In His vicarious death for sinners, Christ was oppressed, afflicted, and led to the slaughter like a lamb and sheared before the shearers like a sheep, with no reaction (Isa. 53:7). First, Christ was oppressed; then He was afflicted. Affliction is more serious than oppression. Then, third, He was led to the slaughter.
On the night in which He was betrayed, He was praying in Gethsemane. Then the soldiers came and arrested Him and bound Him. That was an oppression. As a man, Christ was entitled to certain human rights. He had done nothing wrong. Therefore, for people to come and arrest Him was an oppression. After being arrested, He was judged, first by the Jewish leaders according to their religious law, and, second, by the Roman officials according to Roman law. While they were judging Him, people spat on Him and mocked Him. These were afflictions. After all this, they made the decision to crucify Him. Then they led Him like a lamb to the slaughter and like a sheep to be sheared before the shearers. Christ was not only led to the slaughter; He was even sheared like a sheep by the shearers, the Jewish people. Yet, He did not react against any of this. He did not argue, vindicate Himself, or justify Himself; instead, He was silent. This surprised Pilate (Matt. 27:13-14).
Isaiah 53:8 says that Christ was taken away by oppression (of the hypocritical Jewish leaders—Matt. 26:57, 59, 65-68) and by judgment (of the unjust Roman officials—Luke 23:1-12; John 18:33-38; 19:1-16). First, Christ was oppressed; then He was judged. By these two things He was taken away. All these things are included in and issued in His crucifixion.
According to Isaiah 53:12c, when Christ was crucified on the cross, He was numbered with the transgressors (Luke 23:32-33) and He interceded for the transgressors (v. 34a). Christ was crucified between two criminals, one on His left and one on His right. Thus, He was numbered with the transgressors. In speaking of Christ's crucifixion, Isaiah's sequence proceeds from Christ's being oppressed to His being numbered with the transgressors. While on the cross, Christ interceded not only for His companions, the transgressors, who were beside Him, but also for those who were killing Him. He prayed for the transgressors.