Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee who once persecuted the earliest
followers of Christ (who themselves were mostly Jewish men, women and children)
explained to us long before Rabbinical Judaism came into existence, in an
almost prophetic way, as to why there would be a need for this non-Scriptural
form of Judaism to take root in the Jewish world, especially after the
destruction of the Temple in 3830.
I
am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me
in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the
sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites. Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to
God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a
zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s
righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject
themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to everyone who believes.
(Romans
9: 1-4a; 10: 1-4)
In order to counter the teachings of the apostles, and to
give an explanation as to why there was no longer a need for temple sacrifices
to atone for sin, there came this new teaching of Judaism.
As followers of Christ, we are asked to give an account for
the hope that lies within (1 Peter 3:15) but with so much division over
different translations and denominations that grew out of the Protestant
Reformation, never mind the earliest split between eastern and western
orthodoxy, it's any wonder how the church has survived to this point! Divisions over the difference between
"for" and "because of" when it comes to sinful man and what
the "suffering servant" of Isaiah 53 did for us is one area where
Rabbinical Judaism attempts to show that Jesus was not who we have made him out
to be.
Christian Orthodoxy points to this chapter of Isaiah as
clearly pointing to Jesus as the Messiah, while Rabbinical Judaism claims it to
be a continuation of the theme of the previous "servant songs" which
clearly point to Israel. Liberal
Christian scholars have long agreed with their rabbinical counterparts on the
proper interpretation of this chapter, but let us not forget it is also those
same "scholars" who have brought same-sex marriage into the church
which clearly goes against both Old and New Testament teachings. So what do the Scriptures say?
To begin, we must first understand that any interpretation
has to come from an understanding of the theme of the Scriptures in their
entirety, not just from a couple of lines and verses. Furthermore, to fully understand this chapter
you have to begin in the previous chapter in the 13th verse, remembering that
there were no chapter and verses when the Scriptures were written.
"Behold,
My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly
exalted. Just as many were astonished at
you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man and His form
more than the sons of men. Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut
their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see,
and what they had not heard they will understand. Who
has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of YHWH been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender
shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to
Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with
grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did
not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He
was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are
healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own
way; But YHWH has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on
Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; Like
a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its
shearers, so He did not open His mouth.
By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation,
who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living for the
transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned
with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done
no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth. But YHWH was pleased to
crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure
of YHWH
will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He
will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant,
will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will
allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the
strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the
transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the
transgressors."
As mentioned previously, Rabbinical Judaism claims that the
"My Servant" of Isaiah 53 refers to Israel (even though, in the
previous chapters the other "servant songs" clearly spell out Israel)
and backs it up with Scripture from other writers, i.e. Jeremiah and David
(Jer. 30:10, 46: 27-28; Psalm 136:22), but when we look at the verses from
chapter 52 we see a clear separation between the people of Israel and this
particular Servant.
Just
as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred
more than any man and His form more than the sons of men.
No parsing of verses, trying to fit something where it
doesn't belong. The above is one
complete sentence and clearly points to a transition of whom God is speaking of
in Chapter 53 from the previous "servant songs" of Isaiah. Here, one major argument that Rabbinical
Judaism makes, and that liberal Christian scholars agree with, is simply
shattered in pieces because a clear transition of whom God is speaking about is
there for all to see.
Rabbinical Judaism goes on to argue that even Jesus'
disciples did not recognize him as the one who was spoken of in Isaiah 53. From
the website, www.aish.com
"Even in the Christian scriptures, the disciples did
not consider the Suffering Servant as referring to Jesus (see Matthew 16:21-22,
Mark 9:31-32, Luke 9:44-45). When Jesus said, "I am going to Jerusalem
where I will suffer and die," the Apostle Peter did not relate this in any
way to the suffering described in Isaiah 53. Rather, Peter rebuked Jesus,
saying, "Be it far from you Lord, this shall not be unto you." In
other words, "God forbid – that cannot happen to you!" Peter never
expected the Messiah to be tortured and killed."
Of course one glaringly obvious thing left out of this
argument is Jesus' response to Peter in the very next verse!
But
He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling
block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but
man's."
Let us not forget that ALL the disciples at this point,
didn't GET it! It was not until after
Jesus' death and resurrection when he was with them for 40 days and was
teaching them from Moses, the Prophets, the Psalms, all that the Scriptures
said concerning himself. (Luke 24:
25-27, 44-47) It was at this point that
Jesus revealed himself to be the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53! What is the proof text from Scripture for
this assertion you ask?
The account of Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch in the Book
of Acts:
Philip
ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand
what you are reading?” And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides
me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of
Scripture which he was reading was this:
“He
was led as a sheep to slaughter;
And
as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
So
He does not open His mouth.
“In
humiliation His judgment was taken away;
Who
will relate His generation?
For
His life is removed from the earth.”
The
eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say
this? Of himself or of someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and
beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.
So now go and make disciples of ALL men! To the Jews first, and then to the Gentiles.
