In Doctrines of Salvation, Elder Joseph Fielding Smith wrote of Isaiah fortelling the life and ministry of Christ. He referred to the 53rd chapter of Isaiah and noted:
"Now Bible commentators will tell you that this has nothing to do with the life of Jesus Christ. To them this story is one concerning suffering Israel. I want to tell you that it is a story, a synopsis of the life of our Redeemer, revealed to Isaiah 700 years before the Lord was born. If you have the proper discernment you will discover this."Elder Smith then cited Isaiah 53 and added commentary:
For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
"What is the meaning of that? Did not Christ grow up as a tender plant? There was nothing about Him 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."
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. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
"Was not Christ a man of sorrows? Was He not rejected of men? Was He not acquainted with grief? Did not the people (figuratively) hide their faces from Him? Did not the people esteem Him not? Surely He knew our griefs and carried our sorrows, but He was thought to be stricken of God and forsaken by Him. Did not the people say that? How true all these things are!"
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.
"Now this is poetic language of course. Why should it not be? But can't you get the true picture? . . ."
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
"Does not the gospel teach us that He carried the burden of our sins and that we as sheep have strayed away?"
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
"Is this not true of Christ? Can you not read it in the gospels?"
He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
"It was for our transgressions that He died. And who are mentioned as His generation? Those who accept Him and keep His commandments."
And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich . . . he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
"Was He not buried among the wicked, and was not the sepulchre in which He was placed one belonging to the rich? Surely there was no deceit in His mouth for He was perfect.
Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
"The Father `so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' "
