Isaiah 63:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Yet, to prevent you from thinking that there is any irrational impulse in God when you hear of His wrath, the prophet attributes to Him a righteous judgement, indicating that He has delayed the moment of His retribution: the day of vengeance. To clarify that he addresses the judgement of the Jews, the prophet adds, The year of My redeemed has come. Just as in the time of judgement the offenses of our adversaries are unveiled alongside our own claims, so too were some punished and others saved, demonstrating that He possesses the ability to do both; contrary to the Greek false sages who suggest the existence of demons, some of whom only do good and others solely do evil, implying that neither has full power, but merely a fraction, and even that diminished. I alone crushed the chisel, and there was no one with Me; I crushed them in My anger and ground them down in My wrath. It is accurately stated, in My anger, as I crushed them in My fury. This reflects the intensity of the wrath with which He pursued the Jews, serving as a powerful exhortation for them, as the apostle warns, ‘Be not proud, but be afraid (Romans 11:20)', that they might repent due to the afflictions of others. Prosperity often leads those who have it to become complacent and may result in lives unrestrained by order. The sufferings of their neighbors He placed before them as a kind of bridle, since these troubles can direct the wealthy away from sin. It is generally said: When you observe the misfortunes of your neighbors, you shall be afraid. * * * * * * Why is Your garment red? I have trodden, he states, upon the grindstone. Those who have received the sacrament understand this completely. I have trodden, he says, the grinder alone. Indeed, only God could accomplish this, and not any other being, neither man nor angel. In My fury, He declares. His fury reaches out to His adversaries, including Satan and death.

Additionally, Christ predicted this scenario, stating: "Behold, the hour cometh, and now is come, that ye shall separate every one into his own, and leave me alone: and I am not alone, for the Father is with me" (John 16:32). The Psalmist also expressed through his words, "My soul is in anguish, longing for comfort, yet there is none; I have waited for someone to mourn with me, but there is no one, and for one to offer solace, but none can be found. They gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst, they provided me with vinegar" (Psalm 68:21, 22). Thus, He declares, "no man was with me, from all the tongues." Yet, when you were isolated and without allies, were you ultimately defeated by your foes? Have they truly triumphed and celebrated as victors over Your might? Absolutely not, He argues. Despite lacking a defense, I have crushed them with My wrath and scattered them like chaff; their blood has soaked into the ground. For following Christ's ascension into Heaven, a multitude of overwhelming calamities descended upon the Jewish people as a result of divine judgment.

In contrast to previous interpretations, I trampled the winepress, a term better read in connection with what precedes it than as an opening to a new thought. Once again, no one was there from the nations alongside Me, and I crushed them in My wrath, reducing them to dust and spilling their blood upon the earth, staining all My garments. The time for recompense has arrived for them; the year of My salvation is here. I searched for help, yet found none; I contemplated, and there was no one to assist; My strength delivered them, and My wrath surged against them, causing Me to trample them down and pour their blood upon the earth.

In a previous translation, the word for ‘sharpening’ was instead rendered to imply a winepress, which conveys a dual interpretation, representing both vengeance for sin and the gathering of new fruits. This concept is echoed in the Scriptures where it stands as a symbol of divine judgment and deliverance. For instance, when Jeremiah laments the fall of Jerusalem, he proclaims, "The Lord hath trodden down the winepress of the virgin daughter of Judah: for these I weep" (Lamentations 1:15). Likewise, the Psalms contain meaningful references to this imagery.

The Savior treaded this path of both punishment for the wicked and rewards for the righteous completely on His own, without the aid of any angelic or heavenly being, as none stepped into human form to suffer for us or to combat the forces of darkness except He who declares in the Psalm, "Save me, O Lord, for the wretchedness of the godly" (Psalm 11:1). Even the steadfast apostle Peter, known for his faith, quaked in fear and denied the Lord (Matthew 26).

The depiction of My garments becoming stained with blood should not be taken literally, implying that demons or opposing forces possess blood. It must rather be viewed allegorically — the all-knowing God, for the sake of instructing His people and their liberation, is compelled to exact punishment on His adversaries. "The day of vengeance," He says, "is in My heart; the year of My deliverance has come." Previously, we have read about proclaiming the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance for our God (Isaiah 61:2). Thus, as the day of reckoning dawns upon the unrepentant, the people of God shall be redeemed, sanctified by the precious blood of the Lamb, referenced in John’s Revelation as the slain.

Moses also spoke through the Holy Spirit about this day of recompense, foretelling that God would avenge His enemies and repay those who harbor hatred against Him (Deuteronomy 32). I searched for help, but found none; I sought to comfort, but none appeared (Psalm 68:21). As the very image of God, He did not consider it a thing to be grasped to be equal with God; instead, He humbled Himself (Philippians 2:6), taking on the form of a servant and being obedient to the Father, even unto death on the cross. Therefore, God has exalted Him and bestowed upon Him the name above every name, allowing Him to save those who believe with His mighty right hand, so that His justified wrath towards His enemies might instead bring deliverance to His people. Thus, He redeemed the faithful by His strength, no longer withholding His wrath, thereby pouring forth their blood upon the earth, which might also signify the blood of the Jews, as other translators have interpreted regarding those who endeavored diligently to liberate the imprisoned.

The hand symbolizes the power of righteousness, which has preserved the nature He assumed in purity and freedom from sin. Therefore, having received this grace and been liberated from oppressive chains, let us offer our praises to the Source of our deliverance. For He, having faced trials on our behalf, has granted us the gifts of victory and peace, which we can savor until the end through the grace of the One who triumphed, to whom we now offer glory alongside the Father and the Holy Spirit.

In this scenario, the Romans served as instruments of Christ’s righteous fury. Titus recognized this when he declined the offer to be honored for the destruction of Jerusalem and the pacification of the Jews, stating that it was the work of God. Indeed, it was the manifestation of God’s justice which Christ had fulfilled, with humanity acting as unwitting agents of divine judgment, allowing the conquering Christ to declare, "Of a tongue there is no man with Me," and none of the nations realized they were in service of His cause, fighting on His behalf.