Isaiah 53 contains a prophecy of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Isaiah taught that the Savior would be despised and rejected, smitten and afflicted; that He would carry our sorrows; and that He would be wounded for our transgressions.
Isaiah prophesies of the Atonement of Jesus Christ
Before class, write the following question on the board: When might someone be tempted to say, “No one understands what I am going through”? Ask students to respond to this question.
Invite students as they study Isaiah 53 to look for truths that can help them when they experience difficulties and when they feel that no one understands their thoughts, feelings, or challenges.
Invite a student to read Isaiah 53:1–4 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for words or phrases that describe the difficulties Isaiah prophesied Jesus Christ would experience during His life, including the agonizing trials associated with His atoning sacrifice.
What words or phrases describe the difficulties Jesus Christ experienced during His life?
As students respond to the preceding question, ask questions such as the following to help deepen their understanding of the words or phrases they mention:
What might it mean that Jesus Christ grew up “as a root out of a dry ground” (verse 2)? (One interpretation of the phrase “dry ground” is that it refers to the spiritual drought or apostasy that existed in Jesus’s day, which had resulted from the wickedness of Jewish leaders and their followers [see 2 Nephi 10:3–5].)
What do you think it means that “he hath no form nor comeliness; and … there is no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2)?
Ask a student to read aloud the following statement by President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972), who explained what it means that Jesus had “no beauty that we should desire him”:
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Joseph Fielding Smith
“There was nothing about [Jesus] to cause people to single him out. In appearance he was like men; and so it is expressed here by the prophet that he had no form or comeliness, that is, he was not so distinctive, so different from others that people would recognize him as the Son of God. He appeared as a mortal man” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie [1954], 1:23).
In what ways was Jesus Christ “despised and rejected of men” (verse 3) during His life? (You might remind students that Jesus Christ was rejected by His own people and was spat upon, smitten, scourged [or whipped], and mocked during His trials and Crucifixion [see Matthew 26:67–68; 27:22–43].)
According to verse 4, whose “griefs” and “sorrows” did Jesus Christ bear? (After students respond, write the following doctrine on the board: Jesus Christ bore our griefs and carried our sorrows.)
Why is it important to know that the Savior has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows?
Ask a student to read aloud the following statement by Elder David. A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
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David A. Bednar
“There is no physical pain, no spiritual wound, no anguish of soul or heartache, no infirmity or weakness you or I ever confront in mortality that the Savior did not experience first. In a moment of weakness we may cry out, ‘No one knows what it is like. No one understands.’ But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He has felt and borne our individual burdens. And because of His infinite and eternal sacrifice (see Alma 34:14), He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy. He can reach out, touch, succor, heal, and strengthen us” (David A. Bednar, “Bear Up Their Burdens with Ease,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 90).
Ask students to ponder when they have felt the Savior comfort or strengthen them or help carry their griefs and sorrows. Invite a few of them to share their experiences with the class. (Remind students that they should not share any experiences that are too sacred or private.) You may also want to share an experience.
Invite a student to read Isaiah 53:5–6 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what else Jesus Christ suffered for us.
In addition to our griefs and sorrows, what else did Jesus Christ suffer for us?
Display the picture Jesus Praying in Gethsemane (Gospel Art Book [2009], no. 56; see also lds.org/media-library). Explain that for every transgression or sin we commit, there is “a punishment affixed” (Alma 42:18). This punishment includes guilt, pain, misery, and separation from God (see 2 Nephi 9:7–9). The phrase “the chastisement of our peace was upon him” in verse 5 means that Jesus Christ suffered the punishment (the penalty) for our sins so we could experience forgiveness and peace. The phrase “with his stripes we are healed” (verse 5) means that because of Jesus Christ’s suffering we can be healed from the wounds of our sins and the consequences of the Fall of Adam and Eve, including spiritual and physical death.
How would you summarize Isaiah’s teachings recorded in verse 5? (Students may use different words, but they should identify the following doctrine: Jesus Christ suffered for the transgressions and iniquities of all so that we can be forgiven and healed. Using students’ words, write this doctrine on the board.)
To help students better understand the extent of the Savior’s suffering, invite a student to read aloud the following statement by President James E. Faust (1920–2007) of the First Presidency:
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James E. Faust
“He suffered so much pain, ‘indescribable anguish,’ and ‘overpowering torture’ [John Taylor, The Mediation and Atonement (1882), 150] for our sake. His profound suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane … caused Him ‘to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit’ [D&C 19:18]. …
“… No one has ever suffered in any degree what He did” (James E. Faust, “The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope,” Ensign, Nov. 2001, 19).
To help students feel the truth and importance of the doctrine they identified, ask them to reread Isaiah 53:5–6. This time, invite them to study the verses silently and to substitute their names for the words our, we, and us.
What feelings do you have for the Savior as you consider that He suffered the penalty for your sins? Why?
Invite several students to take turns reading aloud from Isaiah 53:7–11. Ask the class to follow along, looking for words or phrases that help us further understand what Jesus Christ experienced as part of His Atonement.
What else did the Savior experience as part of His Atonement?
You may want to explain that the phrase “cut off out of the land of the living” in verse 8 refers to Jesus Christ’s death. The phrase “it pleased the Lord to bruise him” in verse 10 means that Heavenly Father was pleased that Jesus Christ willingly offered Himself as a sacrifice for others’ sins (see 3 Nephi 11:7, 11; John 3:16).
According to Isaiah 53:10, whom did Jesus Christ see as He accomplished the Atonement?
Explain that the phrase “his seed” refers to those who believe the testimony of the prophets concerning Jesus Christ’s mission as the Redeemer (see Mosiah 15:10–13).
Invite a student to read Isaiah 53:12 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for words or phrases that stand out to them about what the Savior did for us. Ask students to report what they find and why it stood out to them.
Remind students that to receive the full blessings of the Savior’s Atonement, we must exercise faith in Him, repent, receive the ordinances of the gospel, and keep our covenants. If we do not repent, then we must suffer and pay the penalty for our own sins (see D&C 19:16–19).
Ask students to reflect on the truths discussed in this lesson. You may want to invite them to write their testimonies of Jesus Christ and His Atonement in their study journals. Invite students to share their testimonies of the Savior with the class if they are willing to do so.
Encourage students to ponder what they are currently doing to receive the blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and how those efforts have affected their relationship with the Savior. Invite them to set a personal goal to do all they can to qualify to receive these blessings.
Isaiah 53 begins with two questions. The first, “Who hath believed our report?” invites the reader to examine whether he or she believes in the testimony of the prophets concerning the redeeming mission of Jesus Christ. The second question, “And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” invites the reader to consider whether he or she has experienced the redemptive power of the Savior’s Atonement.
Isaiah 53:4–9. “He was wounded for our transgressions”
“Jesus suffered and was crucified for men’s transgressions. ‘But few details of the actual crucifixion are given us. We know however that our Lord was nailed to the cross by spikes driven through the hands and feet, as was the Roman method, and not bound only by cords as was the custom in inflicting this form of punishment among some other nations. Death by crucifixion was at once the most lingering and most painful of all forms of execution. The victim lived in ever increasing torture, generally for many hours, sometimes for days. The spikes so cruelly driven through hands and feet penetrated and crushed sensitive nerves and quivering tendons, yet inflicted no mortal wound. The welcome relief of death came through the exhaustion caused by intense and unremitting pain, through localized inflammation and congestion of organs incident to the strained and unnatural posture of the body.’ [James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed. (1916), 655.]
“But it was not just on the cross Christ suffered. In the Garden of Gethsemane He began the suffering that allowed Him to take the sins of the world upon Himself, or as Isaiah says, to bear our griefs and carry our sorrows (see Isaiah 53:4). Speaking of this suffering and pain, Elder Talmage wrote:
“‘Christ’s agony in the garden is unfathomable by the finite mind, both as to intensity and cause. …
“‘In some manner, actual and terribly real though to man incomprehensible, the Savior took upon Himself the burden of the sins of mankind from Adam to the end of the world’ [Jesus the Christ, 613–14]” (Old Testament Student Manual: 1 Kings–Malachi, 3rd ed. [Church Educational System manual, 2003], 197–98).
