Isaiah 57:21Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

For it is written, “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for your hands are full of blood” (Isaiah 1:15). However, in the last days, when Israel repents, they will grow weary of their sinful actions and will be redeemed through faith, receiving mercy from God, who will cleanse them of their past sins and grant them true comfort.

What does this true comfort entail? Clearly, it refers to the grace of Christ, which justifies through faith, liberates from sin, sanctifies by the Spirit, grants the glory of adoption, and assures hope for the rewards set aside for the saints. Thus, this authentic consolation brings, above all else, peace to the world — a lasting and enduring prosperity that the Savior has conferred upon all who believe, whether they are close or far off, including both Gentiles and Israelites. The blessed Paul testified to the Gentiles that “now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13). The Israelites, to the extent that they adhered to the law and served the living God according to His holy will (for it was declared to them that “The Lord your God is one Lord”), appeared near to God, while the Gentiles were seen as distant, having been separated from the divine plans and ignorant of the Creator and Lord of all.

However, peace has been extended to both groups by God the Father through Christ, who united the two into one new creation, dismantling barriers and nullifying the regulations laid down by the law of commandments (Eph. 2:14, 15). Thus, through Christ, we have received reconciliation and enduring peace with both God and one another. Christ articulated this desire to the heavenly Father, stating, “I pray that they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You” (John 17:21, cf. John 17:11). The prophet noted, “And the Lord said, I will heal,” thus summarizing the entire message and clearly conveying the truthfulness of God's promise, the sovereign ruler of all. He assured that healing would come, while the unrighteous would face turmoil and find no rest. After indicating the rewards for the called, He justly foretold the punishments awaiting the disobedient, proclaiming that it is impossible for them to rejoice, says the Lord God. When the Lord, the ruler of all, removes joy from them, what joy can they possibly claim?

During the calling of the Israelites, some would, tragically, fall prey to the adversary and remain unyielding, as the wise Paul explained, “Because they refused to love the truth and so be saved, therefore God will send them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie” (2 Thess. 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, although Israel will ultimately be called to recognize Christ and receive abundant grace through faith in Him, some will persist in ungodliness and unrighteousness, resulting in a state of constant unrest and deprivation of joy, leading them to suffer eternal and unending punishment.

Perhaps, however, you lack the capacity to perceive it, as there exists a unique perspective necessary to recognize this divine beauty. There is the carnal sight that allows us to view the physical world and the sight of the heart that reveals spiritual delights. If your inner sight is compromised—polluted by anger, greed, lust, or reckless indulgence—then it will struggle to perceive this true light. Before you can see, you must first believe; through this trust, you will be restored and enabled to have vision.

I observed his paths, healed him, offered comfort, and bestowed true consolation; peace for those remote and peace for those close, proclaims the Lord, and I will restore them. But the unprincipled shall be restless and unable to find comfort. There is no joy for the wicked, says the Sovereign Lord.

Following the rejection of the Jewish people and those who did not accept the Savior, He assured those who placed their hope in Him of a land for the humble and a mountain of the saints, commanding the apostles to prepare the way for the returning people and eliminate all temptations. To bolster this promise, He illustrated His power, affirming that the Highest can easily grant forgiveness to those who repent and that it is right for the Creator to show mercy to His creations. Thus, He expressed His anger and sorrow towards His people, noting their sinfulness and greed for wrongdoing, solely content with iniquity, continuously adding sin upon sin. He struck him briefly to bring healing and concealed My face, so that he might yearn for My presence, saying: “Show thy face, and we shall be saved” (Psalms 79). Disturbed by this, he walked mournfully, declaring that he walked sorrowfully all day long (Psalms 87:7). His sorrowful walk or turning to the desires of his heart was meant as a genuine repentance rather than for the praise of men.

Recognizing his conversion, I mended the wounds I had inflicted upon him and drew him back to Me, to whom I had previously turned away, granting him true comfort. For many false comforts mislead humanity. He consoled those who mourned for him, affirming in the Gospel: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). The fulfillment of the fruit of the lips conveys that I have accomplished what I promised, declaring, “I live, saith the Lord; I do not desire the death of the sinner, but their conversion” (Ezekiel 18:11). This pledge echoes the Lord’s promise: “My peace I give unto you, my peace I leave with you” (John 14:27). This is what He announces: peace for peace, intending it for not merely one nation but for the entirety of humankind, especially for those who are distant and close, initially toward the Gentiles and subsequently to those from Israel who wished to believe. The apostle also remarks on them, noting it was easy for you to hear the word of God first; yet, since you were unworthy to work out your own salvation, let us turn to the Gentiles (Acts 18:46). Writing to the Ephesians, he elaborates about the circumcised and the Gentiles, adding, “But now in Christ Jesus, ye who were once far off are brought near by the blood of Christ. He is our peace, who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of partition” (Eph. 2:13-14), and further states: “And having come, He preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were close” (Eph. 2:17). For through Him, we both have access in one Spirit to the Father; He dispenses peace to the distant and the near, including those who had no law or prophets, welcoming and healing those who received Him. Yet, the wicked or lawless are troubled like the raging sea and shall never find rest. While this can apply to any wicked person, it particularly references the Jewish people, who collectively called out in their wickedness, declaring, “Crucify Him, crucify Him. We have no king but Caesar” (John 19:15).

Thus, just as the tumultuous sea finds no stillness, but continually surges to the shores with broken waves, yielding muddy waters trampled by feet, so too shall the wicked face eternal subjugation, lacking joy and never appeased by the false peace they pursue. Some may interpret this specifically concerning the Savior, who experienced grief for a brief time due to the world’s sins, as He states, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death” (Matthew 26:38). His Father struck Him, as said through Zechariah: “I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered” (Zechariah 13:7; Matthew 26:31). He also referred to this in the sixty-eighth Psalm: “Because Thou hast smitten me, they shall be driven away” (Psalm 68:27). In turning His face away, God allowed Him to take the form of a servant, walking sorrowfully and mourning for the sins of the people, lamenting over Jerusalem. And because the Father observed His ways, He healed Him, freeing Him from the dead, ensuring His flesh did not see corruption, so that, suffering on the cross, He was restored in the resurrection. And I consoled Him, He asserts, by assigning Him not just the nation of the Jews but the entire world. Those who mourned for Him were assured comfort—an implication directed towards the apostles. He who promised Him, “Ask of Me, and I will give thee nations for thine inheritance, and the ends of the earth for thy possession” (Psalms 2:8); peace for peace, reconciling the world to God, that both peoples might be called to Him, finding healing from the Father. Yet, the wicked we previously discussed are compared to the restless sea, which cannot be calmed, always moving toward the shores with crashing waves, ultimately resulting in mud and trampling.