By his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53:11
Jesus is described here as “the righteous one.” He joined the human family, and lived the perfect life none of us has lived. Notice, the word righteous occurs twice in this verse. Isaiah describes Jesus as “the righteous one,” but then he writes that many will be “accounted righteous.”
Where does this righteousness come from? It comes from Jesus—He is the righteous one. When you trust yourself to Jesus, God counts the perfect righteousness of His Son as yours. So, we are justified by the righteous life of Jesus, and, as we will see next, by His sin-bearing death.
The Gospels tell the tragic story of Judas, who betrayed our Lord Jesus. When Jesus was condemned to death, Judas was filled with remorse. He went to the chief priests to return the money they had given him.
“I have sinned,” Judas said, “by betraying innocent blood” (Matt. 27:4).
The chief priests responded, “What is that to us?” (27:4). In other words, “That’s your responsibility, Judas. That’s on you!”
Judas fell into complete and utter despair. The religious leaders of his day told him his sin was on him. He could not live with that, and so he went out and ended his life. Who can blame him? If our sins were fully on us, there would be no hope whatsoever.
Imagine arriving at the gates of heaven, standing before God. In fear and trembling you confess, “I have sinned.” And God replies, “What is that to us? That is your responsibility.”
Carrying the guilt of our own sins is a burden that no one can bear. But Isaiah tells us where hope is found: “He shall bear their iniquities” (Isa. 53:11). And just to reassure us, he repeats it in the next verse: “He bore the sin of many” (53:12).
What two things has Jesus done for you that you might be counted as righteous?
