John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 53

Who will believe our report? This division, or rather dismemberment, of the chapter ought to be disregarded. It ought to have begun with the thirteenth verse of the previous chapter, and these words ought to be connected with what came before.

Here the Prophet pauses, so to speak, in the middle of his discourse. For, having previously said that the name of Christ would be proclaimed everywhere and revealed to unknown nations, and yet would have so lowly an appearance that it might seem as if these things were fictitious, he breaks off his discourse and exclaims that “Nobody will believe those things.” At the same time, he describes his grief that people are so unbelieving as to reject their salvation.

Thus, it is a holy complaint made by one who wished that Christ should be known by all, and who, despite this, sees that there are few who believe the Gospel, and therefore groans and cries out, Who hath believed our report? Let us therefore groan and complain along with the Prophet, and let us be distressed with grief when we see that our labor is unprofitable, and let us complain before God. For godly ministers must be deeply affected if they wish to perform their work faithfully. Isaiah declares that there will be few who submit to the Gospel of Christ; for when he exclaims, “Who will believe the preaching?” he means that of those who hear the Gospel, scarcely one in a hundred will be a believer.

Nor does he speak of himself alone, but as one who represents all teachers. Therefore, although God gives many ministers, few will hold to their doctrine. And what then will happen when there are no ministers? Do we wonder that the greatest blindness reigns in such places? If cultivated ground is unfruitful, what should we expect from soil that is uncultivated and barren?

And yet, the fact that there are few disciples who receive it does not detract anything from the Gospel of Christ. Nor does the small number of believers lessen its authority or obscure its infinite glory. On the contrary, the loftiness of the mystery is a reason why it scarcely gains acceptance in the world. It is considered to be folly because it exceeds all human capacities.

To whom (literally, on whom) is the arm of Jehovah revealed? In this second clause, he points out the reason why the number of believers will be so small. This is because no one can come to God except by an extraordinary revelation of the Spirit. To suppose that by the word “Arm” Christ is meant is, in my opinion, a mistake. It assigns the cause why there are so few who believe: namely, that they cannot attain it by the wisdom of their own understanding. This is a remarkable passage and is quoted by John and Paul for that purpose. John said, “Though Jesus had performed many miracles in their presence, they did not believe in him, so that the saying of Isaiah the Prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:

Lord, who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? (John 12:37–38).

And Paul says, “But they do not all believe the Gospel; for Isaiah says, Lord, who hath believed our report?” (Romans 10:16). Both of them declare that there will be no reason to wonder if that which was foretold long ago shall happen. They do so to remove the offense that might have arisen from the revolt of that nation, which ought to have acknowledged Christ but obstinately resisted him.

Isaiah does not include merely the people of his own time, but all posterity to the end of the world. For as long as the reign of Christ shall endure, this must be fulfilled. Therefore, believers ought to be fortified by this passage against such a scandal.

These words refute the ignorance of those who think that faith is in the power of every person because preaching is common to all. Although it is sufficiently evident that all are called to salvation, the Prophet expressly states that the external voice is of no avail if it is not accompanied by a special gift of the Spirit. And from where does the difference proceed, but from the secret election of God, the cause of which is hidden in Himself?

Yet he shall grow up before him as a twig. This verse refers to what was previously said: that Christ will at first have no magnificence or outward display among men, but that before God He will nevertheless be highly exalted and esteemed.

Therefore, we see that we must not judge the glory of Christ by human perspective, but must discern by faith what the Holy Scriptures teach us about Him. The phrase “before Him” is thus contrasted with human senses, which cannot comprehend that lofty greatness.

Almost the same metaphor was used by the Prophet (Isaiah 11:1) when he said, A branch shall spring out of the stock of Jesse. For the house of David was like a dry stock, in which no vigor and no comeliness was visible. For that reason, it is called there not a royal house, but “Jesse,” a name which had no fame. Only the Prophet adds here, In a desert land.

By this, he means that Christ's power to spring up will not be derived from the sap of the earth, as in trees, but contrary to the ordinary course of nature. Those who speculate in this passage about the Virgin Mary, supposing she is called a desert land because she conceived by the Holy Spirit and not by ordinary generation, are speaking beside the point, for the present subject is not the birth of Christ, but His whole reign.

He says that it will resemble a twig springing out of a dry soil, which looks as if it could never grow large. When we consider the whole method of establishing His kingdom—the means He employed, how weak its beginnings were, and how many enemies it faced—we will easily understand that all these things were fulfilled as foretold.

What sort of men were the Apostles, to subdue so many kings and nations by the sword of the word? Are they not justly compared to offshoots? Thus the Prophet shows how the kingdom of Christ is to be set up and established, so that we do not judge it by human conceptions.

He hath no form nor comeliness. This must be understood to relate not merely to the person of Christ—who was despised by the world and eventually condemned to a disgraceful death—but also to His whole kingdom.

In human eyes, His kingdom had no beauty, no comeliness, no splendor. In short, it had nothing in its outward appearance that could attract or captivate people's hearts to it.

Although Christ arose from the dead, the Jews always regarded Him as a person who had been crucified and disgraced. Consequently, they haughtily disdained Him.

Despised and rejected. This verse conveys the same statement as the preceding one: namely, that Christ will be “rejected” by people as a result of their seeing in him nothing but grief and infirmity. These things often needed to be repeated to the Jews, so that they would not form a false conception of Christ and his kingdom. For, in order to know his glory, we must proceed from his death to his resurrection. Many stumble at his death, as if he had been vanquished and overwhelmed by it; but we ought to contemplate his power and majesty in the resurrection. And if anyone chooses to begin with the resurrection, he will not follow the order laid down by the Prophet, nor comprehend the Lord’s strength and power.

We hid the face from him. Not without reason does he use the first person, we; for he declares that there will be a universal judgment, and no one will ever be able to comprehend it by his own understanding until the Lord corrects and forms him anew by his Spirit. Although he appears chiefly to censure the Jews, who ought not to have so haughtily rejected the Son of God promised and offered to them, and therefore counts himself as one of their number because he was an individual belonging to that nation; yet let us learn from this passage that all people are accursed and condemned for ingratitude in despising Christ. This is because they do not even consider him worthy of being looked at, but turn away their eyes as if from something detestable.

Surely he carried our sicknesses. The particle אכן (aken) is not only a strong affirmation, but is likewise equivalent to for, and assigns a reason for something that went before, and which might have been thought new and strange. For it is a monstrous thing that he to whom God has given supreme authority over all the creatures should be thus trampled on and scorned; and if the reason were not assigned, it would have been universally pronounced to be ridiculous. The reason, therefore, for the weakness, pains, and shame of Christ is that he carried our sicknesses.

Matthew quotes this prediction after relating that Christ cured various diseases, though it is certain that he was appointed not to cure bodies, but rather to cure souls; for it is of spiritual disease that the Prophet intends to speak. But in the miracles that Christ performed in curing bodies, he gave a proof of the salvation that he brings to our souls. That healing therefore had a more extensive reference than to bodies, because he was appointed to be the physician of souls; and accordingly Matthew applies to the outward sign what belonged to the truth and reality.

We thought him to be smitten, wounded by God, and afflicted. In this second clause he shows how great was the ingratitude and wickedness of the people, who did not know why Christ was so severely afflicted, but imagined that God smote him on account of his own sins, though they knew that he was perfectly innocent, and his innocence was attested even by his judge. (Matthew 27:24; Luke 23:4, 14, 22; John 18:38)

Since, therefore, they know that an innocent man is punished for sins that he did not commit, why do they not think that it indicated some extraordinary excellence in him? But because they see him wounded and despised, they do not inquire about the cause, and from the event alone, as fools usually do, they pronounce judgment.

Accordingly, Isaiah complains of the wicked judgment of men, in not considering the cause of Christ’s heavy afflictions; and especially he deplores the dullness of his own nation, because they thought that God was a deadly enemy of Christ, and took no account of their own sins, which were to be expiated in this manner.

And he was wounded for our iniquities. He again repeats the cause of Christ’s great afflictions, in order to meet the scandal which might have arisen from it. The spectacle of the cross alienates many persons from Christ, when they consider what is presented to their eyes, and do not observe the object to be accomplished. But all offense is removed when we know that by his death our sins have been expiated, and salvation has been obtained for us.

The chastisement of our peace. Some think that this is called “the chastisement of peace” because men are careless and stupefied amidst their afflictions, and therefore it was necessary that Christ should suffer. Others view “peace” as relating to the consciences, that is, that Christ suffered so that we might have peaceful consciences; as Paul says, being justified by faith through Christ, we have peace with God (Romans 5:1). But I take it to denote simply reconciliation. Christ was the price of “our chastisement,” that is, of the chastisement that was due to us. Thus the wrath of God, which had been justly kindled against us, was appeased; and through the Mediator we have obtained “peace,” by which we are reconciled.

We ought to draw from this a universal doctrine, namely, that we are reconciled to God by free grace, because Christ has paid the price of “our peace.” This is indeed acknowledged by the Papists; but they then limit this doctrine to original sin, as if after baptism there were no longer any room for reconciliation through free grace, but that we must give satisfaction by our merits and works.

But the Prophet does not here treat of a single species of pardon, but extends this blessing to the whole course of life; therefore, it cannot be thus undervalued or limited to a particular time without most heinous sacrilege. Hence also the frivolous distinction of the Papists, between the remission of punishment and the pardon of sin, is easily refuted.

They affirm that punishment is not remitted to us unless it is washed out by satisfactions. But the Prophet openly declares that the punishment of our sins was transferred to him. What, then, do the Papists intend, if not to be Christ’s equals and companions, and to lay claim to share with him in his authority?

In his wound (or, in his medicine) we have healing. He again directs us to Christ, that we may turn to his wounds, provided that we wish to regain life.

Here the Prophet draws a contrast between us and Christ; for in us nothing can be found but destruction and death. In Christ alone is life and salvation; he alone brought medicine to us, and even procures health by his weakness, and life by his death, for he alone has pacified the Father, he alone has reconciled us to him.

Here we might bring forward many things about the blessed consequences of Christ’s sufferings, if we had not determined to expound rather than to preach; therefore, let us be satisfied with a plain exposition. Let everyone, therefore, draw consolation from this passage, and apply the blessed result of this doctrine to his own use; for these words are spoken to all in general, and to individuals in particular.