His Death Foretold

Nor is even his death passed over in silence. On the contrary, the divine Scriptures speak of it, and very clearly indeed. So that no one should go astray for lack of being taught about the actual events, they were not afraid to mention even the cause of his death: that he suffers it not for his own sake, but for the immortality and salvation of all. They mention too the plots of the Jews against him and the insults he suffered at their hands. [a]

They say, then: “A man under blows, who knows how to bear weakness, for his face is turned away. He was dishonored and counted as nothing. He bears our sins and is in pain for our sake. And we thought him to be in suffering, and under blows, and mistreated. But he was wounded for our sins and made weak for our wickedness. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we were healed.” How marvelous is the Word’s love for humankind! For our sakes he is dishonored, so that we may be brought to honor. “For all of us,” it says, “like sheep had gone astray; man had wandered from his way. And the Lord handed him over for our sins, and he does not open his mouth, because he has been mistreated. Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation his judgment was taken away.”

Then, so that no one should conclude from his suffering that he was an ordinary man, Holy Scripture heads off what people might suppose. It declares the power that was at work for him, and how his nature differs from ours, saying: “But who will declare his birth? For his life is taken away from the earth. Because of the wickedness of the people he was led to death. And I will give the wicked in return for his burial, and the rich in return for his death; for he did no wickedness, nor was deceit found in his mouth. And the Lord will cleanse him from his wounds.”