Isaiah 63:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

I beheld a figure in stained attire, girded as if a farmer working among cottonwoods, in red vestments from Bosra. His presence indicates the agony He endured, akin to the vision of a boiling pot tilting toward the north (Jeremiah 1:13); Zechariah too witnessed equine visions. How can one adorned in stained garments possess beauty? Garments are truly lovely when vibrant in color. Yet the paradox lies in the prophet’s astonishment at his sight; if the figure were not as such, the prophet would not be filled with awe. When God performs wondrous acts, questioning Him is not warranted. He who manifests in the fullness of His might—both powerful and humble—reflects this in the very visage He presents. Now He responds to the inquirer, declaring, "I proclaim righteousness and the judgement of salvation," meaning, "I do so." By stating, "I speak," He demonstrates the essence of His work: the mighty executor of His promise (Joel 2:11), proclaims Joel.

Now let us delve into the allegorical message presented here. Who is this that approaches from Edom? This prophecy is twofold: Christ appeared to them bathed in blood, for He states, "How can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man?" (Matt. 12:29); yet He also reassures us, "Take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33); elsewhere, He declares His mission: to "proclaim freedom for the captives and recovery of sight for the blind" (Luke 4:18) (see Isa. 61:1); and again it is said, "He will break down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron" (see Isa. 45:2)—evidencing His triumph, and signifying that He was splattered with blood, as Jacob also prophesied, saying, "He washed His garments in wine and His robes in the blood of grapes" (Gen. 49:11); and Simeon, the high priest, attests to numerous conflicts with the words, "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many" (Luke 2:34). Here, He is depicted as emerging from Edom after vanquishing many, with Bethlehem nestled within the region of the Idumeans. Moreover, David illustrates Him as armed, stating, "Gird your sword upon your thigh, O Mighty One" (Psalms 44:4). This prevents the thought of weakness—parallel to the prophet’s earlier assertion that "He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain; like one from whom people hide their faces, He was despised, and we held Him in low esteem" (Isaiah 53:3).

Others witnessed Him post-resurrection, such as Thomas and Mary, who saw Him and recognized Him as a shepherd or referred to Him as 'Rabbi', to whom He remarked, "Do not touch me" (John 20:17). Each received according to their faith. Just as His Father manifested in fire or as an elder in varying contexts, maintaining His nature—God forbid otherwise—while remaining unchanging, so too did the Lord not always appear in a singular way. Here, He altered His manifestation to resonate with the faith of the believers. In regard to His majestic attire, it can be envisioned as the Church, beautified by His grace, as indicated in, "You will be adorned with them like a bride" (Isaiah 49:18). We are His instruments, and He belongs to us. He does not consider one exemplification adequate but wishes what is His to also be ours, as He desires us to belong to Him. "I am your garment," He states, "and you are Mine" (cf. Jer. 13:11). He proclaims, "I will clothe you, as one girded with a belt about the waist." Further, He affirms, "We are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones" (Eph. 5:30). He states, "I am the head, and you are the members." Moreover, it is written, "I am your dwelling place, and you are my temple" (cf. 1 Cor. 3:16; 1 Cor. 6:19). Again, it is said, "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them" (John 6:56); "I partake of you, and you partake of Me." Furthermore, He declares, "My sustenance is to accomplish the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work" (John 4:34), and "He also intercedes for us" (Rom. 8:34). He who speaks in the fullness of His might reveals here the divine order of things. A careful consideration of these words unveils a certain strength, but the strength of the one who acts must never be confused with violence. "I speak the truth and the judgment of salvation." Yet the prophet did not specify who this is. May heretics who scrutinize essence be left ashamed. "I am He who speaks the truth," indicating through these words the unfathomable nature of essence. "I am He who proclaims truth," marking that I judge with a salvific judgement. His judgment is meant for salvation rather than condemnation. He declares of sinners, "I make them righteous"; thus, the judgement of certain souls is directed towards salvation, while that of others leads to condemnation.

The prophetic word illustrates, as if portraying the triumphal ascent of Christ, our Savior, to the heavens. He rose to His heavenly Father to fulfill His earthly mission. He confronted the heavenly authorities not merely in our likeness, as a man, but also by revealing signs of suffering. It is not to suggest that after His resurrection, His blessed body bore the marks of nails and other wounds, but that like Thomas, who doubted the apostles when they proclaimed the resurrection, was shown the marks of the nails, so now, for our understanding, in order that the manifold wisdom of God might be disclosed in Christ for the church, He ascended with clear signs of suffering, presenting an astonishing sight to the heavenly hosts.

When they witnessed His ascent, they were amazed and inquired, “Who is this one coming from Edom?” Edom in the Greek signifies fiery or earthly, while Vosor indicates that which is of the flesh or carnal. Thus, He, who claims to be of the earth, is clothed as if in a scarlet robe of flesh or blood. He is red in His apparel; for the heavenly powers, being spiritual and full of divine wisdom, behold Christ empowered, even while in the flesh. This scene served as a display for them. So when the angels questioned among themselves, "Who is this man?" He responded, saying, "I declare the truth and the decree of salvation." By truth, He refers to either the gospel or divine proclamation, asserting that every word of God is righteous. The judgment of salvation pertains to the verdict over us; He has pronounced a righteous judgment for creation, condemned the unjust usurper, and rescued those ensnared under his cruel dominion. He has stripped the rebel of his power. Therefore, He declared, "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out; and if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto myself" (John 12:31, 32). Following this, they asked again, "Why are your garments and clothing soiled, as if they had been trampled upon?"

However, since earlier in this passage we find, The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me; He has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor (Isaiah 61:1), which our Lord and Savior declared fulfilled in Himself when He read from Isaiah in the synagogue, saying, This scripture is fulfilled in your hearing today (Luke 4:21), we must perceive these words in light of Christ's first coming. It cannot be as some attempt to argue, that actions bound in time can change over time. We acknowledge the challenge of reconciling these interpretations and arguing that it will be fulfilled spiritually at the end of times, as we affirm that it has already been fulfilled in Christ both in the physical and spiritual realms. Therefore, since the Savior is on His way to the daughter of Zion, bearing her reward and her work before Him, and the Just One shines forth as brilliance, while the Savior becomes like a lamp, and the Bridegroom delights in His bride, the Church, or rather, God exults over her, who is also the Bridegroom and Lord; after His incarnation and crucifixion, it is proclaimed, Your foot shall be wet with blood (Psalm 67:24).

Under the name of Judah, the prophecy in Genesis states: Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be upon the neck of your enemies; the sons of your father shall bow down to you. Judah, as a lion’s cub, you have ascended; you lie down like a lion, as a fierce lioness; who dares rouse you? (Genesis 49:8-9). It further states: He ties his donkey to the vine, to the choice vine; he washes his garments in wine and his robes in the blood of grapes (Genesis 49:11). This is the One seen, stained with blood, ascending to the Father. The angelic hosts commanded other angels, Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle (Psalm 24:7-8). Again, The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory (Psalm 24:10). We present this to demonstrate that the current section correlates with other scriptural testimonies. Likewise, in the Song of Songs, it is declared, My beloved is white and ruddy (Song of Songs 5:10), showing His blackness in suffering and whiteness in resurrection. The angels, struck with wonder at the unique sight (for the mystery of Christ’s suffering and resurrection was, as the Apostle Paul indicated, unknown to earlier generations - 1 Cor. 2), asked, Who is this bloodied figure coming from the land of Edom? In our language, Edom signifies earthy or bloody - clothed in stained garments from Bosra, a term misapplied by many in error as referring to Christ’s flesh, but ‘basar’ would correctly include the letter ‘shin’ in its composition, while it presently includes ‘tsade,’ indicating strength and fortification, which can relate to Jerusalem, once fortified by strong walls (Psalm 59:11), where the sacrifices occurred, and where the Lord endured suffering, or to hell, as expressed in the fifty-ninth and hundred-seventh psalms: Who will lead me into the fortified enclosure? (Psalm 59:11, Psalm 107:11), where the souls of the dead are held captive under strong guard. It is notable that historically, Bosra is located in Moab, not Edom. He is radiant in His garments, manifesting the fullness of His power. The forty-fourth Psalm also sings of Him, He is fair in grace than the sons of men. Gird Your sword upon Your side, O Mighty One; in Your majesty and splendor ride on victoriously (Psalm 44:4-5). The Septuagint translates this instead as: in strength with strength. Let the discerning reader seek to understand this meaning. I speak truth and advocate to save. The Lord responds to the questioning angels, You inquire, Who am I, ascending to heaven stained with blood, and whose blood brings forth beauty rather than shame? I am He to whom the Father has entrusted all judgment (John 5); concerning whom the Psalmist said, O God, give Your judgments to the king and Your righteousness to the king's son (Psalm 71:1). I am the one who speaks truth, to repay the wicked with evil and the righteous with goodness; who came to wage war against the adversaries and to proclaim liberty to the captives, releasing prisoners from captivity, ensuring the adversaries are punished while the captives find freedom.

It symbolizes the power of righteousness, for it has preserved undefiled and free from sin the nature He assumed. Having therefore received this grace and being freed from that bitter bondage, let us offer praises to the Source of our liberation. For He, having faced the struggle on our behalf, has granted us the gift of victory and peace, which we may experience until the end through the grace of Him who triumphed, to whom be glory alongside the Father and the Holy Spirit.

The prophetic Spirit perceives the Lord going forth to endure suffering, even while in the flesh, being clothed in it. The bloody nature of His flesh is represented by the scarlet garment, crushed and pressed under the weight of His suffering, akin to the process of pressing grapes in a winepress, from which the people emerge stained, reflecting the red hue of the wine.

The prophet envisions Christ as the triumphant one coming from Edom, specifically from its capital, Bozrah, dressed in scarlet, splendid in appearance, and imbued with strength and might. The Edomites, descendants of Esau, represent the fiercest foes of Israel, thus embodying the adversaries of the Church. When the prophet witnesses the Conqueror of those hostile to the Church, he does not initially recognize Him and poses the question: Who is He? The response comes: I speak truth and the decree of salvation. This signifies that the Champion of the nations is not a ruthless and ambitious warrior, but rather a just Judge, who enacts strict judgment in the name of righteousness, delivering some from their wickedness. He alone carries out His righteous decree.