Isaiah 53:4-5 "Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases..."

"Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:4-6).

Comment:

This passage, from the fourth of the so-called "Servant Songs" in Isaiah, has been the subject of much confusion and debate through the years. Problems of translation and interpretation prevent a clear understanding of what's being said—or who the “servant” is whose life is being described. Many Christian commentators, of course, read it as a description of Jesus, although the outer details, at least, don't quite correspond.   Metaphysically, I think the passage is based on the spiritual truth that we are all one in spirit. The Christ energy that is our true identity is both unique in each of us and the same in all of us. And so, when any of us is suffering, it is foolish to assume that they are being punished for their own sins (which would have been the belief prevalent at the time of Isaiah) or creating their own suffering from their own false beliefs. Because we are all one in spiritual consciousness, we also work together in spiritual consciousness to dissolve negative energies and beliefs. From this perspective—and this, I think, is very much what the prophet is telling us—suffering may not be a sign of spiritual weakness, but rather a sign of spiritual strength! If we are centered in our creative power, we can process more of the negative energy that is polluting our collective consciousness. The physical manifestations may not be attractive but—as Jesus repeated many times in the course of his ministry—it would be a sad mistake to judge according to outer appearances. We must remember, for ourselves and for others, that a very great spiritual work may be happening in very unattractive circumstances.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed