(Isa) 53:5, 10-11 CJB “But he was wounded because of our crimes, crushed because of our sins; the disciplining that makes us whole fell on him, and by his bruises* we are healed. yet it pleased Adonai to crush him with illness, to see if he would present himself as a guilt offering. If he does, he will see his offspring; and he will prolong his days; and at his hand Adonai’s desire will be accomplished. After this ordeal, he will see satisfaction. “By his knowing [pain and sacrifice], my righteous servant makes many righteous; it is for their sins that he suffers.”

Isaiah 53 confronts us with a truth we would never invent and often resist: God saves by suffering.

“But he was wounded because of our crimes, crushed because of our sins; the disciplining that makes us whole fell on him, and by his bruises we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5, CJB).

Jesus—God as man, fully God and fully human—did not enter the world as the conquering King He rightfully is. He came as the Suffering Servant, bearing the weight of God’s righteous wrath against human rebellion. Our sin was not merely mistake or weakness; it was treason against our Creator and Sustainer. And the cost of that rebellion demanded judgment.

Isaiah tells us something startling: “Yet it pleased Adonai to crush him with illness” (Isaiah 53:10, CJB).
This was not divine cruelty. It was divine purpose.

Jesus was not forced to the cross. In the garden, He wept tears like blood, pleading for another way. There was none. And so He chose the cross. His love for us outweighed His instinct for self-preservation. He died to self and died for us, presenting Himself as the guilt offering that satisfied God’s justice and displayed God’s mercy.

Isaiah goes further: if the Servant offers Himself, “he will see his offspring… After this ordeal, he will see satisfaction” (Isaiah 53:10–11, CJB).
The reward of Christ’s suffering is a redeemed people. Men and women made righteous—not by effort, not by morality, but by His knowledge of pain and sacrifice on our behalf.

But this salvation is not automatic. It belongs to those who repent of lives lived in rebellion against God and place their faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus as sufficient. Eternal life is the reward of His work, not ours.

And here is where this passage presses hard on Christian men today.

Those who are in Christ are not only saved by Him—we are called to live like Him. We now stand before the world as servants, just as He did. We carry His name, His message, and His light into a world that still prefers darkness. If the world rejected Him, it will reject those who truly reflect Him.

Suffering is not a sign of failure. It is often evidence of faithfulness.

Isaiah tells us it pleased God to raise His Son through suffering into righteousness and glory. In the same way, God is pleased when His sons suffer with Christ, not because pain is good, but because righteousness is. Until men reject us because they reject Christ in us, we have not yet fully walked His path.

The cross was not the end for Jesus. It was the way.
And for those who follow Him, it still is.

Run Today’s Play: Choose obedience over comfort.

Today, identify one area where you are avoiding obedience because it may cost you—reputation, approval, ease, or control. Then take one clear step toward faithfulness anyway.

• Speak truth even if it’s unpopular.

• Serve someone who can’t repay you.

• Confess sin instead of hiding it.

• Stand with Christ when silence would be safer.

Remember: God was pleased to crush His Son so righteousness could be accomplished.
And He is pleased when His sons walk the same path—trusting that suffering with Christ leads to glory with Christ.

Carry the cross. Trust the outcome to God.