Isaiah 53:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He did not come to be served, but to serve, as declared in Matthew 20:28. Furthermore, when questioned about who is greater, the one who reclines or the one who serves, He replied, "But I am among you as the one who serves," (Luke 22:27). This illustrates why He took on the form of a servant in order to serve many effectively. What do His words "by His hand" signify? Some interpret this as denoting the power of Christ's hand, emphasizing that His strength is derived from Himself rather than from any external source; whatever He willed, He accomplished through His own might. "Take away sorrows from His soul"—the faith of many somewhat alleviates His sorrows. Although He endured suffering for humanity, He still drew many to Himself. "And their sins He will bear upon Himself," for the righteous are never punished for sin.

He rose from the dead, and out of His goodness, rejoicing in the salvation and life bestowed upon the world, He instructed His holy disciples, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me: go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Matt. 28:18, 19). Those who follow Him will also partake in the enduring seed, clearly linked to the saints; for God and the Father desires to heal His suffering soul, which is Christ, turning the anguish of the cross into joy, revealing that those who once dwelled in darkness, were misled, have now become illuminated; regarding which the wise Paul proclaims, ‘Sometimes you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord’ (Eph. 5:8). He aims to create through reason. The wise Paul further elucidates this, stating: ‘But we all with unveiled face behold the glory of the Lord, and are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord’ (2 Corinthians 3:18). Those who remain in sin and serve creations rather than the Creator possess an unseemly heart and a less than virtuous mind, as Jeremiah cautioned, ‘Behold, your eyes are not good, but your heart is good’ (Jeremiah 22:17). Yet, upon embracing faith in Christ, they are spiritually renewed into His divine and admirable beauty, as Paul conveys to certain individuals: ‘My children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you (Galatians 4:19). Hence, God the Father desires, through divine wisdom, to shape those who trust in Him and mold them into His likeness through sanctification in the Spirit, as He called (Rom. 8:29). Similarly, it is expressed that God has created two nations into one new man. I believe that God and the Father aims to justify the righteous one who serves the multitude, who will carry their transgressions. Thus, the righteous servant of many can only be our Lord Jesus Christ: for He came not to be served, as He Himself proclaimed (Matthew 20:28), but to serve through His humanity. This understanding permitted the blessed Paul to refer to Him as a minister, declaring, ‘But if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, the ministry of righteousness exceeds it in glory’ (2 Cor. 3:9). Thus, Christ, the righteous and holy one, is the servant of many; by assuming the nature of a servant, He did not seek gain for Himself, but to give to us a new identity and to serve within us, enabling our salvation. He is justified, dispelling any notion of guilt, and rightly endured death upon the tree, as a consequence of the Israelites' wrongdoing against Him, while He continues to reign over all creation, as nations turned their hearts towards Him. The significance of the Incarnation as a form of service is underscored by His promise to bear their sins; to obliterate the sin of the world, He took it upon Himself, and as equal to all, He uniquely died for all, thereby serving many. In this instance, when referring to many, He meant the Gentiles, while Israel constituted one among all the nations.

Through His actions and teachings, the Righteous One, who knew no sin and in whom no deceit was found, along with the Servant of the Father who assumed the guise of a servant and fulfilled the Lord’s will, will justify countless believers from all corners of the earth. He Himself will carry their transgressions, transgressions that they could not withstand, weighed down by their burden. For the Lord desires to ease the anguish of Him who declared, ‘My soul is sorrowful unto death’ (Matt. 26:38), so that the shame of the cross may be alleviated by the splendor of the resurrection. He will reveal light to Him, enabling Him to see that all are illuminated through Him. Additionally, He will endow Him with understanding, meaning that the spirit of wisdom and understanding may rest upon Him (Isaiah 11:2). Moreover, He will justify the Righteous One who served many effectively; for He came not to be served, but to serve (Matt. 20:28), humbling Himself at Peter's feet (John 13:6), cleansing the sins of all the apostles. He was revealed in the flesh and justified in the Spirit (1 Tim. 3:16). Even Judas the betrayer acknowledged: he sinned by delivering up the innocent blood (Matt. 27:4). Pilate's wife implicated, ‘Nothing to thee and to that Righteous One: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of Him’ (Matthew 27:19). It's important to clarify that He was not justified in the sense of being made righteous from a wicked person. Rather, being Righteous, He is justified, not because He became something He was not; He was revealed for what He inherently was. The Righteous One suffered for the unrighteous, that He might lead us all to God (1 Pet. 3:18). Regarding Him, it is said to the Jews, ‘But you deny the Holy and Righteous One, and ask for a murderer to be granted to you’ (Acts 3:14). He declares that He will bear their sins, just as a physician bears the ailments of the sick, whose need is not for the healthy but for the ailing (Luke 5:31).

Consequently, He “took the towel, girded Himself” and washed the feet of His “disciples” (John 13:3-4). ‘And their iniquities, He shall bear.’ Aquila translated it as ‘He shall bear,’ while Theodotion rendered it as ‘bore.’ For, as the holy John attests, He is ‘the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world’ (John 1:29, 36).

Some scholars suggest that this passage indicates the Lord's intention to transform the sorrow of the cross into joy by revealing Himself to those who had previously walked in darkness, now changed into 'light.' As Paul states, "You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord" (Eph 5:8).

The prophet reflects this teaching when he articulates that it delighted God the Father to illuminate Christ, to comfort Him by disseminating the light of Gospel truth across the earth, and to impart wisdom—thus lifting humanity from a state of ignorance and brutality to the heights of holiness and divinity by revealing to them true knowledge of God. He will vindicate the righteous one who serves many. Christ, the epitome of righteousness, exemplified service to multitudes, as He Himself declared, ‘The Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many’ (Matthew 20:28) who place their faith in Him. Yet, Christ’s adversaries failed to see His righteousness, condemning Him to death as though He were wicked. It will delight God the Father to justify the righteous Christ—revealing His true nature to the world and disclosing the unrighteousness of His accusers who rejected this truth. He endured suffering for the unrighteous and bore their sins. The One who is without sin will take upon Himself the weight of others' transgressions, thereby delivering them from destruction.