Line upon Line

The Suffering Savior

Hundreds of years before Jesus Christ came, Isaiah foresaw His suffering for our sins.

Isaiah 53:3–5

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

despised and rejected

When Jesus Christ came to earth, some people believed in Him, but most did not. They even looked down on Him, and many hated Him. In the end, people chose to have Him tortured and killed. (See 1 Nephi 19:9.)

he hath borne our griefs

Jesus Christ took upon Himself all of our pain, sickness, and weakness. He did this so that He would have mercy on us and know how to help us. (See Alma 7:11–13.)

he was wounded for our transgressions

Jesus Christ suffered for our sins. He did this so that we can be forgiven as we repent. (See Doctrine and Covenants 18:11; 19:15–19.)

with his stripes we are healed

“His stripes” are His wounds. These stand for all of the suffering He endured for us, including the shedding of His blood and His death. Because Jesus Christ suffered for us, we can be made whole again. His sacrifice makes it possible for our sins to be forgiven. As we repent and try to keep our covenants, He heals us and changes us. (See Mosiah 3:7–11; Articles of Faith 1:3.)