" Their amazement is evident in the following declaration: never has there been such a sight in Israel (Matt. 9:33), and again: truly He was the Son of God (Matt. 27:54). To prevent any of this from seeming unbelievable to us, who later discuss it, the prophet foretold it, saying: marred, he adds. He was believed to be possessed, fierce, a deceiver of the people, yet He never revealed a terrifying visage to them. It is aptly stated, “His visage was marred more than that of any man, and His form," for He was not despised by God, but rather honored. The heavenly voice affirms this: "This is My beloved Son; hear Him" (Mark 9:7). The One who knows all was not looked down upon by God. Nor was He disdained by those who recognized true piety, but rather by those who were merely men, devoid of spiritual life. Such individuals stumbled over His unremarkable appearance—unremarkable in humanity, yet not in divinity. The form of Christ was no less ordinary than that of all humanity. However, the splendor of His divinity was not as evident in His appearance as it was in the beauty of His humanity. What greater honor exists than for God to manifest as human, for the King to don the garb of a servant? Neither of these realities was realized in Daniel, for he was marveled at, and none dismissed him. Consider first the wonders, then the lack of grandeur. The prophet rightly states, the sight of Him, for the sight of the cross was indeed shameful and disgraceful. When you observe Him subjected to mockery, bound in chains, enduring the humiliation of the cross, and despised, first acknowledge the wonders, and then reflect upon the glory. Creation itself recognized the crucified Lord, for they were stirred and brought to disorder. Now recognize His authority: if He, who endured such disgrace, brought such turmoil to creation, how much more will this be manifested when He returns in His splendor, with the glory of the Father and the angels?

By placing our faith in Him, we are cleansed from the stains of sin, since the law of Moses could not eliminate transgressions. Furthermore, through His physical death, He conquered death and corruption, restoring immortality to those who are mortal and transforming earthly beings into citizens of heaven. He unites to God the Father those who were once lost; He proclaims freedom to captives, sight to the blind, and healing to the brokenhearted, empties hell, and strips Satan of his oppressive reign over humanity. Thus, He will comprehend, as my young one observes; for everything He has accomplished for us is imbued with wisdom; according to the Psalmist, He has acted wisely in all things. For this reason, He will be exalted and greatly glorified; God is honored when we acknowledge Him as Lord, Savior, and Redeemer, and we hold this truth in faith. To affirm the unassailable truth of God's Word, He noted, “Many will be astonished at you; so shall your visage be dishonored among men, and your glory shall be disdained by them.” Those who perceive His revelation and see the majesty of His divine might are awestruck by His works. The prophet Habakkuk expressed this sentiment: “Lord, I have heard your report, and I am afraid; I understand your deeds, and I am struck with terror.” Yet, those who fail to recognize His glory and remain in disbelief and folly subjected Him to both glory and disgrace, labeling Him as a Samaritan, a demon, a drunkard, and an illegitimate child, even going so far as to call Him a sinner. Hence, as many will be appalled at Him, His appearance shall be vilified among men. Contrary to this, many from the nations will marvel at Him and hold their peace before rulers. Those contemptible Jews, insignificant as they were, dared to insult Him and frequently unleashed their vicious tongues against Him with blasphemies. In contrast, many kings, recognizing Him as God, will honor Him as the Sovereign of all, and will remain silent, refraining from uttering any hateful words or offensive remarks against Christ’s glory. The holy and salvific proclamation, namely the preaching of the Gospel, will not be directed towards those who dishonor Him, but rather to those who are awestruck by His glory and remain silent. He made this evident when He said, “They shall see it, and those who have not heard it will comprehend.” Indeed, all matters concerning Christ were foretold by the prophets to the Israelites, not to the Gentiles. Yet these will witness perfect salvation through Him, and those who were never informed of His mysteries will understand, having placed their faith in Him; for faith serves as the foundation and sustainer of knowledge, the very beginning of piety, bringing those who embrace it into true life. Therefore, as the prophet Isaiah declares, “Unless you believe, you cannot understand.”

Who has believed what we have proclaimed, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender plant, like a root out of dry ground; He had no form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor beauty that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering; we hid our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Yet He bore our sicknesses and took upon Himself our sorrows, and we considered Him stricken by God, afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray; each of us has turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb led to the slaughter, and like a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth. He was taken from prison and judgment; who can recount His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of my people He was stricken. They made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; although He had done no violence, nor was deceit in His mouth. Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer; and though the Lord makes His life a guilt offering, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand. After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied; by His knowledge, My righteous servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will give Him a portion among the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong; because He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors; for He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 52:13-15; Isaiah 53:1-12). This speaks of Christ.

As the embodiment of God, He chose to take the nature of a servant, obedient to the Father even to the point of death—specifically, the death of the cross. Hence, God exalted Him and bestowed upon Him the name above all names (Philippians 2:6-9). As stated in the Psalm, “I will bless the Lord who has counseled me” (Psalm 15:7), and of Him, David proclaims, “He created the heavens with wisdom” (Psalm 135:5). For He embodies wisdom and understanding—He who grew in stature and wisdom as a child (Luke 2:52), of whom Peter declares: “The God of our ancestors glorified His Son Jesus, whom you betrayed and rejected before Pilate, who was determined to release Him; but you denied the Holy and Righteous One” (Acts 3:13-14), a testimony supported by what is written: “I am the witness, says the Lord God, and My servant whom I have chosen” (Isaiah 43:10). Many will marvel at His signs, for His glorious appearance among humankind will be a profound wonder—not due to the disgrace of His image, but because He will arrive in humility and poverty. Although rich, He became poor for our sake (2 Corinthians 8:9), and He invited believers, “Learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29). Clement, the apostolic figure who succeeded Peter in leading the Roman Church, wrote to the Corinthians: “The Lord Jesus Christ did not come in the vanity of pride, though He could do all things, but in humility; thus, when His death sentence was pronounced by the high priest’s servant, He answered, ‘If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong; but if well, why do you strike Me?’” (John 18:19-23), possessing authority far greater than what was apparent. He commands more than twelve legions of angels at His bidding (Matthew 26:53). He will cleanse many nations with His blood, consecrating them through baptism for divine service. Before Him, the kings and princes of the age will be silenced, their worldly wisdom undone by the message of the cross; yet those who lacked the Law and the Prophets and to whom He was not proclaimed will perceive and understand. Of such, the Savior promises: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). In sharp contrast, the stubbornness of the Jews is condemned, as they, having seen and heard, fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which states, “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. The hearts of this people have grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing” (Isaiah 6:9-10).

The vision of the Divine Sufferer moved some to feelings of compassionate astonishment, particularly those who returned from the Cross, striking their hands in remorse (Luke 23:48), while others responded with mockery and disdain: “Hail King of the Jews” (Matthew 27:29); if You are the Son of God, come down now from the Cross (Matthew 27:40). - Others felt a mix of pity and contempt simultaneously, such as Pilate, who aimed to evoke similar sentiments in the crowd when he presented the tortured and disfigured Jesus, proclaiming, “Behold the man” (John 19:5).