Isaiah 57:20Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

However, when Israel repents in the last days, they will become humble and cease their detestable actions. Through faith and the mercy of God, they will be liberated from their past sins and find true comfort. What does this comfort entail? Clearly, it is the grace of Christ, which brings justification through faith, redemption from sin, sanctification by the Spirit, the glory of adoption, and the hope of the rewards destined for the saints. Therefore, true solace is that which, to those who embrace it, offers the highest blessings and peace for the world—lasting prosperity granted by the Savior to both those who are far off and those who are near, namely, to believers from both Gentile and Israelite backgrounds. The blessed Paul proclaimed to the Gentiles, "Now you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ" (Eph. 2:13). For the Israelites, as they submitted to the law and served the living God according to the holy teachings—given the command that "The Lord your God is one Lord"—they appeared close to God, while the Gentiles seemed distant, being strangers to divine counsel and ignorant of the Creator. Yet, peace was bestowed upon both groups by God the Father, manifestly through Christ, who united them and formed one new humanity by breaking down barriers and abolishing the law of commandments (Eph. 2:14, 15). Thus, through Him, we have been granted reconciliation and unshakeable peace both with God and one another. Christ prayed to the heavenly Father, asking, "I want them to be one, as You and I are one" (John 17:21, cf. John 17:11). The prophet adds, "And the Lord said, I will heal them," affirming the fulfillment of God's promise, who reigns over all. He has committed to healing them, yet the unrighteous will experience turmoil and find no rest. After stating the rewards for those called, He rightly and timely foretells the consequences for the disobedient, their unrest, and perpetual distress; for it is impossible, He asserts, for them to rejoice, says the Lord God. And if the Lord strips them of joy, what joy remains for them? At the calling of the Israelites, some, having succumbed to rebellion, will remain disobedient. The wise Paul clarifies, stating, "Because they did not receive the love of the truth, God will send them strong delusion" (2 Thess. 2:10, 11). The Savior Himself declared, "I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; but if another comes in his own name, him you will receive" (John 5:43). Thus, Israel will be called to recognize Christ, and through faith, they will receive abundant grace. Yet, some will remain ungodly and unrighteous, existing in a state of restlessness, wholly devoid of joy, broken, and subject to eternal and unending punishment.

I have seen his ways and healed him, offered comfort, and provided genuine consolation—peace to the distant and the near, says the Lord, and I will restore them. The lawless shall be troubled and will find no comfort. There is no joy for the wicked, declares the Lord God.

Following the rejection of the Jewish nation and those who resisted believing in the Savior, He assured the hopeful that they would inherit the land of the meek and the mountain of the saints. He instructed the apostles to prepare for the return of the people and to eliminate all temptations. To emphasize His authority, He showcases His ability to grant forgiveness easily to the penitent, affirming that it is just for the Creator to have compassion on His creations. Therefore, He confessed His anger and sorrow for His people, explaining that it was due to their sins and their insatiable desire for wrongdoing, as they constantly added iniquity to iniquity. He indicates that He struck him momentarily for healing and concealed My face so that he would long for Me instead, crying out: “Show Your face, and we shall be saved” (Psalms 79). This caused Him to be indignant, recognizing this, he walked sorrowfully, affirming, All the day long he walked sorrowfully (Psalms 87:7). He moved sorrowfully, not for the approval of others, but to genuinely seek repentance within his heart. Observing his turning back, I healed the wounds I had earlier inflicted and brought him back to Me, from whom I had once turned away, providing true comfort. Many misleading comforts deceive humanity, but He consoled the mourners, declaring in the Gospel, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). Hence, the fulfillment of My promise bears meaning: I have accomplished what I vowed, stating, “As I live, says the Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the sinner, but rather in their conversion” (Ezekiel 33:11), or: I have given all that I previously pledged. What is the Lord's promise? “My peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you” (John 14:27). This is His declaration: peace upon peace, or peace to those far off and peace to those near—not just to one nation but to the entire world, especially to those who were far off and those close by. This includes the Gentiles first, and then those from Israel who desired to believe. The apostle comments, “It was necessary that the word of God should first be spoken to you, but since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles” (Acts 18:46). Writing to the Ephesians, addressing the circumcised and the Gentiles, he added, “But now, in Christ Jesus, you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation” (Eph. 2:13-14), and also: “And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near” (Eph. 2:17). Through Him, we all have access by one Spirit to the Father; He grants peace to those afar and those close, to those without the law and prophets; those who received Him, He accepted and healed.

However, the lawless are compared to the restless sea, forever agitated, never finding calm. While this can apply to any wicked person, it particularly points to the Jewish people who, in their unified voice, persisted in their wrongdoing, exclaiming, “Crucify Him, crucify Him. We have no king but Caesar” (John 19:15). Thus, just as the fierce sea remains turbulent, its waves breaking and returning to the shore only to be engulfed again, staining everything with mud, so will the wicked face eternal trampling, devoid of joy or peace in their iniquity. Some interpret this as referring specifically to the Savior, who was grieved momentarily because of the world's sins, as He stated, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death” (Matthew 26:38). His Father smote Him, declaring through Zechariah: “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered” (Zechariah 13:7; Matthew 26:31), and He prophesied in the sixty-eighth Psalm: “Because You have struck Him, they will be scattered” (Psalm 68:27). God turned His face away from Him so He could take on the form of a servant, walking in sorrow and mourning for the sins of the populace, lamenting for Jerusalem. Because the Father observed His ways, He healed Him who was free among the dead, and His flesh saw no decay; though stricken upon the cross, He was restored in the resurrection. I comforted Him, says He, by granting Him not just one nation of Jews, but the entirety of humanity. Those who mourned for Him were undeniably comforted, referring to the apostles. He who said, “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), brings peace within peace, reconciling the world to God, so that both nations may unite and find healing in the Father. Yet, the wicked, as referenced earlier, are likened to the sea, which remains forever restless, even in its quiet moments drifting ashore with broken waves, leading ultimately to mud and desolation.