彌賽亞之歌(賽53章)

他誠然擔當我們的憂患、背負我們的痛苦。我們卻以為他受責罰、被神擊打苦待了。哪知他為我們的過犯受害、為我們的罪孽壓傷。因他受的刑罰、我們得平安．因他受的鞭傷、我們得醫治。(賽 53：4-5)

本章，是道地的彌賽亞之歌，詳細說明了神在創世以前所命定的救贖計畫，告訴人類為何歷史上有這麼一段耶穌降生、傳天國的福音、在十字架上受死的真實歷史事件。

法律上有「罪罰等價原則」的說法，是指罪有多重、所應受的懲罰就要有多重的原則。這就告訴我們，為何主耶穌要承受這麼大的痛苦，最後還要以這因為太過殘忍，已經於人類歷史廢除的十字架死刑裡，很痛苦地死去。因為祂要為始祖所犯的原罪，以及接下來因人類自己的軟弱，日日月月所累計無以計數的本罪，用自己的生命為贖價，為凡屬於祂的人除罪。這樣的罪，原本使人類自己直到死日，都必須時時刻刻感受那罪的沉重，甚至被壓得喘不過氣的滋味。若不藉著耶穌基督的救恩，按著「罪的工價就是死」的規定，只要在靈魂裡可以被發現到一條罪，就注定要死。若沒有耶穌，人生是多麼地絕望！

因為罪的工價乃是死．惟有神的恩賜、在我們的主基督耶穌裏、乃是永生。(羅 6：23)

耶穌來了，承擔了我們的憂患、背負了我們的痛苦，為我們的罪承受責打、苦待，因為不這樣做，我們的罪不能得赦。

曾聽過教會中的一個見證：

在東南亞的真耶穌教會，有一對夫妻本來是天主教的信徒，妻子先受洗歸入真耶穌教會，於是她努力要帶她信奉天主教的先生來信。但是先生認為不都是在拜耶穌嗎？何必改信真耶穌教會？但是他妻子的鍥而不舍，使作丈夫的覺得煩不勝煩。

有一天靈恩佈道會，妻子央求她丈夫說：「最後一次，拜託，去參加一天我們教會的佈道會，如果再沒有感動，我以後都不吵你。可以嗎？」她丈夫一聽到「從此不吵你」，就答應參加一次。

第一天佈道會，他依約參加，但是因為是應付的，他坐在會堂的最後一排。雖然坐在最後一排，但是他清楚看見耶穌正出現在講台傳道者的後方牆壁，耶穌被釘在十字架上，低著頭，沒有說話，但是可以看見耶穌很痛苦地在喘氣。因此，他第二天主動要求要再去真耶穌教會一次，他覺得太神奇，一方面他還是不信，心想主耶穌若再次顯現，我就要去真耶穌教會了。

第二天晚上，他依然坐在最後一排座位上，但是仍然於聚會開始時，就清楚看見釘在十字架上的耶穌，不同的是，他更清楚看見主耶穌身上的傷痕、流的血。他心情越來越沉重，整晚都聽不進去傳道者的證道。他主動要求他第三天晚上還要去真耶穌教會參加聚會。

第三天晚上，聚會開始，坐在最後座的他又再次清楚地看見十字架上的耶穌，流著血、痛苦地呼吸著。他不明白這是甚麼意思？這時主耶穌慢慢地抬起頭，用很溫柔、卻很清楚的聲音跟他說：「我的孩子，你知道我是為你而死的嗎？」霎時，這位先生突然在聚會中放聲大哭，不能自已....。

感謝主！後來這位先生真的來真耶穌教會慕道、受洗，並成為神很重要的工人。

這句「我的孩子，你知道我是為你而死的嗎？」也是我在做主工，壓力、挫折極大，心情極度憂傷時，總是可以讓我擦去眼淚的一句話，讓我再次以笑臉面對神、與祂所要我繼續完成的任務。

下次，若再次陷入軟弱，甚至覺得「我不要信了！」的時候，不妨翻到以賽亞書第53章，用安靜的心去讀，並將上述的見證也讀一次，用心想一想：主這樣愛我，我又為祂做了何事來報答祂的愛？

他被欺壓、在受苦的時候卻不開口．〔或作他受欺壓卻自卑不開口〕他像羊羔被牽到宰殺之地、又像羊在剪毛的人手下無聲、他也是這樣不開口。因受欺壓和審判，他被奪去。至於他同世的人、誰想他受鞭打、從活人之地被剪除、是因我百姓的罪過呢？(賽 53：7-8)

By Isaiah Kao

The Song of the Messiah (Isaiah 53)

June 14, 2026

“Surely our griefs He Himself bore,

And our sorrows He carried;

Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten of God, and afflicted.

But He was pierced through for our transgressions,

He was crushed for our iniquities;

The chastening

for our well-being fell upon Him,

And by His scourging we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4–5, NASB)

This chapter is truly a song of the Messiah. It explains in detail the plan of salvation that God ordained before the foundation of the world, telling mankind why there was such a true historical event in history: Jesus came into the world, preached the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, and died on the cross.

In law, there is a principle called the “principle of proportional punishment,” meaning that the severity of the punishment must correspond to the seriousness of the crime. This helps us understand why the Lord Jesus had to endure such great suffering, and in the end die painfully by crucifixion, a form of execution so cruel that it has long been abolished in human history. For He had to pay with His own life as the ransom for the original sin committed by our first ancestors, as well as the countless personal sins accumulated day after day through human weakness, in order to remove the sins of all who belong to Him.

These sins originally caused mankind to bear their heavy burden every moment until death itself, even to the point of being crushed beneath their weight. Without the salvation of Jesus Christ, according to the rule that “the wages of sin is death,” if even one sin could still be found within a soul, that person would be destined to die. Without Jesus, how hopeless human life would be!

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, NASB )

Jesus came and take on our griefs and carried our sorrows. For our sins He endured chastisement and suffering, because without this, our sins could not be forgiven.

I once heard a testimony in the church:

In a True Jesus Church in Southeast Asia, there was a married couple who were originally Catholics. The wife was baptized first and joined the True Jesus Church, and afterward she earnestly tried to bring her Catholic husband to believe as well. But the husband thought, “Are we not all believing in Jesus? Why should I change and join the True Jesus Church?” Yet his wife’s persistence eventually became so constant that he grew weary of it.

One day, during a Evangelical Service and Spiritual Convocation, the wife pleaded with her husband, saying, “Just one last time, please attend one day of the Evangelical Service at our church. If you still are not moved afterward, I will never bother you about it again. All right?” When the husband heard the words, “I will never bother you again,” he agreed to attend once.

On the first day of the Evangelical Service, he attended as promised. Since he was only going unwillingly, he sat in the very last row of the chapel. Yet although he sat in the back, he clearly saw Jesus appearing on the wall behind the preacher. Jesus was hanging on the cross with His head lowered. He did not speak, but the man could see Him breathing painfully in great suffering.

Because of this, the next day he himself asked to go to the True Jesus Church again. He thought it was astonishing, yet part of him still did not believe. He thought to himself, “If the Lord Jesus appears again, then I will join the True Jesus Church.”

On the second evening, he again sat in the last row. As soon as the service began, he once more clearly saw Jesus crucified on the cross. This time, however, he could see even more clearly the wounds on the Lord Jesus and the blood flowing from Him. His heart became heavier and heavier, and throughout the whole evening he could not listen to the sermon at all. He himself requested to attend the service again on the third evening.

On the third night, as the service began, he again clearly saw Jesus on the cross from his seat in the back row, bleeding and breathing painfully. He could not understand what it meant. Then the Lord Jesus slowly lifted His head and spoke to him with a very gentle yet very clear voice:

“My child, do you know that I died for you?” At that very moment, the man suddenly burst into tears during the service and could not stop weeping...

Thanks be to the Lord! Later, this man truly came to seek the truth in the True Jesus Church, was baptized, and became a very important worker for God.

This sentence, “My child, do you know that I died for you?” is also a sentence that often wipes away my tears whenever I am doing the Lord’s work and facing tremendous pressure, deep discouragement, and great sorrow. It enables me once again to face God with a smile and continue the mission He wants me to complete.

The next time you fall again into weakness, or even feel, “I do not want to believe anymore!”, perhaps you may turn to Isaiah chapter 53, read it with a quiet heart, and read this testimony once more. Then think carefully: The Lord has loved me in this way, what have I done in return for His love?

“He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He did not open His mouth;

Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,

And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.

By oppression and judgment He was taken away;

And as for His generation, who considered

That He was cut off from the land of the living

For the wrongdoing of my people, tou whom the blow was due?” (Isaiah 53:7–8, NASB)

By Isaiah Kao