Isaiah 57:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In the latter days, when Israel repents, they will become aged and cease their abominable practices; they will be accepted through faith and, by the mercy of God, will be liberated from their past sins and receive true comfort. What is this comfort? It is undoubtedly the grace of Christ, which justifies through faith, liberates from sin, sanctifies by the Spirit, grants the glory of adoption, and imparts hope for the rewards set aside for the saints. Hence, this authentic consolation brings with it peace for the world, a lasting and continuous prosperity bestowed by the Savior to those both far and near, including all who believe, whether Gentiles or Israelites. Blessed Paul affirmed to the Gentiles, ‘Now in Christ Jesus you who were once far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ’ (Ephesians 2:13).

The Israelites, as long as they obeyed the law and served the living and true God according to the sacred teaching (for it was declared to them, ‘The Lord your God is one Lord’), appeared to be near, while the Gentiles seemed distant, as they were estranged from the holy counsel and lacked knowledge of the Creator and Lord of all. Yet peace was granted to both by God the Father, evidently through Christ, who united them into one new humanity, tore down the dividing wall of hostility, and abolished the law of commandments and regulations (Ephesians 2:14, 15). Through Him, we have received reconciliation and an unbreakable peace with both God and one another.

Christ, while addressing the heavenly Father, expressed, ‘I desire that they also may be one in Us, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You’ (John 17:21; cf. John 17:11). The prophet further affirms the divine promise, stating, ‘And the Lord said, I will heal,’ thereby encapsulating the essence of God’s promise over all creation. He assured His healing, yet warned that the unrighteous would be troubled and find no peace. After outlining the blessings prepared for the called, He justifiably and appropriately foretells the punishment of the disobedient, warning that their turmoil and incessant woes are inevitable, for He declares, ‘It is impossible that they should rejoice’ (the Lord God’s proclamation). When the Lord, the God of all, withdraws joy from them, what joy can they then experience?

During the time of the calling of the Israelites, some would yield to the son of perdition and remain disobedient. Paul wisely illuminated this truth, saying, ‘Because they did not receive the love of the truth, God will send them strong delusion’ (2 Thessalonians 2:10, 11). The Savior Himself declared, ‘I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive’ (John 5:43). Thus, Israel will eventually be summoned to recognize Christ, and through faith in Him, they will abundantly receive grace. Yet, some will remain ungodly and unrighteous, perpetually encumbered with unrest, completely devoid of joy, and ultimately face eternal and unending punishment.

I have seen his paths, have healed him, comforted him, and granted him true consolation, peace for those who are far and peace for those who are near, says the Lord, and I will heal them. The faithless shall face turmoil and be unable to find comfort. There is no joy for the wicked, declares the Lord God.

After the rejection of the Jewish people and those who refused to believe in the Savior, He assured those who placed their hope in Him of a land for the meek and the mountain of the saints, commanding the apostles to create a pathway for the returning people and to eliminate all distractions. To emphasize His power, He illustrates that the highest and mightiest can readily offer forgiveness to the repentant, and it is only just that the Creator shows mercy to His creations. Thus, He expresses His anger and sorrow with His people, noting that it arose due to their sins and their desire for iniquity, as they continued unceasingly to multiply their transgressions. He asserts that He struck him momentarily to bring about his healing, veiling My face to incite a deeper longing for Me, and He said: "Show Your face, and we shall be saved" (Psalms 79).

Feeling this, he walked in sorrow, lamenting, "All the day long I walk in sorrow" (Psalms 87:7). He walked sorrowfully, or turned towards the inclinations of his heart, not seeking the approval of others, but earnestly bringing forth repentance. Therefore, seeing his path of conversion, I healed the wounds I had previously inflicted upon him, bringing him back to Me after I had initially rejected him and providing him with true consolation. Many false comforts deceive humanity, yet I consoled those who mourned for him, stating in the Gospel, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted" (Matthew 5:4).

When I speak of the fulfilled fruit of the mouth, I refer to honoring My promise, saying, "I live, says the Lord; I do not desire the death of the sinner, but the conversion of the sinner" (Ezekiel 18:11), in other words, I have delivered on all I had pledged. What is the Lord's promise? "My peace I give unto you, my peace I leave unto you" (John 14:27). Therefore, He now declares: peace upon peace, or peace for those who are distant and peace for those who are nearby, not limited to a single nation but for the entire world, particularly extended to those afar and near—first to the Gentiles, then to those from Israel who sought to believe. The apostle notes that it was easy for you to speak the word of God first, but since you deemed yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we turn to the Gentiles (Acts 18:46).

Writing to the Ephesians and elaborating on the people of the circumcision and the Gentiles, he emphasizes, "But now in Christ Jesus, you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, who has made both one and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility" (Eph. 2:13-14). He further states: "And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near" (Eph. 2:17). For through Him, we, along with others, have access to the Father by one Spirit. He offers peace to those who are far and to those who are near, including those lacking the law and prophets, as well as those who received Him beforehand, whom He embraced and healed. Yet the wicked, or lawless, remain troubled like the agitated sea, unable ever to find rest. This can be understood in relation to any wicked individual; however, it specifically refers to the Jewish people who, in unison, cried out in their wickedness, "Crucify Him, crucify Him. We have no king but Caesar" (John 19:15).

Thus, just as the restless sea can never find tranquility, its waves continuously surge onto the shore before retreating, being swallowed up again, producing mud that is trampled underfoot, so too will the wicked be subjected to eternal indignity, devoid of joy, unable to find solace in their persistent iniquities. Some interpret this passage as relating specifically to the Savior, who experienced grief for a brief moment due to the world's sins, as He Himself said, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death" (Matt. 26:38). His Father struck Him, as conveyed through Zechariah: "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered" (Zechariah 13:7; Matthew 26:31), a sentiment echoed in the sixty-eighth Psalm: "Because You struck Him, they will be driven away" (Psalm 68:27).

God turned His face away from Him so that He might take on the form of a servant, walk in sorrow, and lament the sins of the people, weeping and wailing for Jerusalem. And seeing His ways, the Father healed Him, the one who was free among the dead, and His flesh avoided decay, so that struck on the cross, He was restored in the resurrection. And I comforted Him, offering Him not just one nation of Jews, but the entirety of the world. Those who mourned for Him—implied: I comforted Him—without a doubt referring to the apostles. He who said to Him, "Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession" (Psalms 2:8), brought peace upon peace, reconciling the world to God, so that all nations might be called to Him and be healed by the Father. Conversely, the wicked, previously mentioned, are likened to the sea that can never be calmed, which, even in its highest stillness, surges toward the shore with crashing waves, leading inevitably to muddy depths and trampling.