Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be associated with sinners and that this was in fact a critical component of His mission. Speaking on behalf of God the Father, Isaiah says:
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.
Isaiah 53:12, italics added
Abinadi quoted this passage to the priests of King Noah. (See Mosiah 14:12.) He was subsequently executed for claiming “that God himself should come down among the children of men” (Mosiah 17:8). In a way, he was “numbered among the transgressors” (convicted and punished like a criminal) for claiming that Jesus would be “numbered among the transgressors” (dwell among us).
At the Last Supper, Jesus prepared His disciples for what was about to happen by saying, “This that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors” (Luke 22:37). Mark saw the Savior’s crucifixion as a direct fulfillment of this prophecy:
And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.
And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.
Mark 15:27-28
Today, I’ve been thinking about the different ways Jesus fulfilled this prophecy. Here are some ideas:
1. He became mortal.
The angel who showed Nephi the life of the Savior in a vision asked, “Knowest thou the condescension of God?” (1 Nephi 11:16). The angel who appeared to King Benjamin declared the astounding truth that “the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay” (Mosiah 3:5). And Abinadi testified, “God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people” (Mosiah 15:1).
One way that Jesus was numbered among the transgressors was by living a mortal life. He is the only person who has ever lived without sin, so everyone around Him was a sinner.
2. He intentionally spent time with sinners.
When the Pharisees asked Jesus’s disciples why He ate with “publicans and sinners,” He replied, “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick” (Matthew 9:10-12; see also Mark 2:15-17, Luke 5:29-32). When a Pharisee named Simon thought it improper for Jesus to allow a sinful woman to wash His feet, Jesus taught him, “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little” (Luke 7:47). And when He was criticized for eating in the home of Zachaeus, He replied, “This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:9-10).
Jesus was numbered among the transgressors because He sought out repentant sinners who were willing to receive His grace.
3. He was condemned and punished like a criminal.
Alma prophesied that Jesus would “take upon him [our] infirmities” (Alma 7:12). One way He did that was by feeling our guilt and suffering painful punishment even though He had committed no crime. One of the thieves who was crucified beside Him observed, “We receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss” (Luke 23:41).
Jesus was numbered among the transgressors by enduring punishment for sins He did not commit.
4. He absorbed the consequences of our sins.
Isaiah said, “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” (Isaiah 53:5, Mosiah 14:5). To Joseph Smith, the Savior said, “I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent” (Doctrine and Covenants 19:16).
Jesus was numbered among the transgressors because He suffered for our sins.
Today, I will remember and be grateful for the many ways that Jesus chose to be numbered among the transgressors. I will be grateful that He lived among us, gravitated toward sinners, willingly endured punishment when He had committed no crime, and suffered to purify us from our sins.