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.
And continuing the prophecy Isaiah says this in the King James Version:
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Several scholars feel that there is much lost in translation however. Check out how this line is translated in the Jewish Publication Society version (JPS):
Assuredly, I will give him the many as his portion,
He shall receive the multitude as his spoil.
The speaker here is God, and the Servant is more than just one who is among the great. His spoils are the people, not gold, not silver but people.
Christ's reward is in having saved souls and He is rewarded with the company of those souls.
To me this highlights the stakes in the Earthly continuation of the war in Heaven between God and Satan. It demonstrates that there is no greater prize or reward than a human soul.
I think people do better, act better and treat others better when they feel valued. I think when people sink into deep dispair they so often act out and treat others, treat themselves and act out with the same hate and torment they feel inside.
I think once people aren't just told they have value but truly feel it then they often treat others as being just as valued as they feel.
What I'm saying is sometimes the most awful people, the most hateful people are the ones who need to feel valued and loved the most. The people that are harshest in their dealings with others may have never really known true kindness and compassion and need that all the more to heal themselves.
Men fight for money and power, God fights for us. He fights for our souls. We are the ultimate prize in all of the infinite universe.
